Where Does the New Year Start First?
The new year sweeps around the planet for 26 hours. Here's who celebrates first, who's last, and the traditions along the way.
New Year's Eve isn't one moment, it's a wave. Thanks to time zones, midnight crosses the planet over about 26 hours, from small Pacific islands to remote corners of the United States.
The first to celebrate
The first inhabited place to reach midnight is Kiribati's Line Islands, including Kiritimati (Christmas Island), at UTC+14. Kiribati moved part of the country across the International Date Line in 1995 so the whole nation would share the same day, which made it the first to greet each new year.
Next come New Zealand's Chatham Islands, then mainland New Zealand, Samoa and Tonga, where Auckland's Sky Tower fireworks are among the first big shows on TV each year.
The big shows
- Sydney, Australia: fireworks over the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, with an earlier "family" display at 9 p.m.
- London, UK: fireworks along the River Thames as Big Ben strikes midnight.
- New York, US: the Times Square ball drop, a tradition since 1907.
The last to celebrate
The last places to reach midnight are two uninhabited US islands in the Pacific, Baker Island and Howland Island, at UTC−12. Among inhabited places, American Samoa and Niue are among the last, at UTC−11, almost a full day after Kiribati.
Traditions around the world
- Spain: eat twelve grapes, one for each chime of midnight, for luck in each month.
- Denmark: jump off a chair at midnight to "leap" into the new year.
- Scotland: Hogmanay celebrations and "first-footing," when the first visitor of the year brings gifts.
- Japan: temple bells ring 108 times at midnight.
How long until your midnight? Check the New Year countdown, then try the New Year personality quiz.