Overview
- In Sydney, nine tonnes of fireworks lit the harbour under tightened security, a minute’s silence paused festivities, and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said joy was dampened by recent sorrow.
- Hong Kong scrapped its harbour fireworks to honor 161 victims of a recent high‑rise fire, though crowds still gathered for a countdown in the city center.
- Iconic displays drew huge turnouts from the Great Wall near Beijing to Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, Rio’s Copacabana and New York’s Times Square.
- The new year arrived first in Kiritimati in Kiribati and reached the last inhabited locales in American Samoa, with uninhabited Baker and Howland Islands entering 2026 last.
- Reports from parts of Europe described fires, hundreds of arrests and many injuries during the holiday period, as leaders’ New Year messages referenced ongoing wars and economic concerns shaping 2026.