Fireworks light up the sky over the Sydney Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House during New Year’s Eve celebrations on January 1, 2026 in Sydney, Australia. (
Izhar Khan/Getty Images
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Izhar Khan/Getty Images
As the clock strikes midnight in different time zones, people gather to celebrate the new year.
In these photos we look at the shared joy and traditions.
Revelers use their smartphones to film the falling balloons and confetti as they celebrate the start of 2026 during the countdown to the new year at a Beijing mall early Thursday, January 1, 2026.
Andy Wong/AP
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Andy Wong/AP
Revelers watch a fireworks and light show for children on Museumplein as part of New Year’s Eve celebrations in Amsterdam on December 31, 2025.
Remko de Waal/Getty Images
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Remko de Waal/Getty Images
The public gathers to celebrate the new year during the annual bell ceremony at Bosingak Pavilion on January 1, 2026 in Seoul, South Korea.
Chung Sung-June/Getty Images
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Chung Sung-June/Getty Images
Fireworks explode over skyscrapers during New Year celebrations on January 1, 2026 in Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines.
Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
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Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
People buy batons with the text Happy New Year 2026 on December 31, 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand. Thousands lined Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River as the country welcomed the new year.
Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
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Lauren DeCicca/Getty Images
Fireworks explode from the Taipei 101 building during New Year’s celebrations in Taipei, Taiwan, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)
ChiangYing-ying/AP/AP
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ChiangYing-ying/AP/AP
Revelers watch the New Year’s Eve fireworks from The Huc Bridge on Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi on January 1, 2026.
Nhac Nguyen/Getty Images
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Nhac Nguyen/Getty Images
People attend the New Year countdown event to celebrate the start of 2026 in Hong Kong’s Central District, on Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
Chan Long Hei/AP
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Chan Long Hei/AP
Fireworks explode around the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, January 1, 2026.
Fatima Shbair/AP
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Fatima Shbair/AP
People pose for photos in front of illuminated decorations on New Year’s Eve in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
Rafiq Maqbool/AP
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Rafiq Maqbool/AP
Revelers watch fireworks during the New Year celebrations in Karachi on January 1, 2026.
Rizwan Tabassum/Getty Images
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Rizwan Tabassum/Getty Images
Iraqis gather in Al-Zawraa Park in Baghdad during New Year’s celebrations on December 31, 2025.
Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images
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Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images
Spectators stand next to light ornaments on New Year’s Eve in Istanbul’s Bakrkoy Square on December 31, 2025.
Yasin Akgul/Getty Images
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Yasin Akgul/Getty Images
People ring a giant bell to celebrate the new year at the Zojoji Buddhist Temple minutes after midnight on Thursday, January 1, 2026, in Tokyo.
Eugene Hoshiko/AP
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Eugene Hoshiko/AP
A couple takes a selfie as the last sunset of 2025 is seen over the Mediterranean Sea in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, December 31, 2025.
Hassan Ammar/AP
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Hassan Ammar/AP
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