The best pictures of the year 2025 continue to document an extraordinary world in motion. Part 22 of this ongoing series brings together 18 striking images captured by photojournalists across four continents during February 2025 — a month that delivered cultural spectacle, human drama, sporting triumph, and sobering news in equal measure.
Art, Culture, and Celebration in the Best Pictures of the Year 2025
February opened with a striking scene inside London’s Outernet complex, where a visitor paused to photograph the venue’s enormous Ultra HD screens — free public galleries that have redefined urban visual culture in the heart of the city.
In Blagoevgrad, eastern Bulgaria, the ancient Orthodox feast of Saint Haralampi — patron saint of beekeepers — was observed with quiet devotion. Worshippers at the Church of the Blessed Virgin assembled on a cross-shaped platform adorned with candles set into jars of honey, their flames forming a warm constellation in the winter dark.
On February 11 in Tainan, Taiwan, crowds in full protective gear braved a storm of firecrackers during the Yanshui Beehive Fireworks Festival, held as part of the Lantern Festival celebrations marking the close of Lunar New Year.
The following day in Shanghai, a folk artist at the Happy Valley amusement park performed a breathtaking molten iron fireworks display — a centuries-old craft tradition given new life at the Lantern Festival, which formally ends the Lunar New Year season.
At the Maha Kumbh festival in Prayagraj, India, government officials aboard a helicopter showered flower petals over a vast gathering of pilgrims at the Sangam — the sacred confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati — on Maghi Purnima, the full-moon day, on February 12.
In Srinagar, on the outskirts of Indian-controlled Kashmir, a young Kashmiri Shiite Muslim girl lit a candle on a family grave on February 13, offering prayers for departed souls during the holy night of Shab-e-Barat.
Sport and Competition: From New York to Harbin
The 149th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City drew fierce and elegant competition. On February 10, Aslan, a Pomeranian, turned heads in the Toy Group judging.
The following evening, the coveted Best in Show title went to Monty, a Giant Schnauzer, whose handler Katie Bernardin could barely contain her joy as they celebrated their victory on February 11. For those who love the bond between humans and animals, you may also enjoy our feature on the human-animal bond.
In Harbin, China, Uzbekistan’s Ekaterina Geynish and Dmitriy Chigirev delivered an expressive performance during the Mixed Pair Skating Free Skating event on February 12, showcasing the grace and athleticism central to their sport.
At CommBank Stadium in Sydney, Australia, Kirra Dibb of the Indigenous Women’s All Stars rehearsed the Unity Dance alongside her teammates during the NRL Indigenous All Stars Captains Run on February 14 — a powerful cultural moment woven into elite sport.
Entertainment and the Arts
Hollywood brought its own drama to February’s visual record. Actress Anya Taylor-Joy attended the Los Angeles premiere of The Gorge on February 12, her presence commanding the red carpet.
At the Berlinale in Berlin, British actress Tilda Swinton received an honorary Golden Bear for lifetime achievement during the opening ceremony of the International Film Festival on February 13 — a recognition of one of cinema’s most singular careers.
Colombian superstar Shakira launched her worldwide Las Mujeres ya no Lloran tour at the Nilton Santos stadium in Rio de Janeiro on February 11, 2025, igniting a crowd eager for the global spectacle that would follow.
Conflict, Protest, and Difficult Realities
February 2025 also bore witness to scenes of tension and grief. In Tel Aviv on February 11, a protester leapt from a bridge as demonstrators flooded Highway 1 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, blocking traffic to demand that the Israeli government honour the hostage swap agreement with Hamas and proceed to a second phase of negotiations.
In Brussels on February 13, a national strike organised by workers and trade union members calling for stronger public services turned confrontational, with riot police drawing batons against demonstrators in the Belgian capital.
That same day in Munich, police responded to a scene of horror after a car was driven into a crowd, injuring several people. Officers worked the site as emergency services assessed the damage.
On February 19, the aftermath of a crash at Toronto Pearson International Airport was still being managed as crews hoisted the wreckage of a Delta Air Lines-operated CRJ900 aircraft onto a truck, beginning the lengthy runway cleanup process in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
Life and Labour Across the Globe
Away from spectacle and conflict, one quiet image from near Nzara, South Sudan, captured a worker carefully turning excelsa coffee beans to dry under the February sun on February 15 — a small but essential act in a fragile agricultural economy.
Collectively, these frames remind us of the diversity of human experience that photojournalism is uniquely equipped to preserve. For more remarkable visual storytelling, explore our best photos of 2024 – Part 177, which offers an equally compelling look at the year that preceded these scenes.
From religious devotion and sporting glory to civil unrest and cultural celebration, the best pictures of the year 2025 — Part 22 — stand as an enduring record of a world shaped by both grandeur and hardship in equal measure.
