Happy New Year: This Pacific island became the first nation to welcome 2026

New Delhi: Even as New Year’s Eve 2026 was celebrated with pomp and splendour across the globe, a tiny island nation in the Pacific Ocean became the first country in the world to ring in the new year.

Kiritimati Island, a part of the Pacific nation of Kiribati, became the first location in the world to welcome New Year’s Eve 2026. Kiritimati Island is situated in the UTC+14 time zone and is also widely known as Christmas Island.

The last places in the world to celebrate the New Year’s Eve 2026 in the UTC-12 zone are American Samoa and the Baker and Howland Islands. Midnight at these places occurs almost a full day after Kiribati.

How did New Zealand welcome 2026?

New Zealand became one of the first countries to welcome the year 2026, marking the occasion with a spectacular fireworks display from the country’s tallest building, the Sky Tower in the capital Auckland.

Rainy conditions failed to dampen the celebrations as Auckland became the first major city to greet the arrival of the new year 2026. The 1.7 million residents of , Auckland witnessed a spectacular show involving 3,500 fireworks which were launched from multiple levels of the 240-metre (787-foot) Sky Tower. 

However, smaller local events across the North Island were cancelled due to forecasts of rain and potential thunderstorms.

How did Australia celebrate on New Year’s Eve?

Australia, New Zealand’s neighbour across the Tasman Sea, marked New Year’s Eve 2026 under sombre circumstances due to the recent Bondi beach attack in Sydney. Australia’s largest city is still reeling from a terrorist attack on Hannukah celebrations at Bondi Beach on December 14 in which a father-son duo from Pakistan carried out a mass shooting which left 15 dead and 40 injured.

Thousands of Australians gathered at the downtown waterfront for fireworks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The event was watched over by a strong police contingent including officers carrying automatic assault rifles for the first time at a New Year’s Eve event in Australia.

A minute of silence was observed an hour before midnight to honour the victims of the Bondi Beach attack.

How did India celebrate on New Year’s Eve?

People across India welcomed the New Year with amid bitter cold and dense fog. People flocked to Marine Drive In Mumbai, while crowds packed Connaught Place despite the intense cold in Delhi. 

It was the coldest New Year's Eve the capital had seen in years, with temperatures dropping to 12°C. Up in the mountains, towns like Shimla and Manali were packed with tourists celebrating the new year.