World celebrates dawn of 2026 with fireworks and New Year festivals
From Sydney to Paris to New York City , crowds rang in the new year with exuberant celebrations filled with thunderous fireworks or light shows, while others took a more subdued approach.
As the clock struck midnight in Japan, temple bells rang and some climbed mountains to see the year's first sunrise, while a light show with somersaulting jet skis twinkled in Dubai .
The countdown to 2026 was projected on to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris , while in Moscow people celebrated in the snow.
In New York City's Times Square, revellers braved freezing temperatures to celebrate with the famed New Year's Eve ball drop.
In Rio de Janeiro, crowds packed two-and-a-half miles of Copacabana Beach for concerts and a 12-minute fireworks show, despite high tides and large waves that rocked the barges carrying fireworks.
Other events were more subdued. Hong Kong held limited celebrations following a recent fire at an apartment complex that killed 161 people. Australia saluted the new year with defiance less than a month after its worst mass shooting in almost 30 years.
In New York, crowds bundled up against the chilly temperatures cheered and embraced as the New Year's Eve ball covered in more than 5,000 crystals descended down a pole and confetti fell in Times Square.
Revellers wearing tall celebratory hats and light-up necklaces had waited for hours to see the ball drop. The festivities also included Tones and I performing John Lennon's Imagine just before midnight.
Moments after the ball dropped it rose again, sparkling in red, white and blue, to mark the country's upcoming 250th birthday.
In Sydney , a heavy police presence monitored crowds watching the fireworks. Many officers openly carried rapid-fire rifles, a first for the event, after two gunmen targeted a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach on December 14 , killing 15.
An hour before midnight, victims were commemorated with a minute of silence, and the crowd was invited to show solidarity with Australia's Jewish community.
New South Wales premier Chris Minns had urged residents not to stay away from festivities, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds as a victory.
"We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime," he said.
Elsewhere around the world, war and disasters cast shadows on festivities.
Indonesia scaled back celebrations in solidarity with communities devastated by floods and landslides in parts of Sumatra a month ago that killed more than 1,100. Fireworks on the tourist island of Bali were replaced with traditional dances.
Hong Kong rang in 2026 without fireworks over Victoria Harbour after the massive fire in November. Facades of landmarks were turned into countdown clocks and a light show at midnight.
London mayor Sir Sadiq Khan hailed London’s New Year celebrations as the “greatest in the world” after 100,000 people lined the banks of the River Thames to welcome 2026 with the capital’s largest fireworks display.
The spectacular display – set to a soundtrack which included the likes of Raye, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay and featuring voice overs from stars such as Celia Imrie, Andrew Cotter and Alison Hammond – celebrated some of the highlights of 2025.
Among the feats acknowledged in the display were England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup triumph, the Lionesses retaining the Euros and Europe’s Ryder Cup win, while there was also a nod to the film Wicked: For Good.
Thousands of revellers saw in 2026 in Edinburgh city centre, where they were treated to a spectacular fireworks display as part of the capital’s Hogmanay celebrations.
Crowds of people gathered along the city’s Princes Street as the hour struck and the six-and-a-half-minute display got underway above Edinburgh Castle.
Accompanied by a soundtrack featuring the likes of Lewis Capaldi, Eurythmics and Simple Minds, the spectacle concluded with a version of Auld Lang Syne from Skye duo Valtos, while a saltire was projected onto Castle Rock.
The display marked the culmination of an evening of festivities in the Scottish capital, which included the Concert in the Gardens headlined by the band Wet Leg.
The 45,000 people attending the sold-out Hogmanay Street Party were entertained with pipe bands, drummers, a DJ set from Belgian duo 2manydjs and a silent disco.
Ann Bracefield, a primary school teacher from Wellington in New Zealand, was among the thousands at the street party.
The 55-year-old said she had come to Edinburgh for the event because “it’s where to be for New Years”.
“I have a teacher friend who tried to get in last year from New Zealand and he missed it because it was cancelled,” she said.
“So, it was like, ‘right, I’m going to try’. So, to Scott from Bangkok, I actually made it.”
Elias Branting, 24, who travelled from Sweden for the event, said it had a “great” atmosphere.
“There’s lots of people, there’s lots of food, there’s lots of light, which is awesome,” he said.
“The entire city is lit up, which is great, and we’re looking forward to the fireworks as well.”
This year’s sold-out event marked the return of the festival following last year’s cancellation due to bad weather.
Conditions in Edinburgh this year were clear and chilly, although the city avoided the weather warnings for snow and ice which come into place for parts of Scotland from 6am on New Year’s Day.