{"id":62548,"date":"2025-12-31T14:20:34","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:20:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/new-years-eve-2026-celebrations-kick-off-as-the-new-year-dawns-down-under\/"},"modified":"2025-12-31T14:20:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-31T14:20:34","slug":"new-years-eve-2026-celebrations-kick-off-as-the-new-year-dawns-down-under","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/new-years-eve-2026-celebrations-kick-off-as-the-new-year-dawns-down-under\/","title":{"rendered":"New Year&#8217;s Eve 2026 celebrations kick off as the new year dawns Down Under"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>On the other side of the world, 2026 has already arrived. Countries in the South Pacific are first to ring in the new year, and midnight struck in New Zealand a full 18 hours before the ball was scheduled to drop in <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/times-square-performers-new-years-eve-2026\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">New York&#8217;s Times Square<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>In Auckland, New Zealanders welcomed 2026 with a fireworks display launched from the country&#8217;s tallest structure, Sky Tower, in a celebration that drew thousands despite rain.<\/p>\n<p> The five-minute pyrotechnic display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from various floors of the 787-foot tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand&#8217;s North Island on Wednesday due to dismal weather forecasts.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/12\/31\/b0919341-db8a-480a-ae43-594cac026ded\/thumbnail\/620x358\/00e736d00ee0425bb7ca9b4676ef4c57\/new-zealand-new-year-2026.jpg#\" alt=\"new-zealand-new-year-2026.jpg \" height=\"358\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/12\/31\/b0919341-db8a-480a-ae43-594cac026ded\/thumbnail\/620x358\/00e736d00ee0425bb7ca9b4676ef4c57\/new-zealand-new-year-2026.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/12\/31\/b0919341-db8a-480a-ae43-594cac026ded\/thumbnail\/1240x716\/6eb2dc2a3a05a7d67f4a9cf9229b7d85\/new-zealand-new-year-2026.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">In Auckland, New Zealand, fireworks help usher in the new year with a display launched from the country&#8217;s tallest structure, Sky Tower, Jan. 1, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Reuters<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Australia&#8217;s east coast welcomed 2026 just two hours later, but in Sydney, the country&#8217;s largest city, celebrations were held under the pall of Australia&#8217;s worst mass shooting in almost 30 years. Two gunmen targeted a Hannukah celebration at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15 people in what authorities have labeled an <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/bondi-beach-attack-probe-yields-no-evidence-of-broader-terrorist-cell-police-say\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">ISIS-inspired, antisemitic terror attack<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n<p> Officials had said that more than 2,500 officers would be on hand to patrol the area around Sydney&#8217;s iconic harbor, the epicenter of New Year&#8217;s Eve celebrations. Many were to openly carry automatic rifles, a sight rarely seen in Sydney.<\/p>\n<p>Thousands thronged to the waterfront to watch a fireworks show centered on the Sydney Harbor Bridge.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/12\/31\/fbcce0fa-ba1a-4f21-8eab-6dc9863a8b1c\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/64b6402c23bcac44e418330062de713c\/sydney-new-year-2026-2254152443.jpg#\" alt=\"Sydney Celebrates New Years Eve 2026 \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/12\/31\/fbcce0fa-ba1a-4f21-8eab-6dc9863a8b1c\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/64b6402c23bcac44e418330062de713c\/sydney-new-year-2026-2254152443.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/12\/31\/fbcce0fa-ba1a-4f21-8eab-6dc9863a8b1c\/thumbnail\/1240x826g2\/028dc776641da70d27c0911ef70f0910\/sydney-new-year-2026-2254152443.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Fireworks light up the sky over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House during New Year&#8217;s Eve celebrations, Jan. 1, 2026, in Sydney, Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Izhar Khan\/Getty<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>An hour before midnight, the massacre victims were commemorated with one minute of silence, while images of a menorah were projected onto the bridge&#8217;s pylons. The crowd was invited to show solidarity with Australia&#8217;s Jewish community by shining their phone torches across the harbor.<\/p>\n<p>New South Wales Premier Chris Minns had urged Sydney residents not to stay away due to fear, saying extremists would interpret smaller crowds at New Year&#8217;s Eve festivities as a victory.<\/p>\n<p> &#8220;We can&#8217;t be in a situation where this horrible, criminal, terrorist event changes the way we live in our beautiful city,&#8221; Minns told reporters on Wednesday. &#8220;We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we&#8217;re not going to be cowered by this kind of terrorism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/12\/31\/10f177ca-8de7-4fe2-aa9d-816e6b2a2d35\/thumbnail\/620x413\/49ef100723b74e28133fb7eb1f25aa12\/bondi-beach-new-year-sydney-bridge-menorah2254147900.jpg#\" alt=\"Sydney Celebrates New Years Eve 2026 \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/12\/31\/10f177ca-8de7-4fe2-aa9d-816e6b2a2d35\/thumbnail\/620x413\/49ef100723b74e28133fb7eb1f25aa12\/bondi-beach-new-year-sydney-bridge-menorah2254147900.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2025\/12\/31\/10f177ca-8de7-4fe2-aa9d-816e6b2a2d35\/thumbnail\/1240x826\/bf6139c40c730da1d297a24ea962fbea\/bondi-beach-new-year-sydney-bridge-menorah2254147900.