A World of New Year Celebrations
Exploring the customs that mark the year’s beginning
The turning of the year is observed in many ways. In some places, the night sky erupts in colour; in others, an entire island falls into silence. Some unfold at midnight on 31 December, others by lunar calendar, or in harmony with the seasons. Across cultures, the moment carries the same intent: to pause, gather, and start anew. From the riverbanks of London to the cliffs of Bali, Jumeirah offers a front-row seat to these timeless celebrations.
London | Chimes on the Thames
In London, the New Year commences with the familiar strike of Big Ben, a sound that has heralded midnight for generations. Crowds gather along the Thames to hear the bells, before the sky lights up in a choreographed firework display launched from the London Eye and barges on the river. Jubilant crowds link arms and lift their voices in Auld Lang Syne, the song carrying across the city. At The Peak Lounge at Jumeirah Carlton Tower, floor-to-ceiling windows open onto sweeping views of the skyline, offering one of the city’s most privileged perspectives of the New Year fireworks.
The following day, celebration continues with the London New Year’s Day Parade. Since 1987, thousands of performers - marching bands, dancers, and vibrant floats - have made their way from Piccadilly through the West End to Parliament Square. Just minutes from Knightsbridge, it offers one of the most spirited starts to the year anywhere in the world.
Dubai | A city illuminated
Each year, Dubai ushers in the New Year with a display on a scale few cities can match. At midnight, the Burj Khalifa becomes the centrepiece of a vast firework and laser show, broadcast around the world. Along the coast, beachside revelry and rooftop soirées carry the night into the early hours, from the shores of Jumeirah Beach Hotel to the palm-fringed waterways of Madinat Jumeirah.
Beyond the Gregorian calendar, the Emirates also observe Hijri New Year, which falls on the first day of Muharram. Guided by the lunar cycle, its timing shifts each year and is confirmed with the sighting of the new moon, most often falling in the summer months. Unlike the exuberance of 31 December, it is a more contemplative occasion - characterised by prayer, reflection, and gatherings with family.
Further west, Abu Dhabi welcomes the turning of the year with displays over the Corniche and Yas Island, their colours mirrored on the Gulf. Across the Emirates, the passage of time is recognised in two distinct ways: with the brilliance of December’s festivities, and the quiet dignity of the Hijri year’s beginning.
Bali | A day of silence
Bali’s New Year, known as Nyepi, follows the Balinese Saka calendar and falls each March. On the eve of the holiday, villages come alive with ogoh-ogoh parades: giant, brightly painted effigies of demons carried through the streets, accompanied by music and ritual noise. At nightfall, the figures are set alight, symbolising the banishment of negativity.
What follows is a day unlike any other. From sunrise to sunrise, the island falls into complete stillness. Airports close, roads empty, and daily life pauses as people observe a cycle of silence, meditation, and renewal. For visitors, it is a rare chance to witness Bali at its most introspective.
From the cliffs of Jumeirah Bali, Nyepi feels profound: no boats on the horizon, no lights on the shoreline, only the sound of the ocean and the sweep of the stars above. Here, the New Year arrives not with spectacle, but with silence - a collective breath before the year ahead.
China | Chinese New Year
In China, the turning of the new year follows the lunar calendar, usually falling between late January and mid-February. Festivities begin on Chinese New Year’s Eve, when families reunite for a banquet known as the reunion dinner - a meal that often stretches late into the night. Many households tune into the Spring Festival Gala, a televised tradition watched by hundreds of millions across the nation, before marking midnight beneath a sky illuminated by festive lights and celebration.
From Jumeirah Guangzhou and Jumeirah Nanjing, guests can experience the days that follow as they unfold in layers of ritual. Red decorations line streets and doorways and red envelopes are given to children as symbols of prosperity and good fortune. Temples fill with prayers for the year ahead, and on the fifteenth and final night, the Lantern Festival sees thousands of glowing lanterns set alight, illuminating streets and skies in a final act of rejoicing.
A Shared Beginning
Whether it is marked with fireworks over great cities, silence across an island, or lanterns drifting into the night, the arrival of a new year carries the same spirit: renewal. Each place has its own way of welcoming what lies ahead, shaped by history, the promise of new beginnings, or nature itself.
Through Jumeirah’s destinations, guests are invited to experience these traditions first-hand, each one offering its own way to pause, look forward, and begin again.
