From Sydney to Vladivostok, communities around the world have begun to welcome 2025 with spectacular light shows, hugs and ice plunges.
Auckland became the first major city to celebrate, as thousands of people crowded into the center or climbed the city's ring of volcanic peaks to enjoy a fireworks viewing point. A display of lights recognized the indigenous people.
The countries of the South Pacific Ocean are the first to ring in the New Year: midnight in New Zealand will strike 18 hours before the ball drops in Times Square in New York.
Conflicts silenced recognition of the new year in places like the Middle East, Sudan and Ukraine.
Fireworks exploded from the Sydney Harbor Bridge and crossed the bay. More than a million Australians and others gathered on Sydney's iconic harbor for the celebration. British pop star Robbie Williams led a song along with the crowd.
The celebration also featured indigenous ceremonies and performances that recognized the land's first inhabitants.
Fireworks explode over the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge during New Year's celebrations in Sydney, Wednesday, January 1, 2025. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP Image via AP).
Asia prepares for the Year of the Snake
Much of Japan closed ahead of the country's biggest holiday, as temples and homes underwent extensive cleaning.
The next Year of the Snake in the Asian zodiac is announced as one of rebirth, alluding to the reptile's shedding of skin. Stores in Japan, which observes the zodiac cycle since January 1, have been selling snake-themed products. Other places in Asia will celebrate the Year of the Snake later with the Lunar New Year.
People visit the Sensoji Buddhist temple on New Year's Eve in Tokyo, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)
In South Korea, celebrations were curtailed or canceled during a period of national mourning following Sunday's crash of a Jeju Air flight in Muan that killed 179 people.
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In Bangkok, Thailand, shopping malls competed to draw crowds with live musical performances and fireworks displays. Just before midnight, a performance by popular rap singer Lisa, a Thai member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, was scheduled to perform.
People gather in the main shopping district on New Year's Eve in Jakarta, Indonesia, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
A fireworks show in Jakarta, Indonesia, featured 800 drones.
China and Russia exchange goodwill
Chinese state media covered an exchange of New Year greetings between leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in a reminder of the growing closeness between the leaders facing tensions with the West.
Xi told Putin that their countries “will always move forward hand in hand,” the official Xinhua news agency said.
Revelers ring in the new year during a countdown event in Beijing, Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
China has maintained ties and strong trade with Russia since the latter invaded Ukraine in 2022, helping to counter Western sanctions and attempts to isolate Putin.
Xi also addressed Taiwan, the autonomous island claimed by Beijing: “We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the same family. No one will ever be able to break the bond of kinship between us.”
In his address to the nation, Putin said that Russia “has set itself great goals and achieved them, and we overcame difficulties more than once because we were together.”
Conflicts darken the Middle East
New Year's celebrations are likely to be subdued in Israel as its conflict with Hamas continues and dozens of hostages remain in captivity. Meanwhile, it has been difficult to assess the extent of the famine in northern Gaza, where thousands of people have fled an intensified Israeli military crackdown that aid groups say has barely allowed the delivery of support since October.
Many areas of Lebanon suffered severe damage during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which ended with an unstable ceasefire. Meanwhile, Syrians expressed hope and uncertainty following the overthrow of leader Bashar Assad.
In Dubai, thousands of people attended a fireworks display at the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper.
Emirati men stand on the promenade in front of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, ahead of the New Year's Eve celebration, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri).
Rome's traditional New Year's Eve festivities have an additional draw: the start of Pope Francis' Holy Year, the quarter-century celebration that is expected to attract some 32 million pilgrims to the Eternal City in 2025.
On Tuesday, Francis will celebrate vespers in St. Peter's Basilica, followed by a mass on Wednesday, when he is expected to again call for peace amid wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
January 1 is a day of obligation for Catholics and marks the Solemnity of Mary.
German leader calls for solidarity
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on residents to stick together despite the country's weakening economy and a deadly Christmas market attack that shocked the nation.
“We are a country of union. And we can draw strength from this, especially in difficult times like these,” Scholz said in a pre-recorded speech.
Paris recovers the Olympic spirit
Paris will cap a momentous 2024 with its traditional countdown and fireworks show on the Champs-Elysées.
The summer Olympic and Paralympic Games held in the French capital from July to September transformed the city into a place of joy, brotherhood and surprising sporting achievements. It also marked a milestone in its recovery from the deadly 2015 extremist attacks by Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Brits brave winter weather
London will ring in the New Year with a fireworks display along the River Thames and a parade through the city center on Wednesday featuring 10,000 performers.
Because a storm brought bitter weather to other parts of the United Kingdom, festivities in Edinburgh, Scotland, including the Hogmanay Street party and the castle's pyrotechnics show, were cancelled.
But in Switzerland and elsewhere people embraced the cold, stripping naked and diving into water at frigid temperatures.
Rio expects 2 million revelers
Rio de Janeiro will celebrate Brazil's main New Year's Eve party on Copacabana Beach, with offshore ferries carrying 12 straight minutes of fireworks. Thousands of tourists on cruise ships will witness the spectacle up close.
More than 2 million people were expected to attend Copacabana, hoping to catch concerts by superstar Brazilian artists such as pop singer Anitta and Grammy Award winner Caetano Veloso.
American traditions old and new.
In New York City, the organization that runs Times Square tested its famous ball drop and inspected the numbers, lights and thousands of crystals of 2025 as part of a tradition that dates back to 1907. This year's celebration will include musical performances from TLC, Jonas Brothers, Rita Ora and Sophie Ellis-Bextor.
Meanwhile, the Las Vegas fireworks show will be on the Strip, with 340,000 people expected as fireworks are launched from casino rooftops. Nearby, the huge Sphere venue will for the first time show countdowns to midnight in different time zones.
In Pasadena, enthusiastic Rose Parade spectators camped out hoping to find prime spots. And some 200,000 people flocked to a party in Nashville, Tennessee, that featured a show by some of country music's biggest stars.
American Samoa will be among the last to welcome 2025, 24 hours after New Zealand.