New Year’s Eve is a global celebration and you’ll find a party happening in every country. With so many exciting hotspots, the only issue is choosing where to eat, drink, dance, and be merry as you bid farewell to 2021 and welcome the brand-new year with open arms! While some cities are yet to confirm their big plans for welcoming in 2022, we’ve updated our comprehensive count-down of the most fun, festive and firework-filled destinations around the world to ring in the new year. As with all travel these days, be sure to check for the most up-to-date requirements and restrictions for your destination before you go.
1. New York City, USA
New York’s Times Square is one of the most well-known and mesmerizing sites to ring in the New Year. When the clock strikes 12 o’clock, the entire crowd erupts in applause! The celebration in Times Square is known for its famous Ball Drop where a ball drops down a flagpole at roughly 11:59 p.m. The ball drop is a significant part of New York’s New Year’s Eve celebration which is followed by live musical performances and full-fledged entertainment to kick off your visit with a bang! This New Year’s Eve, Times Square has prioritised the health and safety of those wanting to attend Times Square New Year’s Eve by requiring full proof of vaccination and proper photo identification. For an unforgettable sight of the glimmering Times Square, a visit to New York to celebrate New Year’s Eve is a must!
Things To Try – Scallops with lemon crudo, Swedish meatballs, juicy Wagyu ribs with mushrooms, a cheese and charcuterie board, buttery chocolate cakes, candied almonds, dressed eggs, duck rillettes, and a bottle of Spanish sparkling wine are just a few of the items to try on New Year’s Eve in New York.
2. Paris, France
In France, the New Year’s Eve celebration is called “Le Réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre.” With a dazzling display of fireworks and carousel rides on New Year’s Eve, Paris, the city of love, will make you fall in love! On New Year’s Eve, Paris is filled with frantic parties where you may get dressed up and feast on an abundance of mouth-watering food and beverages. You could also take a trip to Champs-Elysees, one of the world’s most famous avenues. Furthermore, you could visit the Eiffel Tower for a spectacular light show! As the clock strikes midnight in France, everyone wishes each other “Bonne Année” and shares kisses with their loved ones!
Things To Try – In France, each area has its own regional delicacies. New Year’s Eve in Paris is traditionally celebrated with a glass of champagne and foie gras, a culinary product prepared from the liver of a duck or goose. You could indulge in oysters or moules à la marinière, a quintessential French dish, cooked with fresh seafood, wine, and shallots, and served with huge chunks of crusty bread, paired with a glass of Crement de Loire.
3. London, United Kingdom
London is famous for its midnight fireworks display, with the Southbank serving as the epicentre of these mind-blowing celebrations. The advent of the new year is signalled by Big Ben with thousands of people on the streets of London and millions more watching it ring on television. Pyrotechnics are launched from the London Eye observation wheel and from numerous ships along the River Thames. When in London, you may pick from a variety of fantastic New Year’s Eve cruises on the River Thames to enjoy the mesmerizing sights as you welcome 2022. Overall, London is one of the greatest places to spend New Year’s Eve with your loved ones, with sightseeing cruises, traditional boat journeys, champagne, and live music.
Things to try – You could begin your New Year’s Eve festivities early in London with a delicious afternoon tea, followed by a cheese and wine tasting session. Thereafter, you could enjoy some fondue, baked cheese, grilled beef fillet, celeriac puree, baby gem lettuce, girolle mushroom, and truffle jus!
4. Bangkok, Thailand
Bangkok is famous for its open-air New Year’s celebrations, incredible nightlife, street parties, and annual rituals. During New Year’s Eve in Bangkok, the streets are decked up with liveliness and brimming with gorgeous eateries, providing a captivating feast to the eye! The Central World Plaza offers a spectacular fireworks show, a beer garden, and live DJs. It is a place where you can spend the entire night shopping, dancing, and drinking to your heart’s fill! Bangkok’s Khao San Road is also a place worth visiting as it is known for holding events throughout the year and setting up huge screens at the southern end of the Soi to mark the countdown. You could also visit the Sanam Luang if you want a quiet environment and a peaceful New Year’s Eve. For a quiet start to the new year, you could also take a tour of the Lanterns and Lights Festival!
Things to try – When in Bangkok, you could indulge in a lavish dim sum buffet from a beautiful rooftop location with a glass of champagne in hand, admiring the city below brimming with lights. You could also indulge in niangao, a New Year cake dipped in soup, stir-fried, or tossed with crushed peanuts and sugar. Furthermore, you could enjoy a hotpot with your loved ones which is a communal meal in which vegetables, shellfish, and thinly sliced beef are cooked in broth.
5. Dubai, UAE
Dubai is known as one of the most happening year-end destinations in the world. The New Year’s Eve in Dubai could be celebrated with a desert safari excursion that would include sunset views and a colourful evening filled with activities like belly dancing, buffets, and henna painting. The high rising skyscrapers, captivating fireworks, parties, clubbing scenes, and the general pomp and show of New years’ eve add to the excitement. Thousands of tourists and residents flock to the Dubai Fountain, Souk al Bahar, Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard, Al Manzil Plaza, and the Burj Khalifa, where you can witness spectacular pyrotechnics, lights, and lasers blaze across the Downtown sky. You can also skim around Dubai’s moonlight waterways marvelling at the city’s amazing fireworks display!
