NYE fireworks 2025: How Australia and the world are celebrating
The world has welcomed in the new year with celebrations and fireworks after a tumultuous year. See how people around the globe rang in 2025 in photos and video.
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Crowds around the world marvelled at fireworks, raised their toasts and greeted 2025 across dozens of timezones as they bid farewell to a tumultuous year that was the hottest on record in more ways than one: Olympic glory, elections in more than 60 countries, the advance of AI and inflation, the dramatic return of Donald Trump, the global phenomenon that is Taylor Swift, and turmoil in the Middle East and Ukraine.
New Year’s Eve parties kicked into gear along Sydney Harbour, culminating in the ciy’s world famous extravaganza, which many rank as one of the best, globally.
Here’s how the world is celebrating:
NEW YORK
Revellers started arriving early in party mode and wearing costumes to Times Square, in the heart of Manhattan, to grab a spot for the infamous ball drop at midnight. Despite the rain, thousands of people embraced and kissed each other as they celebrated the New Year with confetti falling from the nearby skyscrapers as Frank Sinatra’s New York, New York played throughout the area.
LONDON
Revellers rugged up and gathered under cloudy skies in central London prior to the annual New Year's Eve fireworks display at midnight.
Fireworks exploded in the sky around the London Eye and The Elizabeth Tower — “Big Ben” — and at the Palace of Westminster.
FRANCE
The Champs-Elysees in Paris was lit up and fireworks were set off at the Arc de Trimophe and near the Eiffel Tower.
ITALY
Fireworks went off in Rome near the famous Garibaldi statue.
BELGIUM
Partygoers in Brussels also watched a fireworks display at the Atomium.
EGYPT
Fireworks also exploded above the Great Pyramids at New Year's celebrations in Cairo.
GREECE
Greece has welcomed the new year with fireworks across its main landmarks across its popular tourist hotspots.
BERLIN
Fireworks lit up the Brandenburg Gate as Berlin marked the New year with its celebrations.
DUBAI
Dubai, home to the world’s tallest building, put on a show for revellers as the buildings and fountains of the UAE metropolis lit up and more than 45 fireworks shows were scheduled at over 36 locations, including the Dubai Frame and Atlantis The Palm.
ABU DHABI
PAKISTAN
Pakistan welcomed in 2025 with fireworks in the heart of Karachi.
SINGAPORE
The city was lit up with all colours of the rainbow as a massive fireworks display was seen by thousands of revellers on the water.
AMSTERDAM
Those in the Netherlands also rang in the New Year with celebrations that included an electronic light show at the Museumplein.
COLOMBO
In Sri Lanka people gathered in the port city of Colombo on the island’s wesrt coast to watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks.
DAMASCUS
Despite a tumultuous year, Syria had something to celebrate on New Year’s Eve, transitioning after the fall of the Assad regime, with market traders in Damascus selling balloons and other wares in a sign of hope at the year ahead.
RIO DE JANEIRO
Brazilians flocked to Copacabana beach for the traditional New Year’s Eve celebrations. There was also a church service at the world famous Christ the Redeemer statue.
PUERTO RICO
Unfortunately, the Caribbean island and unincorporated US territory of Puerto Rico and its capital of San Juan was plunged into darkness with a blackout on New Year’s Eve as authorities try to rectify the outage before midnight.
ISTANBUL
Turkish people including the 16 million inhabitants of Istanbul stay home and feast or brave the cold to go out and enjoy the lights and performances in town squares.
INDONESIA
In Indonesia, local residents enjoyed fireworks at Ancol Beach in Jakarta on the island of Java.
Fireworks also lit up near the Prambanan Temple, a 9th-century Hindu temple complex and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in Yogyakarta.
MANILA
In the Philippines, fireworks lit up the sky in the Makati district of the capital and people set off flares and fireworks in the city streets.
KUALA LUMPUR
Fireworks lit up the Petronas Twin Tower in the financial centre of Kuala Lumpur.
HANOI
In Vietnam, Hanoi celebrated the new year with midnight fireworks at five locations, including both aerial and ground displays.
MUMBAI
Mumbai, India prepared to kick off its vibrant celebrations, deploying over 14,000 personnel for robust security measures ahead of the New Year’s Eve festivities. Many families gathered to see the lights on the 3km long Marine Drive.
ISLAMABAD
The capital of Pakistan, Islamabad celebrated New Year’s Eve with festivals and a downtown fireworks display, dancing fountains, live music performances, food festivals and more.
SEOUL
After a difficult year that saw their government fail, and a tragic plane crash, South Koreans still came out to celebrate the end of 2024 with celebrations and with light shows, even if it was to stage a rally near the presidential residence with glow sticks.
TAIPEI
Taiwan held its 2025 Taipei New Year’s Party in the plaza in front of City Hall from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., with fireworks off the Taipei 101 Tower, while pop diva A-Mei held her popular New Year’s Eve concert featuring local stars at the Taipei Dome.
HONG KONG
Fireworks lit up the night sky over Victoria Harbour in the special administrative region of China.
BEIJING
China welcomed the Western New Year with parties in major cities like Shanghai and Najing. Beijing hosted an extravagant entertainment gala featuring local stars, a countdown celebration at Shougang Park while Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a national televised address ahead of the celebrations.
WUHAN
In the city now famous as the origin of the Covid pandemic, crowds of people released masses of balloons into the air to welcome 2025.
BANGKOK
Thais took to the shore of the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok in large numbers to ring in the new year with a vibrant fireworks display.
BALI
The Indonesian island welcomed 2025 with displays of traditional dancing. The ceremonial dances are to release the sun of 2024, and to welcome the sun of 2025
MELBOURNE
Partygoers began packing the city streets of Victoria’s capital on Tuesday to see the fireworks shows, one at 9.30pm followed by the classic midnight display.
The City of Melbourne encouraged people to view the displays from anywhere they can see the skyline.
There were fireworks displays across regional Victoria, too, including at Geelong.
BRISBANE
Thousands of revellers packed into the city to see the fireworks across the CBD.
ADELAIDE
Many families came out to see the fireworks in Adelaide and watched from Elder Park.
SYDNEY
A million people packed into Sydney Harbour and its foreshores to welcome 2024 with two fireworks displays, one for families and one at midnight, considered to be the best in the world. People began packing the vantage points early in the afternoon with some camping out overnight.
“Just to see all the beautiful colours and enjoy being in this situation with so many people in wonderful Australia,” said 71-year-old retired nurse Ruth Rowse.
AUCKLAND
Aotearoa New Zealand lead the global welcoming in of 2025 with a five-minute fireworks display at midnight from the Sky Tower, and a stunning Vector Lights show across the Auckland Harbour Bridge.
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