Dec. 31 (UPI) — New Year’s Eve celebrations and fireworks around the world are ringing in 2025, as more than a million revelers are crowded into New York City’s Times Square for performances and the traditional midnight ball drop on what has turned out to be a rainy night.
A long list of performers — including Megan Moroney, Kapo, Carrie Underwood, the Jonas Brothers and Rita Ora — are entertaining the massive Times Square crowd in anticipation of the countdown and the large, lighted Waterford crystal ball that will drop to ring in the new year.
“Times Square New Year’s Eve 2025 is just kicking off with performances, special guests, our countdown to the ball drop and more!”
Revelers stand in Times Square as rain falls on New Year’s Eve on Tuesday in New York City. Live performances and the traditional ball drop will ring in 2025. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
In other parts of the world, heavy rain, snowstorms and gusty winds canceled New Year’s Eve events in Britain. Despite bad weather, the fireworks show went on as scheduled in London where Big Ben provided a stunning backdrop.
In Paris, the weather was much more welcoming as the Champs-Élysées closed to traffic to become a massive pedestrian zone for party-goers to watch fireworks and a light show that projected “2025” onto the Arc de Triomphe.
The Waterford Crystal New Year’s Eve ball lights up Times Square in New York City. An estimated one million people are crowded into Times Square, where it is raining. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
Earlier in the day, French President Emmanuel Macron reflected on 2024, with the Paris Olympic Games and the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral after the devastating 2019 fire.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor performs as rain falls on New Year’s Eve in Times Square on Tuesday in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI
“The hope, prosperity and peace of the quarter-century to come depend on our choices today, and that’s why in 2025 … I will ask you to decide on certain crucial issues,” Macron said Tuesday in a televised speech.
New Zealand was one of the first in the world to welcome 2025 at midnight Tuesday, with fireworks launched from Sky Tower in Auckland a full 18 hours before the East Coast of the United States enters the new year.
A fireworks display marks the new year over the historical site of Giza Pyramids, just outside Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday Jan. 1, 2025. Photo by/UPI
More than a million people watched fireworks in Australia’s Sydney Harbor against the backdrop of Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House to the music of British pop star Robbie Williams as the clock struck midnight there. Sydney’s celebration also featured Indigenous ceremonies to honor Australia’s first people.
“Happy New Year from Sydney! What a night! Bring on 2025 — it’s going to be great,” the City of Sydney wrote Tuesday in a post on X, showing the massive fireworks display.
Fireworks explode over the historical site of Giza Pyramids, marking the new year, just outside Cairo, Egypt, Wednesday Jan. 1, 2025. Photo by/UPI
Participants celebrate early Wednesday after the New Year’s 2025 countdown at Shougang Park in Beijing, China. Photo by Andres Martinez Casares/EPA-EFE
In Japan, a large light display lit up a building in Tokyo with the words “Happy New Year 2025.” Japan is celebrating the new Year of the Snake, a rebirth in reference to the reptile’s shedding skin.
Hong Kong rang in 2025 with a massive fireworks display over Victoria Harbor, as revelers in China also enjoyed a light show and live performances at Shougang Park in Beijing. Chinese New Year, which is based on the lunar calendar, falls on Jan. 29.
Fireworks illuminate the sky from Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, during New Year’s Eve celebrations in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, early Wednesday. Photo by Ali Haider/EPA-EFE
Thousands turned out in Taiwan to watch a six-minute fireworks and spectacular light show from the 1,669-foot Taipei 101 skyscraper.
In Indonesia, 800 drones provided a dazzling display along with fireworks in the capital of Jakarta at the city’s iconic Hotel Indonesia Roundabout.
And the United Arab Emirates celebrated the start of 2025 with fireworks shows at dozens of locations throughout Dubai, and a 53-minute display at the world’s tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa, which tops out at 2,722 feet or just over half a mile.
