London rings in the New Year with fantastic fireworks display
Source: The i Paper
Sir Sadiq Khan hailed London’s New Year celebrations as the “greatest in the world” after 100,000 people lined the banks of the River Thames to welcome 2026 with the capital’s largest fireworks display.
The spectacular display – set to a soundtrack which included the likes of Raye, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay and featuring voice overs from stars such as Celia Imrie, Andrew Cotter and Alison Hammond – celebrated some of the highlights of 2025.
Among the feats acknowledged in the display were England’s Women’s Rugby World Cup triumph, the Lionesses retaining the Euros and Europe’s Ryder Cup win, while there was also a nod to the film Wicked: For Good.
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq said: “I’m delighted that we have once again shown why London’s New Year’s Eve celebrations are the greatest in the world.
“The eyes of the globe were looking on as we lit up our famous skyline with our best-ever display of fireworks and lighting, all to an incredible soundtrack.
“From celebrating our wonderful year of women’s sport and Europe beating the USA in the Ryder Cup, to celebrating our diversity and looking ahead to a fantastic 2026, we’ve sent the message that London will always be a city of hope and a place for everyone.”
New Zealand and Australia were among the first to embrace the New Year before Asia, the Middle East and Africa.
Some of Europe’s major cities have also hosted fireworks displays and spectacular light shows as the countdown to midnight began in the UK.
Events to mark New Year’s Eve in Sydney, Australia were more sombre than previous years, after the Hanukkah shooting at Bondi Beach earlier this month which took the lives of 15 people.
The Australian city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations are known globally for their spectacular fireworks, with 40,000 pyrotechnic effects stretching seven km (four miles) across buildings and barges along its harbour, including the city’s iconic Harbour Bridge and Opera House.
But this year organisers held a minute’s silence for the victims of the attack at 11:00 pm local time, with the Harbour Bridge lit up in white and a menorah – a symbol long used to symbolise Judaism – projected onto its pylons.
Revellers shone their torches, held aloft, in solidarity and as the minute ended, a white dove and the words “peace” and “unity” lit up the harbour.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a video message: “Right now, the joy that we usually feel at the start of a new year is tempered by the sadness of the old.”
Around 3,000 police, carrying long-arm firearms for the first time, were deployed to cover the event in Sydney this year, which typically attracts more than a million revellers.
Chris Minns, New South Wales Premier, said: “We have to show defiance in the face of this terrible crime and say that we’re not going to be cowed by this kind of terrorism, and we’re not going to change the way we live our life in our beautiful city.”
Auckland was the first major city to welcome in 2026, with a spectacular fireworks display launched from the Sky Tower, New Zealand’s tallest building.
Around 3,500 fireworks were let off from different levels of the 240-metre tower in a five-minute display.
But some events on the North Island had to be cancelled due to rain and thunderstorms.
New Year celebrations in Indonesia, like those in Sydney, were tempered by recent events.
Several regions, including the capital Jakarta and the popular tourist island of Bali, decided to forgo firework displays out of respect for the victims on Sumatra, where floods and landslides have killed over 1,100 people, with around 400,000 still displaced.
In South Korean capital Seoul, the end of 2025 and start of 2026 was marked with the traditional Bosingak bell-ringing ceremony, while the Countdown Festival in the city of Busan saw the traditional Bell of Hope, Bell of Love and Bell of Peace ringing 11 times in Yongdusan Park accompanied by a spectacular drone show.
The new year in Japan, known as Shogatsu, was embraced in Tokyo with traditional performances, projection mapping and fireworks focused on Metropolitan Government Building.
Hong Kong greeted 2026 in a muted manner as well, without fireworks over its iconic Victoria Harbour.
The decision to scrap them this year came after a massive fire in November which killed at least 161 people.
Instead, the city’s tourism board hosted a music show and the facades of eight landmarks turned into giant countdown clocks presenting a three-minute light show at midnight.
Thailand’s capital, Bangkok, marked the start of 2026 with a massive drone display, followed by fireworks. While in Beijing, China, the new year was drummed in at the Juyongguan Great Wall.
The Burj Khalifa was the focus of celebrations in Dubai as 2026 arrived, the record-breaking skyscraper was lit up minutes before midnight and then at the centre of a massive firework display.
New Year’s Eve in Moscow was a solemn affair after firework displays and public celebrations were cancelled amid security fears. Alcohol sales were reported to have been restricted and Muscovites were warned to expect mobile internet disruptions.
Russian police officers guarded Red Square on New Year’s Eve, which was completely closed to the public.
Although curfews are in place in parts of the country and the threat of Russian drone attacks remains constant, Ukraine still welcomed the New Year in a more traditional style.
Kenyans ushered in the New Year with a firework extravaganza in the capital Nairobi. The sky was lit up around the Global Trade Center Office Tower in the city, as the nation welcomed in 2026.
While the ancient pyramids in Giza, outside Cairo made a stunning setting for New Year celebrations in Egypt.
Europe’s capital cities also marked the start of 2026 with firework displays and light shows, using iconic structures to form the backdrop.
In Greece, the ancient Parthenon was lit up as fireworks exploded over the Athens.
Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate in Germany was the focal point for a laser show and firework display, while the Arc de Triomphe in Paris was the backdrop for illuminations and pyrotechnics.
Meanwhile, in the UK crowds gathered along the river in London to watch the Mayor’s traditional fireworks and light show.
The ticketed event attracts more than 100,000 along the banks of the Thames.
This year the viewpoint at Primrose Hill in Camden has been closed due to safety concerns, following the death of 16-year-old Harry Pitman during the New Year’s Eve fireworks viewing in 2023.
The chimes of Big Ben at midnight initiated the start of a spectacular firework display around the London Eye, lighting up the cityscape.
Some of the highlights of 2025 were given an honourable mention during the display from sporting success to the exceptionally sunny weather this summer, all with a soundtrack to some of the biggest hits of the year.
In a New Year’s message, Sir Keir Starmer promised to “defeat the decline and division offered by others”.
“By staying the course, we will defeat the decline and division offered by others,” he said.
“In 2026, the choices we’ve made will mean more people will begin to feel positive change in your bills, your communities and your health service,” he said.
“But even more people will feel once again a sense of hope, a belief that things can and will get better, feel that the promise of renewal can become a reality, and my government will make it that reality.”
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