The traditions have been followed, the good luck measures taken and the corks popped as revelers around the globe welcomed 2025 in their own styles Wednesday morning.
More than a million people were estimated to have poured into New York City's Times Square on Tuesday night for the iconic midnight ball drop, complete with a boosted police presence.
The ball made its 139-foot drop and then a medley of songs played, including "Auld Lang Syne" and Frank Sinatra's performance of "New York, New York." The plaza, bordered by high-rises and walls composed of digital billboards, was lit up like high noon as the official Times Square billboard that marks the calendar flashed "2025."
Accompanying the drop of the nearly 12,000-pound ball, which organizers said will be replaced for next year's event, was an estimated 3,000 pounds of confetti released from nearby rooftops, they said. Some was adorned with wishes for the new year sent to Times Square.
Shortly after the ball drop, New York police said no arrests had been made during public celebrations and no major incidents had been reported.
The global New Year's transition began long before the big moment in New York City. In all, it takes 26 hours for the entire world to welcome the New Year across 39 time zones.
Chicago welcomed 2025 with a pair of waterway-adjacent public fireworks shows, one at Navy Pier on Lake Michigan and the other at Riverwalk along the Chicago River.
Dallas had to do without a drone show after local firm Sky Elements helped produce a holiday drone show in Orlando that was canceled after some of the devices collided and one struck and injured a boy, NBC affiliate WESH of Orlando reported. The Federal Aviation Administration suspended a waiver that allowed the company to fly multiple drones as it investigates the cause of the Dec. 20 collision.
That didn't seem to dim the lights at the iconic Reunion Tower high-rise, where the show, Lone Star NYE, went on without the planed drone display. Its ninth New Year's Eve program included more than 5,000 pyrotechnics launched from the building, as well as a 259-LED light display, the tower said.
Then it was the West Coast's turn, with a huge free public party at Grand Molina Park in downtown Los Angeles, where 25,000 people were expected to attend and see live music and a spectacular light show.
Countries in the South Pacific Ocean were the first to wave goodbye to 2024. Midnight in New Zealand is 18 hours ahead of Eastern Time.
In some Asian countries, millions readied for the Year of the Snake, seen as the year of rebirth in the Asian zodiac.
In Japan, which observes the zodiac cycle from Jan. 1, stores sold snake-themed products while temples and homes underwent thorough cleanings before much of the country shut down in celebration.
Thailand had fireworks nationwide, including a show in Bangkok with the city's Chao Phraya River as a beautiful scenic backdrop. The country's tourism board livestreamed its celebration on YouTube, with musical performances in the lead-up to the midnight finale.
The mood was somber in South Korea after Sunday’s Jeju Air flight crash at Muan, which killed 179 people. Most celebrations were scaled back or canceled as the country observed a period of national mourning.
In Israel, New Year's came as the war in the Gaza Strip entered its 15th month. Scores of hostages remain in captivity under Hamas, while more than 45,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the war began, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Lebanon is reeling from a yearslong economic crisis and heavy damage after Israel launched an offensive on the militant group Hezbollah in early September.
Many Syrians, meanwhile, are expressing cautious optimism for the coming year after the overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad.
One Middle Eastern city rang in the new year in style. Dubai's night sky gleamed around the famed Burj Khalifa skyscraper, which had animations on its walls as the firework display shined on the opulent city.
In Ukraine, the war grinds on. The country exchanged hundreds of captive soldiers with Russia on Monday — one of the few areas of cooperation between the two sides since President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion.
European cities rang in the new year with concerts in palaces and musical theater in halls, as well as midnight Mass services followed by Champagne.
Pope Francis marked the start of Holy Year, a once-every-quarter-century event expected to draw 32 million pilgrims to Rome.
Despite a ban on firecrackers, the skies were alight with the crackling sound of pyrotechnics both official and freestyle as a traffic jam led to the circa-A.D. 80 Colosseum, where quiet crowds amassed in awe until becoming animated at midnight with cheers.
The pope celebrated with vespers at St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday. Mass was scheduled for Wednesday.
Crowds gathered around Athens' Acropolis, where the ancient Parthenon sits atop the hill. The Greek city's firework show went off in the background of the temple.
Paris, the belle of the world ball after it hosted the 2024 Summer Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and then welcomed the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral, hosted a televised celebration with musical performances, as well as numbers by dancers from the Moulin Rouge and Paradis Latin. Bookmarking midnight was 20 minutes of video imagery and electronic music, followed by a rendition of Patti Smith's "Because the Night," on a packed Champs-Elysées, with the Arc de Triomphe serving as a backdrop.
In London, a stormy forecast couldn't stop celebrants from gathering around the London Eye and clogging vehicle traffic nearby as the massive Ferris wheel was lit up in sky blasting light of blue, yellow and red. Fireworks erupted over Westminster and Big Ben along the River Thames.
Earlier, London celebrated with a parade through the city center featuring 10,000 performers.
Heavy rain and wind forecast for Scotland prompted the cancellation of Edinburgh’s famous Hogmanay celebrations, which usually include a street party, a rock concert and fireworks.
In Brazil, Rio de Janeiro was expected to host more than 2 million people along Copacabana Beach to watch fireworks erupt from ferries parked offshore and concerts by Brazilian pop stars such as Anitta and Caetano Veloso.
Auckland, New Zealand, was one of the first cities to welcome the new year as thousands thronged downtown or climbed the city’s ring of volcanic peaks for a fireworks vantage point — and a light display recognizing Auckland’s Indigenous tribes.
In Australia, two hours later, more than 1 million people gathered at Sydney Harbor for the traditional fireworks. Some partygoers, eager to secure good vantage points, arrived nearly 20 hours ahead.
Later, in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, spectacular fireworks were launched near the famous Petronas Towers.
Celebrations kicked off at 9 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET), with the first display of fireworks created by the Indigenous group We Are Warriors. At midnight, a second display over the Harbour Bridge lasted close to 20 minutes and was viewed on television by nearly 25 million people around the world.
