Spectacular show in Dubai

The United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Mauritius, and the Seychelles have welcomed 2026. In Dubai, people enjoyed fireworks launched from the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, following a show featuring lighting effects, music, and water fountains.

2026 in China
China, with a population of approximately 1.4 billion people, welcomed the new year together with the Philippines, Malaysia, and parts of Indonesia. Mongolia, Taiwan, Brunei, Irkutsk in Russia, Perth in Western Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, and certain regions of Antarctica also welcomed 2026.

For some people in China and other parts of Asia, the New Year is the main celebration. In Beijing, large crowds gathered to enjoy the festivities and listen to the sound of drums.

Happy New Year Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Taiwan! 🎉

Watch as fireworks fill the sky in Kuala Lumpur and Taipei to welcome in 2026.

Latest updates 👉 https://t.co/DP0mlQ1r19

📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/0s1QsVuhU0

— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 31, 2025

31/12/2025 18:39
New Year’s Eve in mourning in Australia
Sydney, Australia, celebrated the arrival of 2026 with a spectacular fireworks show held under heightened police presence, weeks after gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish event in the city.

Sydney’s annual New Year’s celebrations are world-famous for their spectacular fireworks, with 40,000 fireworks lighting up the sky over a seven-kilometer stretch above buildings and vessels in the harbor, including the iconic landmarks of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.

Organizers observed a one-minute silence for the victims of the attack at 11:00 p.m. local time (14:00 Greek time), with the Sydney Harbour Bridge illuminated in white and a menorah (a seven-branched lamp), a symbol of Judaism, projected onto its pylons.

“After a tragic end to the year for our city, we hope that New Year’s Eve will offer an opportunity to come together and look ahead with hope to a peaceful and happy 2026,” said Sydney Mayor Clover Moore ahead of the events.

The two gunmen, a father and his son, killed 15 people at a Hanukkah event on December 14, in the deadliest mass shooting in the past 30 years—an attack that shocked the country and heightened fears of rising antisemitism.

Traditional Christmas celebrations in Bondi were canceled this year, and several New Year’s events that had been scheduled will also not take place.

Approximately 3,000 police officers, some carrying firearms, were deployed across the city for the New Year’s celebrations, which usually attract more than one million spectators.

“We must show our defiance in the face of this horrific crime and say that we will not be intimidated by this kind of terrorism and we will not change the way we live in our beautiful city,” said today the Premier of New South Wales, Chris Minns.

31/12/2025 15:10
Papua New Guinea welcomed 2026
Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea welcomed the new year with events, traditional performances, and gatherings.

31/12/2025 16:26
The year changed in Adelaide

Happy New year from Adelaide. It’s now officially BTS’ year pic.twitter.com/4bSQBaRkdT

— ⁉️Noo⁷⁼¹ : ˙८ ˙ 💜 Jimin said Thank You to me (@nikki4noo) December 31, 2025

31/12/2025 16:12
Photos from New Zealand

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026 NEW ZEALAND 🇳🇿 🎉 pic.twitter.com/7BDr3KxAsZ

— WORLD 2025 🌊 (@W0rld2025) December 31, 2025

31/12/2025 15:16
Sydney, Australia

HAPPY NEW YEAR
From Sydney Australia 🇦🇺 🎆🎇 pic.twitter.com/SlADUUas8e

— Earth (@earthcurated) December 31, 2025

31/12/2025 15:14
Fireworks show in Sydney

31/12/2025 15:05
Spectacular video from Sydney

31/12/2025 14:54
Striking images from Sydney
Australia welcomed 2026 with spectacular fireworks — but also with strict security measures — in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on Bondi Beach on December 14 that claimed the lives of 15 people.

In Sydney, around one million people gathered around the harbor for the countdown, admiring the impressive New Year’s fireworks display.

New Zealand welcomed 2026
A few hours later, the baton was passed to the roughly 600 residents of the Chatham Islands, east of New Zealand.