Get your confetti and noisemakers ready! CBC is offering Canadians exclusive original specials on Wednesday, December 31 to kick off 2026. The festivities begin at 8 p.m. (8:30 NT) on CBC TV and CBC Gem with a satirical sendoff to 2025, This Hour Has 22 Minutes New Year's Eve Pregame Special, followed by a special Live Cross-Canada Countdown hosted by Adrienne Arsenault, Jann Arden, Ian Hanomansing and Andrew Phung, counting down to 2026 in all six time zones across the country.
The live special begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBC News Network, CBC Gem, the CBC News app, cbcnews.ca, the CBC News streaming channels and the CBC News YouTube channel, with live coverage beginning on CBC TV, the local CBC News streaming channels, CBC Radio and CBC Listen at 9 p.m. in each time zone (9:30 NT).
With their signature brand of satire paired with spot-on impressions of political leaders drawing worldwide attention on social media, This Hour Has 22 Minutes kicks off the night with their second annual New Year's Eve Pregame Special. The award-winning cast gets together to honour the best – and worst – people, places and things of 2025. Starring Aba Amuquandoh, Stacey McGunnigle, Trent McClellan, Chris Wilson and Mark Critch, with a musical performance by East Coast indie rock singer-songwriter Adam Baldwin, and a lineup of surprise guests in an hour-long spectacular.
CBC’s Live Cross-Canada Countdown will be hosted by Adrienne Arsenault and award-winning recording artist Jann Arden (The Assembly) from Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, while Ian Hanomansing and actor, writer and comedian Andrew Phung (Run the Burbs, Kim’s Convenience) will host from ICE District in Edmonton, with reporters in communities from coast to coast to coast. The live special will highlight New Year’s Eve celebrations across the country along with surprise moments, special guests and messages from Canadian personalities, and viewers at home are invited to submit their own messages for 2026 via email, to appear throughout the broadcast. Live Cross-Canada Countdown continues until the last party ends on Canada’s west coast, wrapping up at 3:30 a.m. ET/ 12:30 a.m. PT.
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CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages: Dehcho Dene Yati, Dënesųłıné (Chipewyan), Eastern Cree, Gwich’in, Inuktitut, Inuvialuktun, Sahtu Got'ine Godi, and Tłı̨chǫ (Tlicho). We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
