Up to date 2025 begins: how the world and Germany celebrate
While it is still late in Germany, millions of people have already started the New Year. The approximately 7,300 inhabitants of the atoll of Kiritimati, part of the island state of Kiribati, were the first in the world to welcome in 2025, followed by New Zealand and Australia, for example.
31.12.2024, 13:34
31.12.2024, 15:22
SDA
In northern Germany, parts of the UK and Scandinavia, the start of the new year is likely to be stormy for many. On Sylt, the celebrations on the beach promenade were canceled due to stormy weather. In the Scottish capital Edinburgh, the organizers cancelled a festival.
Wind speeds of up to 85 km/h were also possible in the Thuringian Forest, said a meteorologist from the German Weather Service. This corresponds to gale force. "Firing New Year's Eve rockets can be dangerous." Gale-force gusts of over 120 kilometers per hour are forecast for the Brocken in the Harz Mountains in Saxony-Anhalt. The wind is expected to increase on New Year's Day.
Teenager seriously injured with firecracker
In many places in Germany, fireworks are going off well before the evening hours - and not always to good effect. In Pirna, Saxony, a 16-year-old was seriously injured in the hand when an illegal New Year's Eve firecracker exploded.
According to the police in Dresden, the boy had been handling the firecracker, which he had bought in the nearby Czech Republic, in the street on Monday and it detonated in his left hand. A rescue helicopter took the boy to hospital.
Around 4,000 police officers on the streets of Berlin
In Germany, probably the biggest New Year's Eve party takes place at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. There are performances by rapper Shirin David and other stars such as Maite Kelly, Bausa, Nemo and Peter Schilling. ZDF broadcasts the celebration live as a show called "Welcome 2025".
High security precautions are in place and the police and fire department are once again deployed on a large scale throughout the city. According to the authorities, 3,000 police officers from the capital and other federal states will be on the streets during the night. A further 1,000 officers are on duty in police stations and patrol cars. Federal police officers are also on the road. The fire department and aid organizations plan to deploy a total of more than 1,500 personnel.
According to Berlin's Senator of the Interior, Iris Spranger, the police have already temporarily arrested dozens of people during the night for illegal fireworks. The focus was on Neukölln and a neighborhood in Berlin-Schöneberg.
Huge show planned in Sydney
In Sydney, the big fireworks display was particularly gigantic this time. Around nine tons of pyrotechnics lit up the sky above the harbour district. The fireworks were set off at 264 different points, significantly more than in previous years.
Around one million onlookers were expected to attend the spectacle. Thousands had already secured the best spots since the morning, equipped with camping chairs and picnic blankets.
Asia gradually slides into the New Year in the afternoon
Sensational light shows are also planned in many Asian cities. In Bangkok, the mighty Chao Phraya River once again takes center stage, where many revelers travel on party boats to experience the mega fireworks display up close. Thailand, which follows the Buddhist calendar, starts the year 2568.
In the glittering city of Singapore, numerous onlookers are expected to watch the fireworks at Marina Bay with a view of the skyline. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the 452-metre Petronas Towers, once the tallest building in the world, are the focus of an impressive light show.
American Samoa, which lies just 220 kilometers east of Samoa on the other side of the international date line, will be the last country to ring in 2025 - twelve hours after Germany.
In London - one hour after Germany - the New Year is traditionally rung in with the ringing of Big Ben and a spectacular fireworks display, which will once again see around 100,000 people gather on the banks of the Thames around the London Eye Ferris wheel.
America is also eagerly awaiting 2025
In the Brazilian metropolis of Rio de Janeiro, a huge celebration is set to take place as usual. The city administration is hoping for around five million visitors. Half of the celebrators are expected at Copacabana Beach. Once again, a twelve-minute fireworks display is to be set off from ten rafts.
In New York City, as every year, hundreds of thousands of eyes are turned upwards at the world-famous Times Square. At 11.59 p.m., a ball weighing almost 5,400 kilograms descends around forty meters on a special pole from the roof of the 26-storey Times Square One skyscraper until exactly midnight. It is decorated with 2,688 crystal triangles.
