New Year's Eve live: World ushers in 2026

Australia’s east coast welcomes 2026 two hours after New Zealand, but celebrations in Sydney are unfolding under the shadow of the country's worst mass shooting in nearly 30 years.

Two gunmen attacked a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach on December 14, killing 15 people and wounding 40.

An hour before midnight, the victims were commemorated with a minute of silence. Images of a menorah were projected onto the pylons of the Harbour Bridge, while crowds were invited to show solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community by lighting up the harbor with their phone lights.

Chris Minns, the premier of New South Wales, urged residents not to stay away out of fear, warning that extremists would see smaller New Year's Eve crowds as a victory.

"We can’t be in a situation where this horrible, criminal, terrorist event changes the way we live in our beautiful city," Minns told reporters on Wednesday.

"We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we’re not going to be cowered by this kind of terrorism."

Australia held some of its New Year pyrotechnics hours in advance with the  "Calling Country" fireworks — a family-friendly display.

The 9 p.m. local time extravaganza is timed earlier so people with children or those who don’t want to stay up until midnight can still enjoy a spectacular show.

Auckland has rung in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from the Sky Tower, becoming the first major city to welcome the new year.

The celebration was dampened by rain as South Pacific nations were the first to bid farewell to 2025.

Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, a city of about 1.7 million people and New Zealand's largest.

The five-minute show featured about 3,500 fireworks fired from multiple levels of the 240-meter Sky Tower, New Zealand's tallest structure.

Several smaller community events across New Zealand’s North Island were canceled on Wednesday due to forecasts of rain and possible thunderstorms.

The new year has already started on some Pacific islands, but what about other parts of the world?

Here's a rundown of when 2026 will begin in some cities and countries (all times in UTC): The New Year has already begun in parts of New Zealand, starting with the remote Chatham Islands, which ring in 2026 just 15 minutes after the world's earliest celebrations.

The islands — home to just over 700 people — lie about 800 kilometers (500 miles) east of mainland New Zealand and observe their own time zone, 45 minutes ahead of New Zealand standard time.

At 1100 UTC/GMT, New Zealand officially welcomes 2026, joined by the Pacific island nations of Samoa and Tonga.

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.

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.

Welcome to our coverage as people around the globe count down to New Year's Eve, with celebrations showcasing local culture, music, and spectacle.

New Zealand will be first major population center to welcome 2026 — 18 hours ahead of New York City. In Auckland, thousands are expected to pack the downtown waterfront.

Two hours later, 2026 arrives in Australia.

Later, cities including London, Rio de Janeiro, and New York City will usher in the New Year.

Follow our updates as we cross the globe in real time.