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">An image of a menorah is projected onto the pylons of Sydney Harbour Bridge during New Year&#8217;s Eve celebrations, Dec. 31, 2025, in Sydney, Australia. The projection was in tribute to the 15 victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack on Dec. 14.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Izhar Khan\/Getty<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In Indonesia, one of Australia&#8217;s nearest neighbors, cities scaled back New Year&#8217;s Eve festivities as a gesture of solidarity with communities devastated by <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/indonesia-floods-landslides-disaster-asia\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">catastrophic floods and landslides<\/a><\/span> that struck parts of Sumatra island a month ago, claiming more than 1,100 lives.<\/p>\n<p> The capital, Jakarta, will not ring in 2026 with its usual fanfare, choosing instead subdued celebrations with a calm and reflective program centered on prayers for victims, city Gov. Pramono Anung said last week. Concerts and fireworks on Indonesia&#8217;s tourist island of Bali have been canceled and replaced with a cultural arts event featuring 65 groups performing traditional dances.<\/p>\n<p> Hong Kong, too, was to ring in 2026 without the usual spectacular and colorful explosions in the sky over its iconic Victoria Harbor, after a massive <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/hong-kong-apartment-fire-survivor-wife\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">fire tore through an apartment complex in November<\/a><\/span> and killed at least 161 people.<\/p>\n<p> The city&#8217;s tourism board was instead hosting a music show featuring soft rock duo Air Supply and other singers in Central, a business district. The facades of eight landmarks were to turn into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.<\/p>\n<p> Many parts of Asia welcome the new year by observing age-old traditions.<\/p>\n<p> In Japan, crowds will gather at a Buddhist temple in Tokyo for a bell striking at midnight. In the South Korean capital Seoul, a bell tolling and countdown ceremony will be held at the Bosingak Pavilion.<\/p>\n<p> Chinese President Xi Jinping in a New Year&#8217;s Eve address broadcast by state media hailed his country&#8217;s technological progress in areas such as artificial intelligence and semiconductors while renewing <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/china-taiwan-military-drills-trump-xi-jinping-december-2025-blockade-rehersal\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">threats against Taiwan<\/a><\/span>, which it claims as part of its sovereign territory.<\/p>\n<p> &#8220;We Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share a bond of blood and kinship,&#8221; he said. <\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The reunification of our motherland, a trend of the times, is unstoppable,&#8221; Xi said, as his country&#8217;s military announced the conclusion of <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/china-taiwan-live-fire-military-drills-rapid-response-exercise\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">large-scale military drills around Taiwan<\/a><\/span> that were condemned by the democratically governed island&#8217;s leadership as &#8220;highly provocative and reckless.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>While much of the United States likely remained asleep, preparations were well underway for celebrations in major cities and towns across the country \u2014 <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/national-guard-new-orleans-year-after-bourbon-street-terror-attack\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">including in New Orleans<\/a><\/span>, where a <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/new-orleans-vehicle-crash-bourbon-street-crowd-casualties-shooting\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">New Year&#8217;s Day terror attack<\/a><\/span> one year ago left 14 people dead.<\/p>\n<p>A National Guard deployment authorized by President Trump began on Tuesday, as part of a heavy security presence for New Year&#8217;s celebrations in the &#8220;Big Easy&#8221; a year after the attack targeted revelers in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2025, on Bourbon Street. \u00a0<\/p>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n<\/section>\n<p>  <!-- data-recirc-source=\"queryly\" --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"component list recirculation component--type-recirculation \">\n<p><h3 class=\"component__title\">More from CBS News<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"component__item-recirc-block\">\n<p><h3 class=\"component__title\">Go deeper with The Free Press<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n      <!-- tags --><\/p>\n<section class=\"content__tags\">\n<\/section>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/new-year-2026-celebrations-around-world-photos-fireworks\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On the other side of the world, 2026 has already arrived. Countries in the South Pacific are first to ring<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":62549,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[987,8586],"class_list":["post-62548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world","tag-fireworks","tag-new-year039s-eve"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>New Year&#039;s Eve 2026 celebrations kick off as the new year dawns Down Under - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"New Zealand and Australia were the first to welcome 2026, but in Sydney and some other cities, the festivities are tinged by grief.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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