London, New York, Paris lead world's most instagrammable New Year destinations

Photo collage of the Buckingham Palace (London), Stature of Liberty (New York) and the Eiffel Tower (Paris). [Courtesy]

London has emerged as the most Instagrammable city in the world during New Year celebrations, outshining global favourites such as New York and Paris, according to a December 2025 social media trends report by social media growth company Socialplug (www.socialplug.io)

The study analysed more than 50 major cities worldwide, ranking them based on the volume of Instagram posts using holiday-related hashtags, New Year travel search interest, safety ratings and average weather conditions during the festive week.

London topped the list with 460,000 Instagram posts, showcasing the city's festive events and decorations. With over 5 million online lookups, it seems that many people are planning trips here this year.

Average temperatures of around 9C and the possibility of light snowfall add to its winter charm, making it both comfortable to explore and visually appealing.

New York came in second, with the city featuring in about 387,000 New Year-themed Instagram posts and drawing more than 6.3 million online searches, the strongest level of travel interest recorded in the study.

With temperatures typically around 5C and a good chance of snowfall, the city delivers the kind of picture-perfect winter scenes that continue to captivate social media users.

Paris followed closely behind in third place, appearing in roughly 180,000 festive Instagram posts highlighting its illuminated streets, famous landmarks and bustling Christmas markets.

The French capital also attracted over 620,000 holiday-related searches, helped by relatively mild winter conditions of around 9C, which make it easy for visitors to explore the city on foot.

Outside Europe and North America, Dubai stood out as a clear contrast to traditional winter getaways.

The city featured in 172,000 Instagram hashtags and offered an average temperature of 24C, making it the warmest New Year destination in the rankings and a favourite for travellers seeking sunshine rather than snow.

"Cities spend millions on New Year decorations, with London alone investing over PS5 million (Sh855 million) annually in holiday lights. These displays naturally create perfect settings for social media, which is why cities with the biggest celebrations dominate Instagram during the festive season," said Joosep Seitam, CEO of Socialplug.