UK welcomes new year with celebrations across the country
Thousands of people from around the country have officially started the new year, gathering at firework festivals and parties all around the region. 12,000 fireworks were lit in London's city's biggest pyrotechnic exhibition to date, with 100,000 people watching from the banks of the Thames. By six minutes of carefully choreographed explosions, Edinburgh Castle was lit up by six minutes, surrounded by tens of thousands of revelers attending the famous Hogmanay street party. Across much of the United Kingdom, the new year brings chilly weather, with snow and ice predicted.
From 06:00 GMT to the end of Friday, northern Scotland has been warned of snow and ice. A further yellow warning of snow and ice has been issued across major areas of England and Wales between midnight and noon on January 2nd, extending as far south as London and Kent. The London Eye was at the center of Europe's biggest firework display, which highlighted some of the highlights of 2025, as the iconic midnight bongs of Big Ben sounded across London. Raye, Sabrina Carpenter, Ed Sheeran, and Coldplay were among the soundtrack's featured voiceovers from actors such as Celia Imrie, Andrew Cotter, and Alison Hammond In the show, England's Women's Rugby World Cup triumph was acknowledged, as well as the Lionesses' victory at the Euros and Cynthia Erivo's appearance in Wicked: For Good. On X, London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan praised the display as the country's most legendary,
according to X. The city's new year celebrations sent a strong message about "the importance of teamwork.
Other national celebrations took place all around the country, from Belfast to Cardiff, Manchester, and Newcastle. Edinburgh held its last official function in 2024 after extreme weather
prompted organisers to cancel Hogmanay celebrations. Around 45,000 people attended the sold-out street party to usher in 2026, with some of the fireworks used in the display salvaged from last year's cancelled event. The performance was accompanied by a soundtrack showcasing some of Scotland's best performers, such as Lewis Capaldi and Simple Minds, before concluding with a Skye duo Valtos' version of Auld Lang Syne. Cheryl and Terry Brown, two liverpudlians, were among those enjoying the city's festivities on Saturday, soaking up all four days of the city’s festivities with their seven-year-old son Oliver. Terry told the BBC,
Terry said, although the family had celebrated in Belfast and London on previous years, but Edinburgh's party atmosphere has kept them coming back. And they aren't the only ones. In 2026, Cosmio and Neal, two friends from the US state of New Jersey, crossed the pond specifically to ring in 2026 from Edinburgh.We did it a few years ago and we just had to come back,
Neal said. Cosmio said that the pair have made travelling for a new year a regular occurrence, but that the Edinburgh street party isThe dancing, the people, the enthusiasm, the vibe, and the general vibe is just the best way to start the new year together,
a thousand times betterthan watching the famous ball drop in New York's Times Square.
Celebrations have also occurred in a large part of the world. Japan and South Korea celebrated the festival with bell-ringing ceremonies in their capital cities, while Australians celebrated with a spectacular firework display in Sydney. A copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was lit up by a slew of pyrotechnics, with the event's organisers aiming for a new Guinness World Record for the largest New Year's With the ship's call in the new year, the crew and science teams rang in the RRS Sir David Attenborough, which was stationed in Antarctica. It will be 2026 globally by midday GMT.
