Where should you celebrate New Year's Eve this year? New York City with its iconic ball drop? Dubai with its breathtaking fireworks display? Glittering Paris and its towers of champagne-filled glasses? Or Tokyo to partake in Japan's fascinating shrine visit tradition. In truth, all of these cities and a few more are the most suitable for this special holiday. They celebrate New Year's Eve like no other, putting on the most extravagant events, the most spectacular shows, and following the most interesting traditions. There are no better cities to welcome the new year in the most extraordinary ways possible!
New York City, USA
It's always a party in
New York City, but it's even more so on
New Year's Eve. The city's iconic Ball Drop is perhaps one of the most famous New Year's Eve traditions on the planet. Year after year. people crowd the iconic Times Square, watch the most popular artists perform live, and countdown to the ball drop. The moment the clock strikes 12, the fireworks start and people are partying, couples are kissing, and having all sorts of fun on the street!
Miami, USA
Another American city worth celebrating New Year's Eve in is
Miami, Florida. Widely regarded as the nightlife capital of the world, partying is in this city's DNA. Here, the party starts even way before December 31st. The moment the holiday season comes around, the city is already having a good time. People are eating out, going to clubs every night, and having a ball. They just take it up a notch on New Year's Eve with the fireworks, free-flowing booze, and lots of music and dancing!
Source: Flickr.com/ ©2021 Matthew Paulson
London, UK
What's great about
spending New Year's Eve in London is that it's a great mix of tradition and new experiences. On one hand, you can join the city countdown by the iconic Big Ben clocktower. The moment it strikes 12, the chimes that welcome the new year will tug at your heartstrings. Then later in the night, you can go from club to club attending the biggest year-end parties and exciting events. After you watch the fireworks by the River Thames, of course!
Dubai, UAE
In truth, the
fireworks in Dubai have trumped all the others in the world. There's just something about seeing the Burj Khalifa, the tallest man-made building on the planet, light up with fireworks that will take your breath away. The sight is almost other-worldly, so what more if you can see it in person? That alone is reason enough to
celebrate New Year's Eve in Dubai. But if you need more, there are also high-end restaurants that'll serve you the most delicious year-end feasts!
Paris, France
What's another great place to watch New Year's Eve?
Paris! The “City of Lights” is already a popular tourist destination on its own, but you'll want to spend the year-end holiday here at least once in your life. Why? For one thing, the fireworks by the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe are out of this world. Even if you've seen them on TV before, seeing them in person is a whole other experience! Sure, these places will get crowded, but it's worth braving through all the hassle!
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona deserves more recognition as one of the best cities for celebrating New Year's Eve. Just because the fireworks here aren't as famous as those in Dubai, New York City, and Paris, it doesn't mean they're any less amazing. On the contrary, the display by the Montjuïc fountain is quite spectacular. As well as the one on Plaça Espanya, which is always a massive party. And if you do end the year in the Catalan capital, don't forget to eat 12 grapes as the church bells chime 12 times at midnight. It's one of Spain's most fascinating holiday traditions.
Tokyo, Japan
Like many of the European cities on this list, Tokyo also offers a New Year's Eve experience that uniquely blends traditions and contemporary festivities. Leading up to the new year, the Japanese capital is all about partying. People are drinking the night away, dancing in nightclubs, and watching the fireworks go off. Then come midnight, it's all about eating soba noodles and visiting the shrine. The latter is mostly done once the sun comes up on January 1st, but a lot of people do it as soon as the clock strikes 12 too.
Source: Wikimedia Commons/ Kakdai
Sydney Australia
There are two main reasons why celebrating New Year's Eve in Sydney is a must. First, the city—as well as the rest of the country—reaches midnight first. Thanks to Australia's geographical location, it's one of the first places in the world to welcome the new year. Second, it's summer here in Australia during the holiday season. While the rest of the world covers up to stay warm against the winter cold, people in Sidney embrace the warmth as the year ends.
Source: Flickr.com/ pumpkinmook
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Do you know another country where it's summer on New Year's Eve? Brazil! Unlike its North American neighbors, Brazil and the rest of South America enjoy a warm season by the end of the year. And though all of these places are great, Rio de Janeiro is arguably the most exciting on New Year's Eve. This is the home of the Rio Carnival, after all. The rest of the world has seen them party so it should already be known that New Year's Eve here will be a blast!
Source: Flickr.com/ Flavio Veloso
Cape Town, South Africa
Finally, there's Cape Town in South Africa. One of the biggest cities in the country, the place also knows how to put on an extravaganza on New Year's Eve. In truth, however, the city offers you two options on how to end the year. The first is to party in the
central neighborhoods in Cape Town, specifically the V&A Waterfront. This is where the big year-end bashes and spectacular fireworks displays are held. The second is a more relaxed New Year's Eve in the quieter outskirts of town. You'd especially want to spend it in any of the city's vineyards where you can sip champagne under the stars.
You can't imagine just how exciting and fun it is to celebrate New Year's Eve in these amazing cities. They set up the most spectacular holiday celebrations on the planet, from iconic fireworks to awesome events.
