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Kiribati becomes first country to welcome in the new year, as clocks strike twelve in island of Kiritimati
An atoll in the remote Pacific Island nation of Kiribati – Kiritimati – has become the first to usher in the new year (at 10:00 GMT). We will bring you pictures as soon as we get them in.
Other parts of Kiribati will be welcoming in the new year over the next few hours.
Kiribati – made up of 33 atolls (islands) – controls more than 3.5 million sq km (1.4m sq miles) of Pacific Ocean.
In 1994, Kiribati – pronounced “Kiribass” – changed the time zone across the international date line, so all 33 islands would have the same date (there were previously some islands on the eastern side of the international date line).
When will the clocks strike midnight in different countries around the world?
I am writing today’s blog from London. Using UK time, here is a quick rundown of when (some very select) countries will ring in the new year:
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Kiribati -10:00 GMT
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New Zealand – 11:00 GMT
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Most of Australia’s east coast – 13:00 GMT
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North Korea, South Korea and Japan- 15:00 GMT
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Taiwan, Hong Kong and China – 16:00 GMT
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Thailand – 17:00 GMT
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India and Sri Lanka – 18:30 GMT
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Russia (Moscow) – 21:00 GMT
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Ukraine – 22:00 GMT
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Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Italy – 23:00 GMT
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The UK , Ghana and Portugal– 00:00 GMT …
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Brazil and Argentina – 03:00 GMT
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The east coast of the US – 05:00 GMT
Welcome to our New Year's Eve live coverage
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of New Year’s Eve celebrations from around the world as 2026 begins.
Among the first places to bring in the new year will be Kiritimati on Kiribati Island in the central Pacific Ocean at 10:00 GMT.
It takes a full 26 hours for the entire globe to enter the new year and our team will be bringing you the best photos, videos and all the latest scenes of celebration throughout the whole stretch.
We will also bring you the traditional messages of goodwill from world leaders, and hopefully a bit of fun, too, so stick with us as we say goodbye to 2025.
