Nations around the world ring in 2025 with parties and fireworks

German Press Agency

BERLIN – Berlin and many other cities have welcomed the new year with spectacular shows and outdoor gatherings.

Tens of thousands of revelers gathered in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, as fireworks lit the sky with color.

In Paris, a large fireworks display at the Champs-Élysées drew an estimated crowd of about 1 million people.

Nations across Asia and the Pacific were among the first to ring in the New Year.

The United Arab Emirates welcomed the year with fireworks from the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

China and Taiwan celebrated with light shows in several major cities, hours after similar scenes in Australia and New Zealand.

In Beijing, celebrations were held at a former steelworks on the city’s western outskirts, while in Shanghai, crowds gathered to admire light displays along the world-renowned river promenade and other locations.

The Chinese special administrative region of Hong Kong hosted a grand fireworks display over Victoria Harbor.

New Year’s Eve is not as widely celebrated in China as elsewhere, with the Chinese New Year, based on the lunar calendar, seen as far more significant. In 2025, it will fall on Jan. 29.

In Taiwan, a six-minute fireworks show was performed for thousands of spectators at the country’s landmark Taipei 101 building, which is 509 meters, or 1,667 feet, tall. For the first time, the display also included a light show, organizers said.

Kiritimati, a Pacific Ocean atoll home to about 5,000 people, was the first inhabited place to welcome the new year – as it does every year.

Auckland was the first major international center to welcome 2025, with the landmarks of New Zealand’s largest city lighting up at midnight.

Seven songs made up a “midnight moment” soundtrack, synchronized with the lights, lasers and fireworks.

Two hours later, Sydney rang in the new year with its world-famous fireworks show above the harbor, watched by millions at home and abroad.

The Australian city’s fireworks display was set against the backdrop of the Harbour Bridge and the iconic Opera House.

Fireworks also exploded over other major Australian cities, including Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide at midnight.

In Bangkok, one of the best ways to take in the show was from a party boat on the Chao Phraya River. Thailand, which follows the Buddhist calendar, began the year 2568.

In Singapore, crowds of onlookers gathered to watch the fireworks at Marina Bay, with a view of the skyline.

The Americas wrap up the festivities, with a big turnout expected in New York’s Times Square. American Samoa will be the last country to ring in 2025.