12/31/2025December 31, 2025Pacific to usher in New Year with fireworks and reflection
The Pacific will be the first — and last — part of the world to welcome the New Year, with fireworks and public gatherings planned across several countries.
Kiribati’s largest island, Kiritimati (also known as Christmas Island), is the first inhabited place to enter the New Year, but with only about 5,000 people, it is not planning major events. Meanwhile, American Samoa will be the last to welcome in 2026.
New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga are set to follow Kiritimati an hour later, with church bells, community celebrations and fireworks planned.
As one of the first major cities to ring in 2026, landmarks in New Zealand’s Auckland are due to light up, with images of “special moments” from 2025 submitted by the public projected onto the Sky Tower.
A light and sound show on the Auckland Harbour Bridge is set to count down to midnight before fireworks launch from the Sky Tower at 1100 GMT Wednesday.
New Zealand’s capital, Wellington, is also planning fireworks and live music at its inner-city lagoon.
Some people in Sydney, Australia, camped out to secure a prime spot overlooking the Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge, where the fireworks display would take placeImage: Hollie Adams/REUTERS
Sydney, two hours behind New Zealand, is expected to draw global attention with celebrations at its iconic harbor. More than 1 million people are expected to attend as over 9 tons of fireworks are launched during the night.
Parties will pause for a minute of silence at 11 p.m. (1200 GMT) as the famed Sydney Harbour Bridge is bathed in white light to symbolise peace after a mass shooting at a Jewish Hanukkah festival on Bondi Beach killed 15 people.
Fireworks displays are also planned in other Australian cities, including Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide.