There’s less than a month left to plan the last party of 2013 – here’s my guide to seeing in the new year in style!
RIO DE JANEIRO
Stop by Rio’s Copacabana beach for Reveillon, one of the world’s liveliest New Year’s celebrations. Giant stages are set up along the oceanfront, and visitors can enjoy traditional dance and music performances. More than two million people dressed in white (a color said to bring good luck) gather together, drink Champagne, and dance samba while the clock strikes midnight. When the clock strikes 12, the new year begins with a colorful fireworks display over the ocean.
TIMES SQUARE
This iconic city is synonymous with New Year’s Eve, as millions of people from around the world gather to watch the ball drop. Visitors are treated to a spectacular pyrotechnic light shows and celebrity music acts while awaiting the final countdown. Shimmering confetti is released at midnight, and fireworks sparkle in the night sky.
SYDNEY
Visitors can take in the world’s biggest fireworks display at Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebration. Also known as the “New Year’s Eve Capital of the World,” the city offers traditional ceremonies, aerial acrobatics, and a stunning light parade. Once the clock strikes midnight, seven tons of fireworks are released, lighting up Sydney Harbour Bridge and the surrounding buildings.
TSIM SHA TSUI
Hong Kong’s waterfront promenade, Tsim Sha Tsui, is one of the best places to ring in the New Year. Every year at 11 pm, fireworks are set off over Victoria Harbour. The lights display culminates in an eight-minute pyrotechnic display that starts on the water and moves inward, illuminating Hong Kong’s skyscrapers and convention center.
BERLIN
Head to Europe’s coolest city (even London’s East End will seem decades behind in the so-hip-it-hurts stakes) and experience one of the largest open-air parties on the Continent. Bands and DJs play to a million-strong crowd, gathered between Brandenburg Gate (above) and the Victory Column. There’s a prerequisite fireworks display at midnight, but the party goes on long afterwards…
AMSTERDAM
The pretty banks of Amsterdam’s Unesco-listed canal network offer perfect opportunities both for pre-midnight drinking at the many bars that line the water and for seeing the pyrotechnic explosions when the clock strikes 12. The city is also a good choice for the more hardcore raver, since it hosts various international DJs for until-dawn parties, including Hed Kandi’s on board the Oceandiva boat.
ROME
A more magisterial backdrop for fireworks than Rome’s ancient Forum is hard to imagine and the many restaurants around the Colosseum are the ideal pitch to view the celebrations from. The city’s main event, though, takes place on Piazza del Popolo, where both rock and classical performances enthrall the assembled crowd. It’s also worth enjoying the atmosphere along the Via della Conciliazione down to St Peter’s Square.
CHAMPS-ELYSEES
Parisians celebrate the Nouvelle Année in style. The City of Light features a dazzling lightshow and fireworks display and has a giant street party around the Champs-Elysees. Visitors pop bottles of Champagne and exchange papillotes (chocolates encased in sparkly paper that crackle when you open them). Midnight brings a spectacular lights display from the Eiffel Tower, plenty of cheek-to-cheek kissing, and well-wishes for the New Year.
LONDON
London’s display also has a pretty striking setting: sky rockets ascend from the London Eye, with Big Ben, St Paul’s Cathedral and many of the City’s iconic skyscrapers in the background. Arrive early as most riverside spots are snapped up by 9pm. If you’d rather be indoors, a live version of The Artist is being performed at the Royal Albert Hall, boat cruises set sail on the Thames and world-class club nights are on offer at the capital’s leading venues.
ISTANBUL
Though once a time for staying at home with family for many Turks, the 31st of December is becoming more of a party every year in Istanbul. Popular areas to welcome midnight are Taksim Square and Bagdat Caddesi, but avoid the crowds and try the upscale neighbourhood of Nisantasi instead – the fireworks will still be visible from Abdi Ipekci Caddesi, the main street.
BARCELONA
In Barcelona, New Year’s Eve festivities begin in restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, as many venues hold special, celebratory events. But in the hours that lead up to midnight, revelers flood the streets for singing, champagne, and a New Year’s countdown. According to tradition, visitors should wear red underwear for good luck in the coming year and eat 12 grapes: one for each chime of the clock at midnight.
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