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World drenched in New Year celebrations: New Zealand first welcomed 2026 with grand fireworks

By Samira Vishwas

New Delhi, 31 December. The period of celebration has started in countries around the world ready to welcome the New Year 2026. In this sequence, the underworld i.e. New Zealand was the first to welcome 2026 with grand fireworks from the Sky Tower, the country’s tallest building in Auckland. It became the first major city to celebrate the New Year despite inclement weather in the center of Auckland.

It is notable that countries in the South Pacific welcome the New Year first, and midnight in Auckland, home to about 1.7 million people (7.30 hours ahead of Indian time), is 18 hours before the celebrations begin in New York’s Times Square.

The spectacular five-minute show featured approximately 3,500 firecrackers fired from multiple levels of the 240-metre (787-foot) tall Sky Tower. However, several small community events were canceled in New Zealand’s North Island on Wednesday due to forecast rain and possible thunderstorms.

Australia’s new year in the shadow of mass shooting

While Australia’s east coast will welcome 2026 two hours after New Zealand, Sydney is celebrating New Year’s Eve amid tight security following the country’s deadliest mass shooting in nearly three decades. The celebration comes two weeks after two gunmen opened fire at a Hanukkah gathering at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, killing 15 and injuring at least 40. This attack has cast a shadow of sadness on the celebrations taking place in the country’s largest city.

 

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Thousands of people gathered on Sydney Harbor Bridge in the presence of police force

Thousands of people gathered amid a heavy police presence on Sydney’s waterfront for the annual fireworks show over the Sydney Harbor Bridge on Wednesday evening. At the event, for the first time, several police officers were seen openly carrying rapid-fire rifles.

Tribute to victims of Bondi Beach attack

One hour before midnight, there will be a minute’s silence in tribute to the victims of the Bondi Beach attack, with images of menorahs projected onto the bridge’s pillars. Organizers have also urged people to show solidarity with Australia’s Jewish community by shining their phone torches across the harbour.

New South Wales Premier appeals to residents to attend public gatherings

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns urged residents not to stay away from public gatherings out of fear, and warned that extremists would consider smaller crowds a victory. “We cannot be in a situation where this terrible, criminal, terroristic event changes the way we live in our beautiful city,” Minns told reporters. We have to show courage in the face of this terrible crime and say that we are not afraid of this kind of terrorism.

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