Fireworks explode from Auckland’s Sky Tower as the new year is welcomed to New Zealand, Jan 1, 2017. (New Zealand Herald via AP)
Revellers from across the world are set to bid adieu to 2016 and usher in the arrival of a brand New Year with different countries planning festivities to celebrate in their own way. Fireworks will set the tone of the midnight celebrations in major cities around the world. The tiny pacific island of Tonga was the first country to welcome the New Year, almost three hours before it reached Australia and New Zealand. Dazzling display of fireworks over Sydney harbour symbolises the start of global New Year’s festivities for many of them.
In Dubai, Twitter will, for the first time, stream the New Year Eve’s breathtaking fireworks display at the world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa to a global audience.
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Minor outlying US islands like Baker Island and Howland Island will be among the last places on Earth to witness the New Year.
Interestingly, an additional second has been added to this year’s New Year countdown in order to keep in sync with Earth’s rotation, which gradually slows down over a period of time.
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