Which country celebrates New Year first and who’s last?

Share:
Which country celebrates New Year first and who’s last?
Author: Becky Pemberton
Published: Dec, 27 2024 17:57

Countries celebrate New Year at different times because of a unique time zone system. NEW Year is one of the most exciting holidays in the world, as people across the globe reflect on and celebrate the year that just passed. However, not every country celebrates New Year at the same time as the UK. So which countries are the first and last to ring in the New Year?.

 [ London is known for its incredible New Year celebrations]
Image Credit: The Sun [ London is known for its incredible New Year celebrations]

The UK sits on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) which is used as the internationally standardised time format. In other words, GMT is the baseline time zone and other time zones are measured by how much they deviate from GMT. Because of this, while all countries celebrate the arrival of the new year at midnight, it may seem as though they celebrate earlier or later than the UK.

 [ Australia is one of the first countries to ring in the New Year]
Image Credit: The Sun [ Australia is one of the first countries to ring in the New Year]

Generally, Brits look to Australia as the first country to see in the New Year but there are several other countries which beat it to the punch. Kiritimati Island - also known as Christmas Island - and a string of 10 other mostly uninhabited islands in the central Pacific Ocean will have been the first to ring in 2024.

 [ Preparations for New Year begins days in advance in New York]
Image Credit: The Sun [ Preparations for New Year begins days in advance in New York]

Tonga, New Zealand and Samoa all celebrate the New Year, before Eastern Australia and then Central Australia. Generally, countries furthest to the west on a UK map will be the last to ring in the New Year. Two uninhabited islands named Baker Island and Howland Island, southwest of Hawaii, will be the last to see 2025 in.

Share:

More for You

Top Followed