New Year's Countdown Worldwide: Sydney's Fireworks Show Welcomes the New Year

Various parts of the world celebrated the arrival of 2025 with dazzling fireworks and laser shows. However, due to a major air disaster involving Jeju Air, South Korea significantly reduced or canceled many countdown events.

New Zealand in the Southern Hemisphere was the first to enter 2025, with Auckland's tallest landmark, the "Sky Tower," hosting a five-minute fireworks display. Sydney, Australia, welcomed 2025 with the largest fireworks show in its history.

As the New Year's bell tolled, over 9 tons of fireworks simultaneously illuminated 80 launch points around Sydney's iconic buildings and harbor area, including the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Opera House, harbor vessels, and city skyscrapers, lighting up approximately 7 km of Sydney Harbour.
 

This 12-minute fireworks display introduced drone technology and aerial launch platforms for the first time, bringing a refreshing visual experience to both local and global audiences.

The Mayor of Sydney, Moore, stated that as one of the first cities globally to welcome the New Year, Sydney showcased the city's vitality and charm through the spectacular performance. The New Year's fireworks show attracted nearly a million spectators on-site and was also broadcasted live globally via television and the internet.

In South Korea, Seoul's Bell Pavilion "Bosingak Bell-Ringing Ceremony" is the grandest New Year's event in the country, but the Seoul city government decided to significantly downsize the celebrations, focusing mainly on mourning.

The annual bell-ringing event canceled all performance segments, only retaining the bell-ringing ceremony, and included a solemn moment of silence amidst the "Midnight Sun" video display in a solemn atmosphere.