Where do you want to ring in the New Year? Many look forward to a huge party or big celebration destinations, where others want a private location to celebrate with their loved ones. New Year’s celebrations are one of the few secular celebrations that many people around the world celebrate, regardless of religion or culture. Do you want a warm, tropical location to get away from the bitter cold of winter or are you looking for a big city with endless parties and events around town?
You’ve probably never heard of Kiritimati Kiribati, a part of the Line Islands including Samoa & Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean. This small atoll is only a 3.5 hours flight from Hawaii, but located on the Australia side of the International Date Line. This exotic location is the first to celebrate New Year’s each year because of its global location, but don’t expect any grand celebrations here. They see the new year three hours before Sydney, the first metropolitan city to celebrate 2025, there will not be any big fireworks displays or all night parties. This small destination is otherwise only known for saltwater fly fishing, chances are you’ll only be celebrating with your travel companions. Would you want to travel to Kiritimati for New Years? How about some of these locations instead?
Sydney, Australia
Sydney, located on the east coast along with Brisbane and Melbourne are all located in the Australian Eastern Time Zone and the first to ring in the New Year, each year! Sydney is not to be outdone and hosts the biggest New Year’s Eve celebrations in Australia with a spectacular fireworks display over Sydney Harbour. There are ceremonies, projections and a boat parade in the evening and two firework shows, the family show at 9:00 pm and the midnight show at 12:00 am. Visitors and locals all scout out a good firework viewing area hours before the show. The most popular locations are at the Sydney Opera House and the Circular Quay. Remember that December and January are Summer months in Sydney and the city gets rain and humidity in the summer since it is part of the temperate climate. A great place to spend the holidays if you are looking for a break from the winter blues!
New York City, USA
New York City hosts the most famous New Year’s Eve Celebrations in the world… where all eyes watch the ball drop in Times Square. If you decide to partake in the annual tradition, remember to pack your patience to combat long wait times, corral like conditions and any elements the weather throws your way. This chilly, claustrophobic event is not for everyone and broadcast all around the world so you can have all the elements of the party without the conditions. All over the city are street parties, indoor galas, fireworks and even some evening walking tours of the financial district and World Trade Center neighborhoods. One of the best ways to celebrate the new year is by catching one of the many concerts going on that evening or party on a boat cruising around the Harbor. I lived in Hoboken, New Jersey for a year and watching the fireworks display from the rooftop terrace with neighbors and friends was an amazing way to see the fireworks and avoid the cold!
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo is another huge city that hosts one of the biggest and most populated New Year’s Eve celebrations in Asia. Shōgatsu is the Japanese New Year and is one of the country’s most important holidays with some celebrations lasting 5 days. However, Tokyo isn’t focused on parties, rather it has a more spiritual and reflective atmosphere. Many temples are open on New Year’s Eve for people to pray and listen to the ringing of bells. The monks ring bells 108 times to cleanse people from the 108 worldly desires considered sins in Buddhist philosophy. Visitors are welcomed to attend temples and shrines during the New Year, but be aware that many tourist locations and restaurants will be closed for 5 or more days during this time of year. Most Japanese are feasting and praying with their families to celebrate and ask for blessings in the coming year. Fast food and street foods will be open throughout the holiday or opting for reservations at the big hotel restaurants is also a good option for a traditional New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day feasts.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Hogmanay is the Scottish word for ‘last day of the new year’ and is also known as a festival synonymous with New Year’s Eve. Street parties, fireworks, concerts, traditional ceilidh dancing and singing happen all over Scotland and bring many tourists during the cold winter season. The capital city holds two main events; the Hogmanay Street Party and the Torchlight Procession through the Old Town. Hogmanay celebrations continue past the new year, for up to 5 days and the tradition of “first footing” a belief that the first person to enter a home in the new year brings good luck. Many additional events are held throughout the year in Edinburgh including:
- The Science Festival
- International Children’s Festival
- Jazz & Blues Festival
- The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo
- Festival Fringe
- International Festival
- The Art Festival
- The International Book Festival,
- The International Film Festival
- The Scottish International Storytelling Festival
I didn’t realize the Scotts partied so much! Most of these festivals are held in nicer weather of the Spring through Fall. Turns out there is no bad time to visit Edinburgh, Scotland.
South Florida
This is another great area to spend New Year’s to escape the winter weather. There are warm locations all over South Florida to suit every traveler and budget. From the extravagant Palm Beaches, wealthy Boca Raton, boat life in Fort Lauderdale, parties in Miami, calm waters in Naples or all the way down to wild Key West there is something for everyone. In many of the tourist areas major hotels and resorts host parties. Restaurants and bars host roof-top events and a bathing suit for beach and pool parties is a must! Fort Lauderdale has a street festival called the Orange Bowl Downtown Countdown and South Beach hosts their party called Clevelander. On the west coast you can celebrate in style at the Ritz Carlton’s black-tie NYE Gala, the Turtle Club or on the water at the Naples Nantucket Yacht Group. For those looking for fireworks on the beach, the Naples Pier is a great spot to catch them each New Year’s Eve.
For a relaxed and exclusive party at the only all-inclusive resort in the United States head to the Bungalows in Key Largo. Join the 6th annual New Year’s event at the Bungalows for this memorable event with fireworks. For a more casual environment, go to Cheeca or Bayside Grill in Islamorada. If you want the craziest party in Florida, head south to Key West. This place is always ready for a crazy party and New Year’s Eve is right up there with Pride week! There is no ball dropping in Key West. A popular local drag queen named “Sushi” will be riding a large, red high-heeled shoe over Duval Street to Sloppy Joe’s Bar. You could also head to the seaport to the Schooner Wharf Bar to watch a pirate wench lowered from the mast at midnight or attend the free concert held at Sunset Pier where a key lime wedge is lowered at midnight. Florida really does have something for everyone who doesn’t want to wear a coat on December 31st.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Celebrate the New Year at the famous Copacabana Beach in Brazil? Rio de Janeiro hosts a world-famous celebration called Reveillon to give thanks, start fresh and let go of the past year. Wear white for good luck and to honor Yemanjá the goddess of creation and water, important to many Afro-Brazilian religions. Arrive early to secure a spot on the sand or book your room at a luxury hotel such as the Copacabana Palace, Fairmont Rio or Hilton Rio de Janeiro. Enjoy fireworks and the first Samba of the year dancing on the sand, then hit the bars to keep the party going all night. Many party goers return to the beach to catch the sunrise before actually calling it a night.
Telluride, Colorado
Colorado is a great place to visit during the winter, with the exceptional ski conditions and many mountain towns to choose from including Aspen, Breckenridge and Vail. However, one of the quaintest ski towns to spend your New Year’s Eve is in Telluride, in Southwest Colorado. This is going to be a small town experience with a great fireworks display over the slopes on New Year’s Eve. There are more winter activities than just skiing & snowboarding, including sledding, ice climbing, snowmobiling and fat biking, plus many great places to warm up by the fire. Telluride has two areas, Mountain Village and Telluride that are serviced by a free gondola all year round. Stay at Peaks Resort & Spa, Fairmont Heritage or Mountain Lodge Place Telluride for a luxury experience at the base of the mountain or stay at my favorite resort Camel’s Garden Hotel. It has a strange name, sounds like you should be at an oasis in the African desert and not a mountain hotel, but it is the best location in Telluride!
Reykjavik, Iceland
The next New Year’s destination will make Colorado seem warm in the winter, head north to Iceland! This trip might be too difficult to pack just a carryon since you will need your heaviest coat, boots and lots of layers! Reykjavik is guaranteed to have a snowy backdrop for their extravagant fireworks display. Visitors and locals alike can go out partying all night in the city’s bars and then relax and recover in the famous hot springs the next few days. The Blue Lagoon is only one of many natural hot springs, check out the Secret Lagoon, Sky Lagoon, Reykjadalur geothermal river or the Landmannalaugar natural pool for a less crowded experience. Winter is also the best season to catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis. If this is high on your bucket list, book a Northern Lights tour to get the best opportunity to see the famous attraction. Be sure to visit ice caves, go on a volcano trek and drive up the Golden Circle. It is an easy, 1-day drive that is accessible in winter and looks beautiful, especially in this chilly season. When visiting Iceland in the summer, it is advised to give yourself a week to travel the ring road seeing all the waterfalls, unique beaches and Thingvellir National Park. However, this drive is not accessible all winter, depending on weather conditions.
Singapore
The Republic of Singapore is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia that is made up of one main island and 63 islands & inlets. As an educator, I have always wanted to visit Singapore after learning their methods for teaching math through problem solving models. However, the rest of the world knows Singapore by its stunning skyline! This famous skyline is the feature of the fireworks set off each New Year. Marina Bay is arguably the best place to watch the fireworks from the ground level, but it’s really beautiful from SkyPark Observation Deck. You must purchase a ticket to this grand party held on the 56th floor of the Marina Bay Sands or book a night to watch the show in the privacy of your own room. These are the final days of the annual event called Christmas on a Great Street. Singapore’s main shopping street, Orchard Road is decorated with twinkling lights and festive ornaments, Giant projections, outdoor music, pop-up stores and carnival rides add to this family friendly event. Other family events in Singapore this holiday season are the Christmas Wonderland year-end celebration and the Snoopy Beagle Scouts at Festival Wild-erland at the Singapore Zoo and Bird Paradise. So many family activities in one small Southeast Asian country!
My Best New Year’s Eve Celebrations
One of my favorite places to celebrate New Years was when I was living in Berlin. New Year’s is referred to as Silvester in German-speaking countries and brings out some huge parties and fireworks celebrations. The most iconic is the party held in front of the Brandenburg Gate with food trucks, live music and fireworks or another location at the famous TV tower with the Alexanderplatz fireworks. Not only is electronic dance music popular in the Berlin club scene, but so are formal concerts at the Berlin Philharmonic or Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church. Many concerts will be performed around the city during both New Year’s Eve and Day with tickets available. Another idea is to party at the Spree River on a party boat or try to score an invite to a rooftop party to view the fireworks. This was the best part of my Silvester experience when living in Berlin, a roof-top NYE party where we could watch the fireworks displays all over the central and east side of the city. European fireworks events are like nothing America’s have ever seen and make a great bucket list experience. Better yet, how about Celebrating New Year’s in at least one location on each continent. Sounds like I just created a new holiday to experience list. pecially if you create a traditional, cozy environment in the snow blanked mountain landscape.
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