As Brits count the hours to midnight, New Year’s Eve parties are in full swing in some corners of the world.

Christmas Island in Kiribati, an island country in Oceania, was among the very first inhabited places on earth to welcome 2024.

The nation was followed by Chatham Islands in New Zealand, along with Tokelau, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati’s Phoenix Islands and some regions of Antarctica.

Auckland was the first major city to ring in the new year, with a fireworks display over its tallest building, the Sky Tower. 

Celebrations also kicked off in Australia as the clock struck midnight.

Tons of explosives erupted in a mesmerising 12-minute display that focused on the Sydney Harbor Bridge.

More than 1 million people, a number equivalent to one in five of the Sydney’s residents, watched from the shore and from boats in the harbor.

‘It is total madness,’ said German tourist Janna Thomas, who had patiently waited in line since 7.30 am to secure a prime waterfront location in the Sydney Botanic Garden.

‘It is not so easy to find a good place to sit, but the view is incredible.’

Despite the cheer, the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and tensions in parts of the world, are affecting this year’s New Year’s Eve celebrations in a myriad of ways.

Many cities were deploying extra security, and some places even axed New Year’s Eve events altogether.

More police than ever were deployed throughout Sydney.

The waterfront has been the scene of heated pro-Palestinian rallies after the sails of the Sydney Opera House were illuminated in the colours of the Israeli flag amid the October 7 Hamas attack.

Meanwhile, in Muslim-majority Pakistan, the government has banned all events as an act of solidarity with Palestinians.

In an overnight televised message, caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar urged his nation to ‘show solidarity with the oppressed people of Gaza’ by beginning the new year with simplicity. 

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