Top 10 New Year Celebrations

by  ShermansTravel Editorial Staff | Dec 26, 2012
New Years' Eve - Times Square, NYC
New Years' Eve - Times Square, NYC / Simon Dux/istock

3, 2, 1 . . . Happy New Year! Whether counting down to 2013 at tried-and-true celebrations like New York’s annual Times Square extravaganza, or by eating a grape for every stroke of midnight in Barcelona, your adrenaline is sure to be racing as 2012 winds down at our favorite locales for New Year celebrations. We love the ultimate party city, Vegas, for its most over-the-top show of the year; partying heartily in Berlin's massive open-air fiesta; schussing the slopes of the majestic Rockies; and even standing under the breathtaking fireworks cascade over Sydney’s harbor. Should you agree that one day of feting simply won't suffice, experience the celebration Scot-style, with merrymaking in Edinburgh that lasts four long days, or head to bustling Hong Kong to experience what's billed as the world's largest Chinese New Year celebration, spanning more than three weeks of festivities. Beach-lovers can also experience sandy revelry with a twist on December 31 in Rio or Miami.

Aspen

Snow bunnies will use any excuse to hit the slopes, and a New Year’s celebration is better than most. But, there’s way more than soft, wide mountain terrain to lure reveling holiday travelers to Aspen’s legendary runs. This fabled, fabulous resort town has long played host to the free-spirited and the Forbes/Fortune crowd who can’t get enough of the sophisticated action on and off the slopes. Whether schussing down the pistes of Snowmass or Aspen Highlands, dining on gourmet cuisine, or savoring martinis with the well-heeled, Aspen makes for a glittering Alpine getaway and a stylish New Year celebration.

See our Aspen Travel Guide for more trip-planning information, then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find flight, hotel, cruise, and more travel deals to Aspen.

Barcelona

Don’t miss your siesta – Barcelona’s all-night New Year’s fiesta requires some stamina! Año nuevo kicks off with family and friends sharing a sumptuous meal and mucho vino at a private home or restaurant. The more exceptional restaurants – like Catalan-inspired Ca l’Isidre and upscale Jaume de Provença – must be booked well in advance. The onset of 12 a.m. means a frantic race to stuff your face with 12 good-luck grapes – one for each stroke of midnight. You’d be wise to concentrate on the task at hand – if you succeed at this long-standing Spanish tradition, you’re ensured a year of prosperity and good luck (otherwise, it’s said you’ll have a month of bad luck for every uneaten grape). Once the last grape is downed, crowds spill into the Gothic Quarter and Las Ramblas, drawn by the pulsating music emanating from numerous bars and nightclubs. The New Year celebrations stay pumping until dawn – just in time to catch the first sunrise of the year on the beach, with some hot chocolate and churros in hand.

For more trip-planning information, see our Barcelona Travel Guide, then search for Barcelona travel deals.

Berlin

Sure, winter in Berlin can be downright frigid, but the city’s schedule of adrenaline-pumping New Year's Eve activities warms spirited revelers right up. Kick off the festivities long before the stroke of midnight at the Berlin New Year’s Eve Run. Whether you lace up your sneakers or just join ranks to watch, this is guaranteed to be a race unlike any other - the trophy goes not to the fastest runner, but to the most outrageously costumed! Afterwards, follow the crowds to the mile-and-a-quarter-long Silvester party, which unfolds between the iconic Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column. Join over a million people at this mind-blowing New Year celebration complete with DJ towers, laser light shows, party tents, video screens, live bands, and a fireworks show that brings in the New Year with a bang.

See our Berlin Travel Guide for more trip-planning information, then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find flight, hotel, cruise, and more travel deals to Berlin.

Edinburgh

This Scottish capital boasts one of the world’s biggest New Year bashes: Hogmanay. At the close of each year, a 4-day fête counts down to the big horoyally on December 31, complete with parades, concerts, carnivals, firework shows, and a slew of hedonistic events and parties. Major international artists perform in the city center during the Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party on New Year’s Eve, while age-old national customs, like “first-footing”, are practiced all over town: Right after midnight during this New Year celebration, neighbors bring luck – and gifts of coal or shortbread – to their friends and family by being the first to set foot in their household in the new year.

See our Edinburgh Travel Guide for more trip-planning information, then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find flight, hotel, cruise, and more travel deals to Edinburgh.

Hong Kong

What’s better than celebrating New Year’s once? Celebrating it twice! Enjoy traditional December 31 festivities at home, and then jet off to Hong Kong several weeks later to do it all over again – only bigger and, arguably, better. Already the leading event on the lunar calendar, Hong Kong earns accolades for hosting the world’s biggest Chinese New Year celebration, with 2013 festivities set to run from February 4 through 17. During this time, visitors can welcome the Year of the Snake by taking part in specially-planned events and activities like browsing colorful flower markets, attending horse races, or ogling massive fireworks displays. Don’t miss the free “fiestas," featuring elaborate floats and performers, or the International Chinese New Year Night Parade (held on February 4, Chinese New Year’s Day), when Hong Kong will be bursting at the seams with costumed revelers, musical performances, and an overall sense of jubilation.

