The first celebrations worldwide start the new year 2025!

On December 31, 2024, the new year is celebrated worldwide. Already at 11:00 a.m. CET, i.e. 13 hours ahead of Austria, people rang the new year on the South Sea Atoll Kiritimati, which belongs to Kiribati. This island with around 7,300 inhabitants was the first place worldwide to start in 2025. Just 15 minutes later, the Chatham Islands followed, an area belonging to New Zealand 800 kilometers east of Kiritimati. Here, too, a handful of hundred people celebrated before New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga celebrated, as [Klick-kaernten.at] reported.

For the New Year's Eve, spectacular celebrations have been announced in several metropolises. In Auckland, New Zealand, the Sky Tower is illuminated with a breathtaking 500 kilograms of fireworks to receive the new year. At 2:00 p.m. CET, the world -famous fireworks are inflamed over the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the opera house. Originally there were concerns about a planned strike in local public transport, but the organizers could find a solution. Around nine tons of pyrotechnics are prepared for the big show, which is ignited in 264 places. An estimated one million people are expected, while many more are being followed by the spectacle via live streams, as [oe24.at] reported.

global celebrations take off

In Asia, exciting light shows are also on the program. Bangkok is preparing for celebrations on the Chao Phraya River, while an impressive fireworks show is planned at Marina Bay in Singapore. In Kuala Lumpur, the Petronas Towers shine at the center of a grandiose lighting and color show. For a quieter New Year's Eve celebration, Greece and Cyprus are relying on a “still fireworks” this year that generates less noise pollution. The popular New Year's Eve path takes place again in Vienna. American Samoa is the last country to welcome the new year at the other end of the international date limit-twelve hours to Austria.