The 10 World’s Best Places to Celebrate New Year’s Eve — Epic fireworks displays, all-night dance parties, one-of-a-kind cultural traditions… you’ll find all these and more in this world’s New Year’s Eve luxury destinations list.
Since New Year’s comes just once a year, it’s worth it to make the festivities memorable, don’t you agree?! But which’s the best place on Earth to be when the clock strikes midnight on December 31? Thanks to the Fodor staff and their fantastic list of the best destinations for the last night of the year, Daily Design News has decided to share with you too the best annual celebrations, from the Rio de Janeiro’s beaches to Berlin’s Brandenberg Gate. So brace yourselves, because you’re about to discover the 20 best places in the world to celebrate New Year’s Eve!
The City of Light lives up to its nickname on New Year’s Eve when the Eiffel Tower becomes the site of a spectacular light show and fireworks display. Nearby, Parisians ring in the Nouvelle Année on the Champs-Élysées, which hosts a massive street party, where they pop bottles of Champagne and exchange cheek kisses and papillotes, chocolates wrapped in sparkly paper that crackles like a firecracker when opened.
#09. Walt Disney World
New Year’s Eve at Walt Disney World is a dream come true for families traveling over the holiday. The theme park stays open until 1 am, but it’s packed with fun activities all day long. Leading up to the midnight fireworks show, there are Cirque du Soleil performances, dance parties, live entertainers, and confetti explosions to keep visitors of all ages entertained.
#08. Las Vegas
More than 300,000 revelers descend on this party capital for the big night, when the Las Vegas Strip becomes car-free and transforms into a giant street party with live bands, pyrotechnic displays, and laser shows. The city also hosts a mind-boggling number of concerts, shows, and parties in clubs, hotels, and casinos, meaning there’s no shortage of evening entertainment options.
#07. Berlin
The German capital has a reputation for being a party city year-round, so you can imagine what New Year’s Eve (known as “Silvester”) is like here. After the fireworks show at midnight, the crowds head to the city’s many dance floors, where they stay out until dawn or later. To somewhat counteract the debauchery, locals partake in the Berlin Silversterlauf during the day or participate in the annual, free four-kilometer New Year’s Run the next day.
#06. Hong Kong
One of the world’s most dramatic skylines lights up every year with a display of fireworks that grows more impressive every year, concluding with a dazzling finale: a pyrotechnic dragon that dances across the sky. The events kick off in Hong Kong’s Times Square shopping mall, where a replica ball drop takes place in homage to New York City’s famous festivities.
#05. London
More than 250,000 people crowd the banks of the Thames and its numerous bridges to see the spectacular ten-minute light show and fireworks display, with the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament (also known as the Palace of Westminster), and the Shard among highlights of the urban scenery.
#04. Edinburgh
New Year’s fireworks over the city of Edinburgh with major famous attractions such as the Castle, Princes Street, and other heritage buildings. Hogmanay translates to “last day of the year,” but the annual festivities in Edinburgh actually last three days. Things kick off on December 30 with a torchlight procession through the city that culminates in a fireworks finale, while New Year’s Eve is all about massive street parties and outdoor concerts, including a massive, open-air Kelidh (traditional Celtic party).
#03. Sydney
Sydney puts on the largest fireworks display in the world, with one at 9 pm and another at midnight, with the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House making for a striking setting. More than a million people attend the waterfront show, which also includes an air and water show featuring aerial acrobatics, an Aboriginal smoking ceremony that is said to cleanse bad spirits, and the Harbour of Light Parade, a flotilla of more than 50 illuminated boats in the harbor.
#02. Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro can be most known for its Carnival festivities, but its New Year’s Eve celebration comes in a close second. Iconic Copacabana Beach hosts the world’s largest New Year’s Eve party, in which more than two million people cram onto the two-and-a-half-mile stretch of sand.
#01. New York City
New Year’s Eve in New York City has an atmosphere that few other cities can rival. Most famous, of course, is the annual gathering of a million people in Times Square to see famous musicians and the ball drop, in which a 12-foot-wide crystal ball weighing nearly 12,000 pounds descends atop One Times Square.
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