When will the clocks strike midnight in different countries around the world?
I am writing today’s blog from London. Using UK time, here is a quick rundown of when (some very select) countries will ring in the new year:
Kiribati -10:00 GMT
New Zealand – 11:00 GMT
Most of Australia’s east coast – 13:00 GMT
North Korea, South Korea and Japan- 15:00 GMT
Taiwan, Hong Kong and China – 16:00 GMT
Thailand – 17:00 GMT
India and Sri Lanka – 18:30 GMT
Russia (Moscow) – 21:00 GMT
Ukraine – 22:00 GMT
Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Italy – 23:00 GMT
The UK , Ghana and Portugal– 00:00 GMT …
Brazil and Argentina – 03:00 GMT
The east coast of the US – 05:00 GMT
Updated at 05.12 EST
Key events
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Security in Sydney – and across Australia – has been massively stepped up in the wake of the terror attack at the Bondi beach Hanukkah event on 14 December, in which 15 people were killed and dozens more were injured when gunmen opened fire on the celebration attended by more than 1,000 people.
New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has urged the people of Sydney to “square your shoulders, puff out your chest and walk out” to celebrate tonight as a show of defiance after the attack, Australia’s deadliest mass shooting since 1996.
Guardian Australia reporter Penry Buckley has written about the extra security measures being put in place, with hundreds of thousands of revellers expected to cram into harbourside vantage spots for Sydney’s magnificent fireworks display. Here is an extract from the story:
The New South Wales premier said police were putting “extra measures” in place for the city’s public transport system, which many were expected to use before and after Wednesday’s celebrations.
He said this was in addition to the presence of more than 2,500 police officers, including some with long-arm weapons, on Sydney’s streets.
“We need to show strength and resilience during this period,” Minns said on Wednesday. “And if that is that you square your shoulders, puff out your chest and walk out even in the face of genuine community concern, I think that we’ve got an obligation do that.”
You can read more here:
Updated at 07.15 EST
NYE parties paused in Sydney for a minute’s silence to commemorate victims of the Bondi terror attack
With one hour to go until Australia enters 2026, a minute’s silence was observed and the Sydney Harbour Bridge lit up at 11pm (local time), with a menorah, a dove and the words “unity” and “peace” projected on to the structure.
Announcements broadcast inside CBD train stations asked that passengers switch on their phones’ torches at 11pm to “shine a light in solidarity with the victims and anyone affected by the (Bondi terror) attack”.
Updated at 07.17 EST
Fireworks, light shows and party zones: what’s on for NYE in Australia’s capital cities?
Use our NYE 2025 guide below to find out when and where major events are happening around Australia tonight:
Sydney is the self-appointed “world capital of new year’s eve” and arguably rightly so. As always, eyes will be on the Opera House at 13:00 GMT when fireworks will light up the sky in spectacular fashion. But there are also huge crowds out in Melbourne to see off the year in style.
Thousands of people are expected to descend on Melbourne this evening to celebrate NYE. There will be two 7 minute firework displays and light shows tonight, first a family one at 9.30pm for young children, and the main one at the stroke of midnight.
It is currently 22:36 in Melbourne and Sydney, and anticipation is building for the big moment.
Updated at 06.47 EST
Some community events have been cancelled across New Zealand’s North Island due to forecasts of rain and possible thunderstorms.
ShareFireworks in Auckland as New Zealand among those to welcome in the new year
Auckland has welcomed in the new year with a colourful fireworks display over the Sky Tower.
The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from various floors of the 240m (787ft) tower, New Zealand’s tallest structure.
The Pacific Island nations of Samoa, Tonga, along with Tokelau – a dependent territory of New Zealand about 3,500km north of Auckland – have also welcomed in 2026 with celebrations.
Updated at 06.10 EST
Family-friendly fireworks go off over Sydney Harbour Bridge
The family-friendly fireworks went off over Sydney Harbour Bridge before the main display at midnight (13:00 GMT). Here are some of the best pictures:
Fireworks explode over Sydney Harbour Bridge (at 9pm local time) during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney. Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersFireworks are seen over Sydney Harbour during the 9pm family fireworks display at Mrs Macquaries Point in Sydney. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAPFireworks are seen over Sydney Harbour during the magnificent display at Mrs Macquaries Point in Sydney. Photograph: Dan Himbrechts/AAPShare
Updated at 06.00 EST
The countdown is well and truly under way in Australia – at least in (most of) the country’s eastern cities where the clock will strike twelve at 13:00 GMT.
As always, the main midnight moment in Sydney will be the annual fireworks display surrounding the harbour bridge.
A family fireworks display is held three hours before midnight every year so that young children get a chance to join in the festivities before they have to go to bed.
Key viewing sites, including at Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and other areas in the Royal Botanic Garden, were already at capacity on Wednesday afternoon.
People sleep at Mrs Macquaries Point ahead of the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Sydney. Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersShareNew Zealand’s remote Chatham Island welcomes in new year
New Zealand’s Chatham Island is now in 2026. The remote archipelago, in the Pacific Ocean, is home to about 600 people.
The clocks will chime across most of New Zealand in about half an hour, where midnight local time is 11:00 GMT.
In Auckland, the major city close to the international date line, the Sky Tower usually puts on an impressive fireworks display, and there will be a myriad of other celebrations across New Zealand, including fireworks over Wellington Harbour, which are expected to go ahead tonight, despite forecasted gloomy weather.
Updated at 05.31 EST
Kiribati becomes first country to welcome in the new year, as clocks strike twelve in island of Kiritimati
An atoll in the remote Pacific Island nation of Kiribati – Kiritimati – has become the first to usher in the new year (at 10:00 GMT). We will bring you pictures as soon as we get them in.
Other parts of Kiribati will be welcoming in the new year over the next few hours.
Kiribati – made up of 33 atolls (islands) – controls more than 3.5 million sq km (1.4m sq miles) of Pacific Ocean.
In 1994, Kiribati – pronounced “Kiribass” – changed the time zone across the international date line, so all 33 islands would have the same date (there were previously some islands on the eastern side of the international date line).
Updated at 05.18 EST
When will the clocks strike midnight in different countries around the world?
I am writing today’s blog from London. Using UK time, here is a quick rundown of when (some very select) countries will ring in the new year:
Kiribati -10:00 GMT
New Zealand – 11:00 GMT
Most of Australia’s east coast – 13:00 GMT
North Korea, South Korea and Japan- 15:00 GMT
Taiwan, Hong Kong and China – 16:00 GMT
Thailand – 17:00 GMT
India and Sri Lanka – 18:30 GMT
Russia (Moscow) – 21:00 GMT
Ukraine – 22:00 GMT
Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Italy – 23:00 GMT
The UK , Ghana and Portugal– 00:00 GMT …
Brazil and Argentina – 03:00 GMT
The east coast of the US – 05:00 GMT
Updated at 05.12 EST
Welcome to our New Year’s Eve live coverage
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of New Year’s Eve celebrations from around the world as 2026 begins.
Among the first places to bring in the new year will be Kiritimati on Kiribati Island in the central Pacific Ocean at 10:00 GMT.
It takes a full 26 hours for the entire globe to enter the new year and our team will be bringing you the best photos, videos and all the latest scenes of celebration throughout the whole stretch.
We will also bring you the traditional messages of goodwill from world leaders, and hopefully a bit of fun, too, so stick with us as we say goodbye to 2025.