New Year countdown
When is New Year 2027? Friday, 1 January
New Year 2027 is on Friday, 1 January. If you're in India, you can watch it arrive in Kiribati at 3:30 PM on New Year's Eve and still have eight and a half hours before your own midnight. The countdown on this page runs to midnight on your clock, and the table below shows when 12 cities get there.
New Year week
- Thu, Dec 31New Year's EveParties, fireworks and the last few hours of 2026.
- Fri, Jan 1New Year's DayThe new year starts at midnight. It's a public holiday in most countries. In India it's only a restricted holiday, so most offices stay open.
- Mon, Jan 42 January holiday (observed)Scotland and New Zealand get 2 January off as well. It falls on a Saturday this time, so the day off moves to Monday.
When does the new year arrive around the world?
Midnight rolls west from the Pacific. The whole trip takes over a day. Here's when 2027 begins in each city, and what the clock says in India at that moment.
| City | Time zone | Time in India (IST) |
|---|---|---|
| Kiritimati, Kiribati | UTC+14 | 3:30 PM, Dec 31 |
| Auckland, New Zealand | UTC+13 | 4:30 PM, Dec 31 |
| Sydney, Australia | UTC+11 | 6:30 PM, Dec 31 |
| Tokyo, Japan | UTC+9 | 8:30 PM, Dec 31 |
| Singapore / Beijing | UTC+8 | 9:30 PM, Dec 31 |
| New Delhi, India | UTC+5:30 | 12:00 AM, Jan 1 |
| Dubai, UAE | UTC+4 | 1:30 AM, Jan 1 |
| London, UK | UTC+0 | 5:30 AM, Jan 1 |
| New York, US | UTC−5 | 10:30 AM, Jan 1 |
| Los Angeles, US | UTC−8 | 1:30 PM, Jan 1 |
| Honolulu, Hawaii | UTC−10 | 3:30 PM, Jan 1 |
| Pago Pago, American Samoa | UTC−11 | 4:30 PM, Jan 1 |
New Zealand and Australia are on summer time in January. The US, UK and Europe are on standard time.
What day is New Year's Day, 2027 to 2031?
| Year | Date | Weekday |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | January 1, 2027 | Friday |
| 2028 | January 1, 2028 | Saturdayweekend |
| 2029 | January 1, 2029 | Monday |
| 2030 | January 1, 2030 | Tuesday |
| 2031 | January 1, 2031 | Wednesday |
When 1 or 2 January falls on a weekend, the UK and New Zealand give a weekday off instead. In 2027, 2 January is a Saturday, so Scotland and New Zealand take Monday 4 January. In 2028, New Year's Day moves to Monday 3 January, and Scotland and New Zealand add Tuesday 4 January for the 2nd.
"Happy New Year" or "Happy New Years"?
"Happy New Year", no S. You're wishing someone one year, not several. The mix-up comes from "New Year's Eve" and "New Year's Day". Those do take an apostrophe S, because they mean the eve and the day of the new year. The greeting doesn't.
Why the year starts on January 1
The Romans made 1 January the start of the civil year in 45 BC. January is named after Janus, the god of doorways, usually shown with two faces: one looking back, one looking ahead.
Medieval Europe drifted away from it for a few centuries and started the year on Christmas, Easter or the Feast of the Annunciation instead. The Gregorian calendar reform of 1582 brought 1 January back. Today it's the civil new year almost everywhere, even in countries that also keep their own.
January 1 isn't the only New Year
1 January is the year on your passport and your tax forms. Plenty of people celebrate another one too, on a lunar or solar calendar, on a different date most years:
- Hindu New Year: not one date. Gudi Padwa in Maharashtra and Ugadi in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana open the lunar year on the first day of Chaitra: 19 March in 2026 and 7 April in 2027. Vaisakhi in Punjab is 14 April in both years, and Poila Boishakh in Bengal is 15 April. Gujarati families celebrate Bestu Varas just after Diwali, on 10 November in 2026.
- Lunar / Chinese New Year: the second new moon after the winter solstice, always between 21 January and 20 February. See the Chinese New Year 2027 countdown.
- Islamic New Year: 1 Muharram on the Hijri lunar calendar. It has no leap months, so it moves about 11 days earlier every year. In 2026 it fell on 16 June, or 17 June in India after the local moon sighting. Expect it around 6 June in 2027.
- Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah): 1 Tishrei. The Hebrew calendar adds a leap month now and then, so it stays in early autumn. It began at sundown on 11 September 2026. In 2027 it begins at sundown on 1 October.
- Persian New Year (Nowruz): tied to the spring equinox, so it barely moves: 20 or 21 March every year, and 21 March in 2027.
- Ethiopian New Year (Enkutatash): 11 September, at the end of the rainy season. In the year before a Gregorian leap year it moves to 12 September, as it does in 2027.
New Year FAQ
When is New Year's Day 2027?
New Year's Day 2027 is Friday, 1 January. It starts at local midnight in each time zone, first in Kiribati and last in American Samoa.
What day was New Year 2026?
New Year's Day 2026 was Thursday, 1 January. The next one is Friday, 1 January 2027, and the countdown on this page is already counting to it.
Which country celebrates New Year first?
Kiribati, on Kiritimati (Christmas Island) at UTC+14. Its midnight arrives at 3:30 PM on 31 December in India. Auckland follows an hour later. American Samoa, at UTC−11, is among the last inhabited places to get there.
When is Hindu New Year in 2026 and 2027?
There isn't one date. Gudi Padwa and Ugadi fell on 19 March 2026, and Vaisakhi and Poila Boishakh on 14 and 15 April. Gujarati Bestu Varas is still ahead, on Tuesday, 10 November 2026. In 2027 Gudi Padwa and Ugadi fall on Wednesday, 7 April.
Is it "Happy New Year" or "Happy New Years"?
"Happy New Year", no S. You're wishing someone one new year. "New Year's" is only right as a possessive, as in "New Year's Eve" or "New Year's Day".
Why does the new year start on January 1?
The Romans made 1 January the start of the civil year in 45 BC, under the Julian calendar. The month is named after Janus, the god of doorways, who looks backward and forward. Medieval Europe drifted to religious dates for a while. The Gregorian calendar of 1582 brought 1 January back, and it has stuck.
Is New Year's Day a public holiday?
In most countries, yes, including the US, UK, Canada and Australia. In India it isn't a gazetted holiday. It's on the central government's restricted list, so most government offices stay open.
What are common New Year's resolutions?
Health and money. In a 2024 Pew Research Center survey of Americans who made resolutions, 79% had one about health and 61% had one about money. Small, specific goals (walk 20 minutes a day) are easier to track than vague ones (get healthier).
What time does the new year start?
At midnight in each time zone, so there isn't one global moment. From Kiribati to American Samoa, the new year takes 25 hours to reach every inhabited time zone. That's why New Year broadcasts show Sydney, London and New York hours apart.