New Year's Eve Parties Worldwide:
Just about everybody of every persuasion (pick your type) is celebrating something at year end --
winter solstice and
Chinese new year celebrations bracket western new year's happenings on the calendar, and every country essentially has some kind of shindig. Check out
new year's customs from around the world here or find international New Year's Eve parties (Edinburgh, New York, Berlin, Sydney, Istanbul and more) below. Happy New Year, traveling revelers!
Hogmanay - New Years Eve in Edinburgh:
Go porcine wild in downtown Edinburgh, Scotland, on New Year's Eve with the party to end all parties:
Hogmanay, a four day New Years celebration with major music, fireworks, carnivals and, of course, Dogmanay. The word "Hogmanay" may literally mean "great love day" in old Scandanavian, or "man is born" in French -- in Scotland, it means, "It's New Year's -- let's party!"
New Year's Eve in New York City:
What isn't happening in the Big Apple on New Year's Eve? Head for Times Square, natch, to see Dick his own self and watch the big ball drop, or check out
NewYorkology's bar links.
Club Planet recommends the
Roseland Ballroom for dancing the night away on West 52nd; also in Times Square, check out cool room
Touch pre- or post-ball drop. Perez Hilton will be hosting at uber-trendy
Hotel Gansvoort in the meatpacking district, and look into
LQ for
la dolce vita or dress waaay up to make hot
Marquee in the cool Chelsea neighborhood.
New Year's Eve in Africa:
South Africa is the place for the big party (like the fun found at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newton) on New Year's Eve in Africa, with 80,000 revelers
really rocking Cape Town on January
2nd for Tweede Nuwe Jaar (Second New Year). Africa travel expert Anouk Zijlma promises that clubs, bars and hotels will be jamming across the continent on December 31, check out the scenes, traditions and customs:
New Year's Eve in Amsterdam:
About.com's Guide to Amsterdam, Shannon McAllister, has the scoop on everything
Oudjaarsavond -- see her tips on
New Year's in Amsterdam for the scene you'll want to be seen in.
Gelukkig nieuwjaar!New Year's Eve at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate :
Bring in the new year with a very big bang at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, where you'll find the one of the biggest New Year's Eve events on the planet. Admission is free, as is the fun up and down the 1.2 mile "Party Mile." Learn more:
Istanbul on New Year's Eve:
Taksim Square and Istiklal Caddesi will be packed with people, including plenty of tourists, December 31; hit the bricks in the Nisantasi neighborhood for the street party scene or rock the casbah at clubs
Babylon,
Nayah and
Crystal.
London on New Year's Eve:
Fifteen minutes of free
fireworks from the London Eye at midnight is fun; big bashes in cool clubs in London are the thing, though: recommended rooms you should roam include
Club NME NYE at Koko (student discounts with ID card),
Fabric,
Fire Club,
Chalk Farm Jamboree (Camden),
Ministry of Sound, and
Market Place; possibly
Egg, too, if you're up for dressing up.
Paris for Lovers and Others on New Year's Eve:
BYOB to the Champs-Elysees at 9 p.m. for free fireworks (
find a few clubs nearby for dancing after) or seek the street party scene in cool
Montmartre; see Parisian Courtney Traub's
Paris New Year's Eve pages for the most romantic city's hot night spots nearby (get your midnight
bises in places like
The WAGG).
Rio de Janeiro on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve marks the date for Fiesta de Iemanjá in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: crowds head to the beaches to offer flowers and gifts to Iemanjá, Goddess of the Water in the Brazilian Umbanda religion. Flock to Copacabana beach with two
million people for Réveillon and watch roughly a gazillion candles float to sea.
Bonita, belo.
New Year's Eve in Rome
Piazza del Popolo is the center of Roman celebrations: traditional Fiesta di San Silvestro goings-on cheek by jowl with concerts and fireworks, with celebrating well into the wee hours. About.com's Guide to Italy has the scoop on all of
Italy's New Year's Eve haps... read up on
Italian new year's traditions, too. And that red underwear thing? Brings you luck.
How to Find the New Year's Eve Party in Reykjavik
Cold capital Reykjavik is the cool center of Iceland's hot club scene and you've got an in-the-know pal if you want o pay for a unique service, "
Nightlife Friend." VIP passes (no c-c-cold club lines) and an insider escort.
Sydney on New Year's Eve
The biggest city down under basically closes around noon on New Year's Eve day, but ample public transportation (call local number 131-500) will take you to Sydney Harbour, the place for year end fireworks. Go early to stake out a viewing spot harborside at hip Dawes Point, where a pub or six is just a crawl away in the Rocks.
New Years Eve in Las Vegas
Sadly saving the least for last...if under 18, expect possible curfew hassles and such in Vegas; the Las Vegas strip closes to cars after six on New Year's Eve and starts crawling with crazies (good), and
Fremont Street, Vegas's "old" section, is the place to encounter 12,000 "old" people at a Billy Joel concert under the Fremont Street lights (not good). The
Cool Vegas clubs do sell out; buy tix now for places like
Rain at the Palms ($125-475).
