The Best Places To Spend New Year’s Eve Around The World
By Kevin Wilkerson
It is big-time party time around the globe on Dec. 31. That is because it is the last day of the year and New Year’s Eve is the biggest celebration on the planet.
All over the globe people are partying at big city celebrations, in bars, nightclubs, on beaches and at house parties big and small. The most lively places to spend New Year’s Eve are where there are fireworks shows in cities, where tens or even hundreds of thousands of people gather in a public area to celebrate and party together.
Based on my knowledge and experiences, I have compiled this list of the best places to spend New Year’s Eve around the world. This top New Year’s Eve destinations rundown have detailed descriptions; here is just an overview of them and they are in alphabetical order.
- Las Vegas. Since I live in Southern California, this is the default New Year’s Eve destination for a lot of us. And it’s a lot of fun. I’ve been to both the downtown Fremont Street Experience (okay; they do have several bands on stages) and the Strip and by far prefer the latter. That’s where all the true party people are, plus the bars are much better there than downtown. I do have several tips for being in Las Vegas for New Year’s Eve, starting with the weather.
- New Orleans. This is a fantastic place to spend NYE. Not only is there Bourbon Street where you can wander in and out of the bars, bands and walk up and down the wild road, but it hosts the Sugar Bowl each year. Plus, there is a fireworks show over the Mississippi River and many people watch them from Jackson Square.
- Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Okay, I’ve never been but I do know the place to be is Quinta Avenida, the nerve center of the nightlife there. It’s a warm-weather destination with a beach.
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Copacabana Beach has something like a million people from one end to the other, all partying in that free-weeling Brazilian style. You had better like crowds — and getting wet in the surf — to go here for NYE.
- Sydney. I’ve been to Sydney so I know the setup. I’ve even seen fireworks there. For NYE, it’s a hotspot by the Opera House and Opera Bar that stretches along the bay, all the way to the bars on the other side of the bay in an area called The Rocks.
Kevin Wilkerson is an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in daily newspapers and for the Associated Press. He publishes PubClub.com, one of the original websites on the Internet that features articles on nightlife, food & drink, events, activities, travel and sports. It has been featured in USA Today, the LA Times and American Way magazine, among other major media outlets.
