Global celebrations mark New Year with hopes for peace in 2026

People across the world gathered to celebrate the New Year. While some watched exuberant fireworks or light shows, such as in Sydney or Dubai, others hoped the new year of 2026 would bring an end to conflicts happening around the world.

In Paris, as each year, hundreds of thousands of people took to the famous and glittering Champs-Élysées avenue, where 27-year-old tourist Taissiya Girda expressed hope for a calmer 2026.

“I would like to see happy people around me, no war anywhere,” she said. “Russia, Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, I want everybody to be happy and in peace,” as others observed the countdown displayed on the Arc de Triomphe.

Meanwhile, at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV ended the year with a call for the city of Rome to be welcoming to foreigners and vulnerable people, as revellers in the Italian capital enjoyed a large public concert at Circus Maximus and a fireworks display by the Colosseum.

In Scotland, First Minister John Swinney encouraged Scots to follow the message of “Auld Lang Syne” by national poet Robert Burns and to show small acts of kindness. I Scotland, New Year’s is known as Hogmanay.

This year, Greek and Cypriot capitals of Athens and Nicosia opted for quieter celebrations, replacing the traditional fireworks with drone shows, low-noise pyrotechnics and light installations.

According to officials, the change was planned to make celebrations more welcoming for children and pets.

Crowds of people braved the chilly temperatures of New York City and flocked to Times Square to witness the traditional countdown and ball drop, covered in more than 5,000 crystals and weighing 5,602 kilograms.

Just before midnight, Australian artist Tones and I performed John Lennon’s Imagine in front of visitors from across the United States and around the world, including Florida, Mexico and South Korea.

On 4 July, the country will celebrate its 250th birthday.

Meanwhile, New York’s newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani was sworn in during a private event just after midnight on Thursday, in a decommissioned metro station a few kilometres away.

Following Australia’s recent Bondi Beach terror attack on 14 December during Hanukkah celebrations, which left 15 people dead, on New Year’s Eve, police forces openly carried automatic rifles, an unusual sight for Australians.

At 11 pm local time, crowds were invited to show solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community by observing a minute's silence.

“We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime,” New South Wales Premier Chris Minns said, calling on residents not to stay away from festivities, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds as a victory.

Indonesia toned down its festivities in solidarity with communities devastated by recent floods and landslides in parts of Sumatra, which killed over 1,100 people.

Traditional dancers replaced the usual fireworks on the tourist island of Bali.

In Hong Kong, celebrations were kept simple, with a countdown and a light show at midnight following the massive fire that spread across residential blocks and left 160 people dead in November.

And in Gaza, Palestinians said they hope the new year brings an end to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

“The war humiliated us,” said Mirvat Abed Al-Aal, displaced from the southern city of Rafah.