It is time for New Year’s Eve celebrations! Although, this year, the event is different. We will be at home, instead of physically witnessing the fireworks, we will watch the live streaming online. The clock is ticking, but differently in different countries. Some are ahead, while others are a little late, but New Year’s Eve celebration is massive. Because hours differ from country to country, here we bring you the list of countries that enter New Year 2021 first and last. Ideally, everyone will be celebrating at the same time only, but given the world is separated into 24 different zones, every nation will be welcoming New Year 2021 at a different time. In this article, we bring when January 1 begins in nations around the world in separate time zones.

We are not only ending a year, but a decade, embarking upon a new one 2021-30. The festivity is significant. But given the ongoing global health crisis, we are encouraged to ring in the New Year and new decade from home. There are virtual events planned to keep everyone entertained. Sydney, with its extravagant fireworks, has always been thought of as the first city in the world and Australia the first country in the world to welcome New Year. But that is not the case. Two small island nations in the Pacific Ocean—Kiritimati or Christmas Island and Kiribati are the ones where January 1 begins at 10:00 am GMT, 3:30 pm IST on December 31. The second lines in New Zealand and then comes most parts of Australia. Check out the list of countries to enter New Year 2021 first and last.

New Year 2021 Time Table Across the World: Timings as Per Indian Standard Time (IST)

  • 1530 hours or 3.30 PM - Samoa and Christmas Island/Kiribati

  • 1545 hours or 3.45 PM - New Zealand

  • 1830 hours, or 6.30 PM - Most of Australia

  • 2030 hours, or 8.30 PM - Japan, South Korea and North Korea

  • 2130 hours, or 9.30 PM - China, Philippines, Singapore

  • 2230 hours, or 10.30 PM - Thailand, Cambodia and large parts of Indonesia

  • 2330 hours, or 11.30 PM - Bangladesh

  • 2345 hours, or 11.45 PM - Nepal

  • 0000 hours, or midnight - India and Sri Lanka

  • 0030 hours, or 12.30 AM - Pakistan

  • 0130 hours, or 1.30 AM - Azerbaijan

  • 0200 hours, or 2.00 AM - Iran

  • 0230 hours, or 2.30 AM - Turkey, Iraq, Kenya and most of Russia

  • 0330 hours, or 3.30 AM - Greece, Romania, South Africa, Hungary and other central and eastern European cities

  • 0430 hours, or 4.30 AM - Germany, France, Italy, Algeria, Belgium, Spain

  • 0530 hours, or 5.30 AM - UK, Ireland, Ghana, Iceland, Portugal

  • 0830 hours, or 8.30 AM – Most of Brazil, Argentina

  • 0930 hours, or 9.30 AM – Most of Canada

  • 1030 hours, or 10.30 AM – Most of USA

  • 1730 hours, or 05.30 PM – Baker Island, Howland Island

Now that you know the list of countries to ring in New Year 2021 celebrations first and last, it is time to share the knowledge with your closed ones. As you prepare for the New Year’s Eve 2020 virtually, remember to count your blessings and be thankful for even the smallest achievements and the way you bravely survived the pandemic year. We wish you and your family, a happy, blessed and safe New Year 2021!

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 31, 2020 12:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).