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How to Watch New Year's Eve Fireworks From Around the World Online for Free

By: Julia Glum
Julia Glum, expert in the IRS, taxes, credit scores, saving, colleges, mobile payment apps, and News Editor at Money
Julia Glum
News Editor | Joined February 2018
Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money.
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Published: Dec 31, 2018 6 min read
(clockwise from top left) Fireworks over City Hall, New Year's Eve, Vienna, Austria; Fireworks over the Brandenburg Gate during New Year's festivities on January 1, 2018 in Berlin, Germany; Fireworks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House during the 9pm display on New Year's Eve on Sydney Harbour on December 31, 2017 in Sydney, Australia; Fireworks light up the sky over Petronas Towers during New Year's Eve celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 31, 2017.
(clockwise from top left) Fireworks over City Hall, New Year's Eve, Vienna, Austria; Fireworks over the Brandenburg Gate during New Year's festivities on January 1, 2018 in Berlin, Germany; Fireworks over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House during the 9pm display on New Year's Eve on Sydney Harbour on December 31, 2017 in Sydney, Australia; Fireworks light up the sky over Petronas Towers during New Year's Eve celebrations in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on December 31, 2017.
(clockwise from top left) Kurt Amthor—imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock; Adam Berry—Getty Images; Brett Hemmings—City of Sydney/Getty Images; Alexandra Radu—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Cities around the world will light up their skies Monday night as they welcome 2019 with elaborate fireworks shows.

But you don't need to buy an expensive plane ticket or elbow your way through an overeager crowd of people in order to catch the NYE festivities on video. Thanks to the magic of the internet, you can watch New Year's Eve 2019 fireworks from around the world online without ever leaving your couch.

So put off writing down your resolutions for another few hours and tune into the Dec. 31 celebrations in global spots like London, Sydney, New York City, Las Vegas and Disney World. Here's how:

Hong Kong

Hong Kong will kick off 2019 with $1.8 million of New Year's Eve fireworks, according to the South China Morning Post. Organizers have promised a "pyromusical" over Victoria Harbor at midnight preceded by four "shooting star" performances from nearby rooftops.

Check the Discover Hong Kong Facebook page for a countdown to the celebrations, or watch a live stream on earthTV.

Sydney, Australia

Last year, Sydney burned through more than eight tons of fireworks to create 100,000 light effects in its New Year's Eve show near the Harbour Bridge, according to the Guardian. This year, family fireworks start at 9 p.m. local time, which is 5 a.m. EST. At midnight, the real celebration will start. In keeping with the theme, "the pulse of Sydney," the performance will feature never-before-seen peach and lime fireworks.

Watch a live stream of the Sydney New Year's Eve fireworks on the event's official website, on the ABCLife YouTube channel or on Facebook.

London, England

Have a cuppa with your champagne and pretend you're at the London Eye, which boasts the biggest annual fireworks display in the United Kingdom. Likely because the country is embroiled in Brexit drama, this year's show intends to send a message that "London is proud to be a global, European city," according to the event website.

The fireworks, presented by the mayor of London, will be broadcast live on BBC1. Tune in at 11:55 p.m. local time (6:55 p.m. EST) to watch the live stream from the Embankment — and don't forget to sing along to "Auld Lang Syne."

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

More than 2 million people turned out last year to watch the fireworks in the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Copacabana. As part of a celebration called Reveillon, the city will enjoy a 14-minute fireworks show at midnight (9 p.m. EST) and 10 hours of concerts, according to analitica.com.

Live stream the New Year's Eve fireworks in Rio on EarthCam.

New York City

Pyrotechnics galore will be launched off of One Times Square, and you don't want to miss it. The Times Square website will be live-streaming the Big Apple's celebrations starting at 5 p.m. EST.

Log onto Facebook, Twitter, TimesSquareNYC.org, NewYearsEve.nyc or TimesSquareBall.net to see a live stream of New Year's Eve in NYC. Or just scroll down.

Las Vegas, Nevada

What better place to ring in 2019 than Sin City? According to a news release, the Las Vegas Strip will see 80,000 pyrotechnics get shot off of seven casino buildings on New Year's Eve. The eight-minute show is part of an event called America's Party 2019 and will come with a star-studded soundtrack.

Head to 8 News NOW to watch the Las Vegas fireworks for free, or zero in on streams of specific Vegas locations.

San Francisco, California

The Bay Area does it big for New Year's Eve with a fireworks show along the Embarcadero at midnight (that's 3 a.m. EST). About 200,000 people will turn out to watch the spectacle, and you can join them.

Local news channel KRON4 live streams the NYE show on its website every year. If that doesn't work, check out EarthCam's stream to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks in San Francisco.

Seattle, Washington

The famous Space Needle is holding a T-Mobile New Year’s at the Needle party that costs $275 per person to attend. But you can tune into the show — which will be 10 minutes long and themed around "Girls Run the World" — for free.

News station KING 5 will live stream the Seattle NYE fireworks starting at 11:35 p.m. local time (2:35 EST) on king5.com as well as Facebook.

Disney World

You don't want to miss the fireworks at the most magical place on Earth. Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, streamed its New Year's Eve show over Cinderella's Castle at 11:50 p.m. EST last year.

Head to the Disney Parks Blog to see a live stream of the New Year's Eve fireworks at Disney World, or check out an unofficial broadcast on disneylivecams.com.