Full list of New Year's Eve events cancelled in major cities over safety fears

New Year's Eve celebrations are being scrapped around the world due to various safety concerns, from crowd crushes to natural disasters, with major cities including Sydney, Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong affected.

New Year's Eve festivities across the globe are being axed amid serious safety fears from local councils.

The cancellations have left tens of thousands of revellers disappointed, with fireworks displays, parties and live events amongst those called off ahead of December 31. Some unofficial gatherings were scrapped after the FBI foiled a planned bomb plot in Los Angeles, resulting in four arrests during a practice run of their intended attack.

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli disclosed that drone surveillance footage captured the suspects attempting to construct an explosive device. The four alleged plotters were identified as Audrey Illeene Carroll, 30; Zachary Aaron Page, 32; Dante Gaffield, 24; and Tina Lai, 41, all residents of the Los Angeles region, reports the Mirror.

Despite the terror threat, Los Angeles hasn't actually scrapped any official New Year's Eve festivities. However, numerous major celebrations have been axed worldwide for security concerns.

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Fireworks lit up the sky above the Kremlin in Russia as the country entered 2022

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Fireworks lit up the sky above the Kremlin in Russia as the country entered 2022(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Sydney

Australians remain shaken by the horrific Bondi Beach shooting that claimed 15 lives and left another 40 wounded. As a result, the beloved New Year's fireworks spectacular at the beach has been called off.

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"Due to the current situation on the ground, Waverley Council has decided to cancel New Year's Eve events at Bondi Beach, including elrow XXL Bondi and Local's Lawn," organisers at Waverley Council informed Sky News.

The decision was taken with "compassion and care for Sydney's Jewish community" in mind, they explained. New South Wales Premier Chris Minns declared that the persistent threat of antisemitism meant Jews weren't entirely secure.

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Aussies welcomed 2025 in style!(Image: Getty Images)

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He stated: "The real test for us will be one year from now, five years from now, 15 years from now, when the Jewish community feels safe in their community. I have spoken to so many members of the Jewish community in the last week who don't feel safe.

"They don't feel safe celebrating their religion, they don't feel safe getting together as a community and we cannot have a situation where the solution to this horrible terrorism event is to have the Jewish community so we can only exist and celebrate our faith behind big walls."

Sydney will still host its fireworks spectacular, ensuring the legendary annual spectacle of vibrant pyrotechnics above the renowned Opera House continues.

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Those attending will be offered a chance for silent reflection to remember those who perished at Bondi.

Russia

Vladimir Putin's Russia is accustomed to stringent public controls, with severe penalties of multiple years behind bars awaiting those who dare criticise his brutal conflict in Ukraine or challenge the Kremlin's authority. Russians are also being instructed to welcome 2026 with restraint, and in numerous locations, to forgo celebrations entirely.

Throughout the nation, customary official pyrotechnic shows are being cancelled, mobile internet blackouts are being openly announced "for security", and booze sales are facing restrictions, including complete holiday bans in one regional capital. It's been four years since the iconic Red Square and St Basil's Cathedral were illuminated by New Year fireworks, a sight that was once a global highlight of the celebrations.

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This year, however, Red Square will be off-limits, under police guard.

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Major threat - Russian President Vladimir Putin(Image: Getty Images)

The restrictions are allegedly due to the conflict in Ukraine, but they seem to have escalated during New Year, the most significant celebration in the Russian calendar. The unspoken message is evident: in a Russia at war, "normal life" is a concept preached by the Kremlin, while the elements that make a public holiday feel festive are gradually stripped away.

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Russian state media has reported that officials in at least 64 of Russia's 89 regions have declared there will be no New Year fireworks in major cities. The actual number of cancellations is anticipated to be even higher.

Mobile internet is also being restricted supposedly for "security reasons", amid concerns it could guide incoming drone attacks. Independent reports have documented how Russia's mobile internet shutdowns spiked in 2025, with authorities often citing "security" and drone threats as justification, while everyday services suffer collateral damage.

In some regions, Russians are even being denied vodka to ring in the New Year. Some of the restrictions in Russia include:

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In Omsk, alcohol and even energy drinks have been removed near events from December 28 until January 11

In Irkutsk, no alcohol will be allowed within 100 metres of celebration sites

In Abakan, booze is banned for eight days at venues hosting mass events, plus parks and squares

Paris

Police worries have forced the scrapping of a beloved music celebration on the Champs-Elysées, according to Parisian publication sortiraparis. Officers pressed Mayor Anne Hidalgo to axe the gathering amid concerns about dangerous overcrowding from massive turnouts.

The capital's main fireworks display will proceed as planned.

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Huge crowd of people on the Champs-Elysee as they wait for the New Year's Eve fireworks

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A huge crowd of people on the Champs-Elysee as they wait for the New Year's Eve fireworks(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Tokyo

Comparable crush anxieties have prompted officials in Japan's capital to cancel the countdown festivities outside the famous Shibuya Station. Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe cited worries about public alcohol consumption as another factor behind the choice, according to local media.

Jakarta

Indonesia's national government has pledged support for various regions choosing to abandon fireworks displays in remembrance of those affected by devastating floods on Sumatra island. The death count from catastrophic flooding and mudslides across parts of Asia climbed beyond 1,500 this month.

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The disaster was made worse by warnings that years of forest destruction from uncontrolled development, mining operations and palm oil estates may have intensified the destruction. Pressure is mounting for governmental intervention.

"We need the government to investigate and fix forest management," declared Rangga Adiputra, a 31 year old educator whose dwelling in West Sumatra was washed away. The slopes above his community on Padang city's edges bore scars from unlawful tree felling.

"We don't want this costly disaster to happen again," he stated. More than 900 fatalities in Indonesia alone have been verified.

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Belgrade

Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, has decided to cancel certain events due to concerns over children's safety. This includes festivities on New Year's Eve and Serbian New Year's Eve on 14 January.

Mayor Aleksandar Šapić cited past incidents where barriers at events were breached as a reason for the cancellations.

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, an alternative spectacle will replace the traditional fireworks display following its cancellation. This decision comes in the wake of the city's most devastating fire in decades.

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Full list of New Year's Eve events cancelled in major cities over safety fears

Full list of New Year's Eve events cancelled in major cities over safety fears

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