The turning of the year is observed in many ways. In some places, the night sky erupts in colour; in others, an entire island falls into silence. Some unfold at midnight on 31 December, others by lunar calendar, or in harmony with the seasons. Across cultures, the moment carries the same intent: to pause, gather, and start anew. From the riverbanks of London to the cliffs of Bali, Jumeirah offers a front-row seat to these timeless celebrations.
London | Chimes on the Thames
In London, the New Year commences with the familiar strike of Big Ben, a sound that has heralded midnight for generations. Crowds gather along the Thames to hear the bells, before the sky lights up in a choreographed firework display launched from the London Eye and barges on the river. Jubilant crowds link arms and lift their voices in Auld Lang Syne, the song carrying across the city. At The Peak Lounge at Jumeirah Carlton Tower, floor-to-ceiling windows open onto sweeping views of the skyline, offering one of the city’s most privileged perspectives of the New Year fireworks.
The following day, celebration continues with the London New Year’s Day Parade. Since 1987, thousands of performers - marching bands, dancers, and vibrant floats - have made their way from Piccadilly through the West End to Parliament Square. Just minutes from Knightsbridge, it offers one of the most spirited starts to the year anywhere in the world.
Dubai | A city illuminated
Each year, Dubai ushers in the New Year with a display on a scale few cities can match. At midnight, the Burj Khalifa becomes the centrepiece of a vast firework and laser show, broadcast around the world. Along the coast, beachside revelry and rooftop soirées carry the night into the early hours, from the shores of Jumeirah Beach Hotel to the palm-fringed waterways of Madinat Jumeirah.
Beyond the Gregorian calendar, the Emirates also observe Hijri New Year, which falls on the first day of Muharram. Guided by the lunar cycle, its timing shifts each year and is confirmed with the sighting of the new moon, most often falling in the summer months. Unlike the exuberance of 31 December, it is a more contemplative occasion - characterised by prayer, reflection, and gatherings with family.
Further west, Abu Dhabi welcomes the turning of the year with displays over the Corniche and Yas Island, their colours mirrored on the Gulf. Across the Emirates, the passage of time is recognised in two distinct ways: with the brilliance of December’s festivities, and the quiet dignity of the Hijri year’s beginning.
Bali | A day of silence
Bali’s New Year, known as Nyepi, follows the Balinese Saka calendar and falls each March. On the eve of the holiday, villages come alive with ogoh-ogoh parades: giant, brightly painted effigies of demons carried through the streets, accompanied by music and ritual noise. At nightfall, the figures are set alight, symbolising the banishment of negativity.
What follows is a day unlike any other. From sunrise to sunrise, the island falls into complete stillness. Airports close, roads empty, and daily life pauses as people observe a cycle of silence, meditation, and renewal. For visitors, it is a rare chance to witness Bali at its most introspective.
From the cliffs of Jumeirah Bali, Nyepi feels profound: no boats on the horizon, no lights on the shoreline, only the sound of the ocean and the sweep of the stars above. Here, the New Year arrives not with spectacle, but with silence - a collective breath before the year ahead.
China | Chinese New Year
In China, the turning of the new year follows the lunar calendar, usually falling between late January and mid-February. Festivities begin on Chinese New Year’s Eve, when families reunite for a banquet known as the reunion dinner - a meal that often stretches late into the night. Many households tune into the Spring Festival Gala, a televised tradition watched by hundreds of millions across the nation, before marking midnight beneath a sky illuminated by festive lights and celebration.
From Jumeirah Guangzhou and Jumeirah Nanjing, guests can experience the days that follow as they unfold in layers of ritual. Red decorations line streets and doorways and red envelopes are given to children as symbols of prosperity and good fortune. Temples fill with prayers for the year ahead, and on the fifteenth and final night, the Lantern Festival sees thousands of glowing lanterns set alight, illuminating streets and skies in a final act of rejoicing.
A Shared Beginning
Whether it is marked with fireworks over great cities, silence across an island, or lanterns drifting into the night, the arrival of a new year carries the same spirit: renewal. Each place has its own way of welcoming what lies ahead, shaped by history, the promise of new beginnings, or nature itself.
Through Jumeirah’s destinations, guests are invited to experience these traditions first-hand, each one offering its own way to pause, look forward, and begin again.