Wed Jan 01 08:53:29 UTC 2025: ## New Year’s 2025: Around the World in 26 Hours
**New York, NY (CNN) –** The ball drop in Times Square may be the iconic image of New Year’s Eve, but for many around the globe, 2025 arrived long before the stroke of midnight in New York City. The new year’s celebrations spanned a full 26 hours, beginning at 5 a.m. ET in Kiritimati, Kiribati, and concluding in American Samoa hours later.
Kiribati’s Christmas Island was the first to welcome 2025, followed by the Chatham Islands in New Zealand and then much of New Zealand itself. The festivities spread eastward across the Pacific, reaching Australia, Asia, and eventually Europe and Africa. Cities including Sydney, Tokyo, London, and Paris rang in the new year at their respective local times.
The journey of the New Year was a testament to the earth’s rotation and the diverse time zones that span the globe. The world’s 39 time zones—some just minutes apart, others separated by more than 12 hours—created a ripple effect of celebrations.
For those who love the tradition of “Auld Lang Syne,” it was a truly extended singalong. The last regions to celebrate were in the Americas, with parts of the US, including Hawaii and American Samoa, marking the end of the global New Year’s countdown.
First Piper 