Confetti falls over attendees in Times Square during New Year's Eve celebration, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)
People across the world celebrate the start of 2026, with New York’s iconic Times Square ball descending 18 hours after the South Pacific greeted the new year.
___
This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
Revelers celebrate the start of 2026 after the ball drop in Times Square during New Year’s Eve festivities, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)A light show is projected on the Arc de Triomphe as fireworks explode during New Year celebrations on the Champs Elysees, in Paris, France, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)People pose for pictures near illuminated decorations on New Year’s Eve in Mumbai, India, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)Fireworks light-up the sky in central London to celebrate the New Year on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)Fireworks explode around the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)Fireworks explode over the Chao Phraya River during New Year celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)Sora Honda lays on the confetti-covered sidewalk as she celebrates the start of 2026 during New Year’s Eve festivities, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa)People cheer during the 2026 Taipei New Year’s Party celebration in front of the Taipei City Government Building in Taipei, Taiwan, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Chiang Ying-ying)People arrive to Times Square during New Year’s Eve celebrations, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez)Fireworks burst over the Sydney Harbour Bridge during the New Year celebrations in Sydney, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)Revelers ring in the new year at the Juyongguan Great Wall on the outskirts of Beijing, China, early Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)People strike a giant bell to celebrate the New Year at the Zojoji Buddhist temple, minutes after midnight Thursday Jan. 1, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)Children play on a pile of snow while celebrating New Year’s Eve at the Palace Square, in St. Petersburg, Russia, late Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)People watch Russian President Vladimir Putin’s New Year’s message a few minutes prior to the New Year at the Palace Square, in St. Petersburg, Russia, late Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)People watch fireworks at the beach of the Baltic Sea in Timmendorfer Strand, Germany, early Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)People burn old resolutions on the New Year at the Zojoji Buddhist temple, minutes after midnight Thursday Jan. 1, 2026, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)Performers ring in the new year at the Juyongguan Great Wall on the outskirts of Beijing, China, early Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)People celebrate the New Year in Caracas, Venezuela, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)Fireworks are launched above the My Dinh national stadium in Hanoi, Vietnam, January 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Huy Han)Revelers use their smartphones to film the falling balloons and confetti as they celebrate the start of 2026 during the New Year countdown event held at a shopping mall in Beijing, early Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)A man sits on a cliff as the last sunset of 2025 is seen over the Mediterranean Sea in Beirut, Lebanon, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiased news in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world’s population sees AP journalism every day.
