New York’s Times Square, the throbbing epicenter of New Year revelry, crackled with uncontainable energy on December 31, 2025, as the countdown to 2026 commenced with the iconic Waterford crystal ball preparations, drawing 1.3 million spectators under a canopy of confetti cannons and holographic constellations. From Sydney’s Harbour Bridge pyrotechnics—erupting at 9 p.m.