Cities around the world welcomed 2026 with spectacular New Year's Eve fireworks displays, though some events were cancelled. In London, 100,000 people gathered along the River Thames to watch more than 12,000 fireworks light up the sky. Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party hosted 45,000 revellers, featuring pipe bands, drummers, and a silent disco, with a six-and-a-half-minute display over Edinburgh Castle.
However, several cities cancelled events. Sydney scrapped a smaller fireworks show on Bondi Beach, Paris cancelled a music event on the Champs-Elysées, and Tokyo called off the countdown outside Shibuya Station due to stampede fears. In the US, a jazz band and dance company withdrew from events at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts after it was renamed to include Donald Trump.
In Las Vegas, fireworks lit up the Strip, while Los Angeles saw crowds gather to watch an anti-smoking billboard reset its smoking-related death counter to zero at midnight. Mexico City hosted an electronic music festival at the Angel of Independence Statue, reportedly the biggest of its kind. Hawaii celebrated with traditional luaus on the beach, though these will no longer be permitted on Oahu beaches after this year.
Tragedy struck in Switzerland, where several people were killed in an explosion at the Constellation Bar in a ski resort at 1.30am local time. Meanwhile, in New York, revellers in Times Square watched the ball drop, and the Statue of Liberty was framed by fireworks.
The last territories to enter 2026 were Baker Island and Howland Island, uninhabited wildlife reserves, which reached midnight at midday UK time. With their arrival, everywhere in the world has officially celebrated the new year.