See our Hong Kong Travel Guide for more trip-planning information, then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find flight, hotel, cruise, and more travel deals to Hong Kong.

Las Vegas

Viva Las Vegas is never more vivacious than when the no-holds-barred party capital of the world hosts the biggest bash of the year. Throwing down in Sin City for New Year's has become a consistently bigger and better New Year’s phenomenon recently, luring partiers with dazzling pyrotechnics, wild street parties, super-chic nightclubs, gourmet restaurants, big-name performers – and hundreds of thousands of fellow revelers with whom to enjoy it. The main New Year celebrations unfold on the Strip, which is closed to traffic and transformed into a viewing platform for a fantastic fireworks extravaganza above the city’s neon lights. "America's Party" also takes place downtown, where the Fremont Street Experience becomes a huge block party complete with confetti, a massive wine toast, concerts by big-name rockers, and a five-block-long illuminated canopy 90 feet overhead, on which state-of-the-art sound-and-light shows are shown.

For more trip-planning information, see our Las Vegas Travel Guide, then search for Las Vegas travel deals.

Miami

While the winter chill keeps many of us bundled up and indoors on the big eve, South Beach is as hot as ever - and we’re not just talking about the weather. Miami’s trendy Art Deco neighborhood buzzes with a sexy scene even more energized than usual when the year comes to a close. Cool and well-dressed hipsters bounce from bar to club, not to mention scads of Hollywood A-listers who flock south for some of the most exclusive and unabashed fiestas. Don’t have an invite? You can still nab tickets to an array of party hot spots like The Delano, The Setai, or Gansevoort Miami Beach to hobnob and people watch. For something a little less velvet rope, Miami’s Bayfront Park hosts South Florida’s largest on-the-house party – with a free concert, a countdown to midnight with the big Orange drop (the New Year’s ball that slowly descends the side of the InterContinental hotel, and a dazzling fireworks display over Biscayne Bay to complete the New Year celebration.

For more trip-planning information, see our Miami Travel Guide, then search for Miami travel deals.

New York City

For the ultimate New Year’s experience, there’s no better place to be than in the center of the City that Never Sleeps. Times Square has been home to the renowned “ball drop” celebration since 1907. Today, millions of visitors flood New York City’s confetti-covered streets to partake in an all-night, over-sized street party filled with live music, celebrity visits, and tons of Happy New Year paraphernalia. For those wary of late-December weather forecasts, have no fear. You can always join the excitement without bundling up, as local bars and nightclubs hum with their own private parties, many of which last until the wee hours of the morning. Plus, if you’re looking to join the New Year celebration from home, tune into the live TV coverage of the annual event along with audiences worldwide.

For more trip-planning information, see our New York City Travel Guide, then search for New York City travel deals.

Rio de Janeiro

Sure, Carnival might get all the glory, but New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro is memorable in its own right. An extravagant beachfront spectacle, known as Reveillon, sees an eclectic blend of traditions unfold along Copacabana, attracting some two million faithful practitioners of the Umbanda and Candomblé religions – and a lot of curious tourists. Sure, you’ll get your no-less-than-spectacular fireworks, delectable Brazilian food, and pulsating samba music to enjoy during the warm summer day’s festivities. But you’ll also see ritualistic offerings to the sea goddess, Iemanjá, made by a group of white-clad, candle-holding revelers who rush to the surf to release small wooden boats. Tradition holds if the goddess is pleased with a boat’s inner offerings (normally flowers, perfumes, or other similar trinkets), it will be carried out to sea and the bearer bestowed with blessings. As night falls, Brazilians prove that they sure know how to party as DJs start up their sound systems and dancing and drinking lasts till dawn. Luxury beachfront hotels host New Year celebrations in the form of private balls and parties, to boot – they’re also a great spot for tuckered-out revelers to enjoy champagne breakfasts as the first light of January 1 approaches.

See our Rio de Janeiro Travel Guide for more trip-planning information, then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find flight, hotel, cruise, and more travel deals to Rio de Janeiro.

Sydney

Sydney is renowned across the globe for hosting one of the ultimate New Year’s Eve bashes. Indeed, this Aussie capital pulls out all the stops, with an array of glamorous citywide celebrations and stellar pyrotechnic presentations over the harbor. Bursts of dazzling colors explode over the Sydney Harbor Bridge and dance on the water and over the Opera House’s scalloped roof. Plenty of New Year’s Eve cruises sail around the harbor to provide unparalleled views of the spectacular extravaganza. Since it’s summer Down Under, you can delight in sun-drenched spoils the next day. With a chic urban vibe, gorgeous surf-swept beaches, rocking nightlife, and an edgy art scene, there’s plenty to soak up after you recuperate from a champagne-filled New Year celebration you won’t soon forget.

See our Sydney Travel Guide for more trip-planning information, then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find flight, hotel, cruise, and more travel deals to Sydney.

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