The world has been saying goodbye to 2024 and welcoming 2025 with fireworks, light shows and prayers. Here’s how people in different countries celebrated the new year.
As the clock struck midnight in New Zealand, Auckland welcomed the arrival of 2025 with its traditional fireworks display at the iconic Sky Tower.
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Dancers performed the dance of releasing the sun 2024, welcoming the sun 2025, a New Year’s Eve celebration in Bali, Indonesia.
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A “family fireworks” display lit up the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, three hours before midnight.
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Revellers set up camp by the water, at Mrs. Macquarie’s Point, to ensure a good view of the main display.
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The patient crowd was rewarded as huge display lit up the midnight sky over the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
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In the minutes before, a countdown was projected onto the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with thousands joining in for the final 10 seconds, before the sky was illuminated over the famous opera house.
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In Melbourne music boomed across the city and fireworks were set off.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech ahead of the celebrations in Beijing.
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Fireworks lit up the sky over the Songhua River during a firework show to welcome 2025 in Jilin City, China.
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Revellers turned out in large numbers at the Jiefangbei Monument in Chongqing to celebrate.
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Calligraphy enthusiasts in Binzhou, Shandong Province, made banners emblazoned with the Chinese character Fu – meaning good luck.
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A Thai Buddhist devotee offered prayers to a Buddha statue during a merit-making ceremony to mark the New Year at the City Pillar Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand.
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The Buddhist practice is believed to bring good fortune, spiritual benefits, and blessings for the year ahead.
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A person takes photos of the crowd gathered prior to the firework display at Taiwan’s Taipei 101 tower.
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People waved their smartphones lights during the countdown celebration outside Taipei 101.
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The display enveloped the the 508-m tall building.
1 January is a major national holiday in Japan – homes and temples are cleaned on New Year’s Eve in preparation for the change of year. Projections were displayed on the Metropolitan Government building during the ”Happy New Year Tokyo 2025” countdown event.
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After midnight, participants rang a bell at Seoul’s Bosingak pavilion. South Korea’s New Year celebrations were subdued following the deadly December 29 Jeju Air crash, and the bell-ringing ceremony was held without performances.
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Children lit firecrackers during celebrations in a street in Mandaluyong City, Manila, Philippines.
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A firework display also took place in Manila’s city centre.
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Midnight has struck in several countries in Asia with firework displays taking place from Beijing to Kuala Lumpur. This photo, made with a fish eye lens, captured the display over Marina Bay, Singapore.
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Fireworks explode over the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand.
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