Things To Try – The extravagant New Year’s Eve supper in Dubai can consist of a charcuterie selection, antipasti, lemon-roasted salmon, fire-roasted beef, and a wide choice of dishes prepared at live cooking stations. Whether it’s chocolate coconut truffles, delicious zucchini bites, spinach artichoke, or cheesy baked meatballs, there’s something for everyone!
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6. Edinburg, Scotland
Hogmanay is the name given to New Year’s Eve in Scotland. Its origins stretch back to the celebration of the winter solstice among the Vikings with wild festivities in late December. The new year’s celebration in Scotland consists of bonfires and fire celebrations, which may have pagan or Viking origins, which is another popular Scottish New Year ritual. It’s an old concept to utilise fire to cleanse and drive away evil spirits. You can also indulge in a variety of events, parades, parties, and other activities on New Year’s Eve. Furthermore, you could be a part of the Party at the Bells in Edinburg where thousands of people gather in Princes Street Gardens and on Princes Street to celebrate the New Year with fireworks and live music!
Things To Try – One of the highlights of New Year’s Eve in Scotland is a steak pie with skirlie (a Scottish dish, made from oatmeal fried with fat, onions and seasonings), roasted potatoes, and vegetables such as beets, parsnips, green beans, and carrots. You could also try the Black Bun, which is commonly purchased as a symbolic present while visiting a loved one’s house in the New Year and is said to bring good luck for the next year. This cake pairs well with a good whiskey.
7. Venice, Italy
Venice, with its winter wonderland, is a great option to spend New Year’s Eve. In Venice, New Year’s Eve means taking part in centuries-old customs. The Lenticchie is an established tradition not only in the rest of Italy but virtually worldwide. These lentils have the appearance of little coins that swell up when cooked, and people who consume them will expect a financial blessing in the next year. When in Venice, the massive fireworks display in St. Mark’s Square is a must-see! At midnight, lovers kiss passionately to the sound of the Campanile bells, before the Riva Degli Schiavoni is illuminated by a huge and colourful firework show. New Year’s Eve in Venice mostly consists of a huge supper and quality time with your loved ones.
Things To Try – Venetians can’t get enough of the “Cenone di Capodanno,” an important New Year’s Eve meal prepared with lentils and sausages. This meal is served in most of the restaurants in Venice. You could also indulge in risotto with scallops, Venetian liver, Squid ragout, Swordfish with sardines and anchovies, and some juicy pork fillet with vegetables!
8. Berlin, Germany
Silvester (or New Year’s Eve) is celebrated in Germany with fireworks and festivities all around the country. New Year’s Eve in Germany is a full-fledged party, especially in Berlin, after the exuberant celebration of Christmas. At home, the Silvester rites are just as lively and interesting. The fireworks that are used in Germany for Silvester are incomparable to your conventional knowledge of fireworks. The fireworks are an inevitable aspect of Silvester and is traditionally believed to fend off evil spirits. They are seen in official shows to average people walking the streets hurling explosives up and down. The largest show of fireworks power takes place at Brandenburger Tor in the nation’s capital.
Things To Try – Sauerkraut, a type of fermented cabbage, is a long-standing New Year’s Eve custom in Germany. Eating sauerkraut is said to bring prosperity and blessings in the new year. Many people will start eating sauerkraut immediately as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. Roasted pork is also one of the famous New Year’s Eve dishes in Germany. The pig is often associated with prosperity, heartiness, and good humour. Lentils, fondue, shellfish, and pretzels are all part of Germany’s new year tradition.
9. Taipei, Taiwan
In comparison to other parts of the globe, the Taipei New Year’s Eve Celebration is one of a kind. The Taipei 101 tower itself begins to light up floor by floor from the bottom up for the New Year’s countdown, making it the world’s largest New Year’s Eve countdown clock. The countdown is followed by a grand display of fireworks. A glamorous crowd descends on the venue to support a variety of events and one-of-a-kind ceremonies, culminating in a stunning, thrilling, and unforgettable Taipei New Year’s Eve celebration!
Things To Try – Rice, fish, turnip cake, long noodles with pork knuckles, dumplings, sticky rice cake, hotpots, kumquats, and orange are some of the must-tries in Taiwan!
10. Las Vegas, USA
There’s no shortage of things to do on New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas. For party lovers, Las Vegas is the ultimate destination to celebrate New Year’s Eve. People describe New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas as insane with thousands of your best drinking companions forming a massive block party. Every bar, club, and resort appear to be hosting an event. The casinos put on a planned fireworks show at midnight. Inside, Las Vegas shows include the greatest talent, and the city’s nightclubs are full of celebrities and well-dressed partygoers.
Things To Try – Las Vegas is a fantastic spot to dine and see a show at the same time. Some of the must-try dishes are steak, champagne, seafood, grilled shrimp, root vegetable-stuffed chicken served with black-eyed pea salad, and a comprehensive wine-by-the-glass menu and well-crafted cocktails!
Happy New Year!
Travel Update : Please note that there could be travel restrictions because of the ongoing pandemic. Before travelling, please always check the latest government advice about COVID-19 travel restrictions in your destination.
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