First Nations to Ring in New Year: Comprehensive List from Front to Rear
Time's A-Changin': Where to Welcome the New Year First
Nothing's stopping the good times from rolling in! Find out where the festivities kick off as we usher in the New Year on December 31, 2024, and journey into January 1, 2025.
By Vaishali Shastri
Updated: Dec 31, 2024, 7:55 PM IST
For some countries, the New Year is just around the corner, while others still have a few hours to go thanks to Earth's rotation. Let's see where and when the New Year jamboree starts!
You might be ringing in the New Year with your mates in India in a few hours, but New Zealand and some Aussie regions have already welcomed 2025 with a bang. Picture dazzling fireworks and colorful light shows--they've set the stage for the year to come.
Early Birds
Kiritimati (Christmas Island), a Pacific Ocean island in the Northern Line Islands, will burst into the New Year at 5 a.m. EST (3:30 p.m. IST). Right after that, the Chatham Islands of New Zealand will join the party at 5:15 a.m. EST (3:45 p.m. IST), followed by Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand's main cities, at 6 a.m. EST (4:30 p.m. IST).
Australia
Before we hit the beach in Australia, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji will lead the charge into the New Year. Then, Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra will grab their party hats as they celebrate the dawn of 2025. The celebration will continue into Adelaide, Broken Hill, Ceduna, and other Queensland towns before heading north.
Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and Fiji will all party down at 7:30 p.m. (IST). Queensland will bring in the New Year at 8 p.m. (IST).
Asian Revelries
At 10 a.m. EST (8:30 p.m. IST), North Korea, South Korea, and Japan will groove to the beat as they usher in the New Year. Soon afterward, the western region of Australia will join the fun, with Perth setting the pace. When the clock strikes midnight in China, the Philippines, and Singapore, prepare for lanterns, fireworks, and a whole lot of celebrating! Bangladesh and Nepal follow suit, with Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar close behind. India will join the party at 12:30 a.m. (IST), as Pakistan and Afghanistan catch up shortly after.
And finally, as the Earth spins, the remote islands of Baker and Howland, located southwest of Hawaii, will be among the last to welcome the New Year, at 5:30 p.m. (IST) on January 1--giving them a headstart on an action-packed 2025!
Don't miss out on the global fireworks show! Happy New Year, Everyone!
Enjoy a delightful blend of Bollywood beats and India's vibrant lifestyle as you ring in the New Year, starting from 12:30 AM (IST) on January 1, 2025. After the revelries in Australia, Asia is all set to join the travel extravaganza, with India's grand parties promising a memorable way to usher in the new year.
