New Year's Eve 2026 Celebrations Begin in Oceania and Asia

Oceania Welcomes the New Year

• 🇳🇿 New Zealand, as is tradition, was among the first to welcome the new year with an impressive display of 2,500 fireworks launched from Auckland's Sky Tower.
• 🇦🇺 In Australia, crowds gathered to commemorate the Bondai Beach terror attacks that occurred on December 14th, before celebrating the arrival of 2026.

Asian Celebrations and Traditions

• 🌏 Asian countries ushered in the new year with traditional celebrations, including almighty gongs in Seoul and Tokyo.
• 🇯🇵 Tokyo's Shibuya district had to cancel its New Year countdown for the sixth consecutive year due to security concerns.

Unique European Traditions

• 🇭🇷 In Croatia, a small town celebrated the 26th edition of its New Year lunch tradition, which began in the year 2000 to mark the turn of the millennium.
• 🏊 The celebration included traditional music, conga dancing, and a midday swim for the brave, with temperatures around 1°C, offering an original way to start the new year with a clear head.