New Year’s Eve fireworks above the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia

© James D. Morgan/REX/Shutterstock

New Year’s Eve fireworks above the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Sydney, Australia

If you’re reading this in the morning, the New Year’s Eve parties in Sydney, Australia, are in full swing as the countdown to 2017 begins. If you’re reading this in the afternoon, then our friends Down Under are already a year ahead of us. Australia’s not the first populated area on Earth to shout “Happy New Year!” at the stroke of midnight, but they’re certainly close to the top of the list. And here in Sydney Harbour, fireworks explode over the Sydney Harbour Bridge to celebrate the passing of the old year and the entry into the new. We hope you enjoy tonight’s festivities.