New Year fireworks live as Dubai, London and New York welcome 2026

We find ourselves poised at the brink of a fresh year, bidding farewell to 2025 and embracing 2026.

Around the world, nations will herald the New Year at varying moments, generating a cascading sequence of festivities as the clock strikes twelve in each metropolis. Auckland will be the first to greet 2026, with celebrations rolling across continents until Las Vegas brings the evening to a close.

A dedicated "watch live" broadcast will transport viewers directly into the epicentre of New Year's Eve revelries worldwide. Spectators can tune into real-time coverage from major urban centres as they usher in the New Year with pyrotechnics, entertainment and public gatherings.

The festivities will commence in the South Pacific, with Auckland illuminating the sky at 10:45 GMT, before Sydney follows at 12:45 GMT. Asia will subsequently command attention with Tokyo or Seoul at 14:45 GMT, Kuala Lumpur at 15:45 GMT, Bangkok at 16:45 GMT, and New Delhi at 17:15 GMT.

South Asia and the Middle East will maintain the worldwide countdown, with Karachi marking the occasion at 18:45 GMT and Dubai proceeding at 19:45 GMT. Audiences can also witness Nairobi at 20:45 GMT and Athens at 21:45 GMT, as the New Year advances through Africa and Europe.

Western Europe will subsequently illuminate, with Paris, Rome or Madrid celebrating the moment at 22:45 GMT. London will usher in 2026 at 23:45 GMT featuring its renowned fireworks spectacle along the Thames, focused around the London Eye.

Scotland's capital will equally commemorate the occasion, with Edinburgh's Hogmanay celebrations illuminating the ancient cityscape surrounding Edinburgh Castle.

As the midnight hour progresses westward, audiences can witness Rio de Janeiro's coastal festivities at 02:45 GMT, succeeded by the legendary Times Square ball descent in New York at 04:45 GMT.

Mexico City will observe the milestone at 05:45 GMT, prior to Flagstaff, Arizona marking the occasion at 06:45 GMT. The worldwide celebrations will conclude with Las Vegas at 07:45 GMT, completing a 21-hour voyage of festivities across the globe.

This live broadcast provides an extraordinary opportunity to witness New Year customs spanning continents, from spectacular urban pyrotechnics and performances to community gatherings and cultural celebrations. Viewers can transition from one metropolis to another, observing how midnight arrives across different regions of the world.

From Auckland through to Las Vegas, the "watch live" phenomenon generates an unbroken international countdown, demonstrating how societies everywhere greet the New Year. Whether observing from one's residence or participating in neighbourhood celebrations, spectators will share in a collective moment of festivity that encompasses the entire planet.