Overview
- Sydney’s Harbour Bridge fireworks followed an 11 p.m. minute of silence and a menorah projection honoring victims of the Dec. 14 Bondi Beach Hanukkah shooting that killed 15 and wounded about 40, as officers openly carried long‑arm firearms at the event for the first time.
- Indonesia toned down celebrations after Sumatra floods and landslides killed more than 1,100 people, with Bali swapping concerts for traditional dances and Jakarta holding prayers, while Hong Kong replaced Victoria Harbour fireworks with landmark light shows after a November fire that killed at least 161.
- Traditional rituals featured across East Asia, including temple bells in Japan, the Bosingak bell struck 33 times in Seoul, and drummers with a digital horse display at Beijing’s Juyongguan Great Wall.
- The Pacific led the calendar turn as Kiribati and then New Zealand welcomed 2026, with Auckland’s Sky Tower launching about 3,500 fireworks roughly 18 hours before New York’s Times Square countdown.
- New York City added NYPD ‘mobile screening teams’ for the Times Square ball drop, with Commissioner Jessica Tisch saying the precaution was not tied to a specific threat.