Arts & Culture

Countries across the world ring in the new year

By Giulia Heyward

Published December 31, 2022 at 8:18 PM CST

Fireworks explode next to the Arc de Triomphe with "2023" projected on the building, at the Avenue des Champs-Elysees during New Year celebrations in Paris.

Updated December 31, 2022 at 8:44 PM ET

The year 2022 turned to 2023 in time zones across the world, starting in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Some of the first people who celebrated 2023 live in Kiribati, an island country in the Pacific Ocean, with a population of less than 122,000 people.

Australia, which is one of the first big countries to begin the year, started 2023 with a bang — 7,000 fireworks were launched from the Sydney Harbour Bridge and another 2,000 from the nearby Sydney Opera House, The Associated Press reported.

"Happy New Years, Australia, wishing you all the best for the year ahead," the country's prime minister, Anthony Albanese, tweeted.

Here's a look at how people are celebrating the new year in various countries.