Seoul also has a bell-tolling tradition, with a bell ringing in Bosingak Pavilion on the stroke of midnight to mark the end and beginning of the year, while a fireworks display took place at Kim II Sung Square in Pyongyang. Thailand and Vietnam then put on a fireworks show in cities despite celebrating their traditional new year in April and February respectively. Thailand has Songkran, when the sun passes into the Aries constellation, while Vietnam celebrates the Lunar New Year. These included using 6500 drones to create the largest aerial display of a phoenix and launching the largest aerial fireworks shell which hoped to explode across 1km in the sky. London was the next major city to set off a fireworks display, combined with lights and music along the River Thames and starting with Big Ben’s chimes.

Source: New Zealand Herald January 01, 2026 11:19 UTC