Ten perfect new year’s eve backdrops
The world is filled with beautiful places to share a New Year’s Eve kiss. But there are some that take the specialness and spectacle to another level. Here are ten cities that offer the perfect New Year’s Eve backdrop to your celebration!
Rio de Janeiro
If you think Rio de Janeiro is just about Carnival, think again. Rio is all about New Year’s Eve! Need proof? Catch the metro to Copacabana Beach on December 31st to see fireworks burst over the water, then samba with 2 million of your new best friends! Be sure to dress in white to help bring peace in the coming year and prepare to get wet! Not only will the champagne be spraying but one New Year’s Eve tradition in Brazil is to jump over seven small waves while you make seven wishes for the New Year.
New York
Let’s face it, New York has been synonymous with New Year’s Eve for over a century since the ball first dropped in Time Square in 1907. So don’t just be one of us who watches it on the television. Brave the weather, don your New Year’s Eve swag, and see it in person. The lights of digital billboards and Broadway marquees are the most iconic New Year’s Eve backdrop ever. You can also splurge and watch the countdown from one of the nearby hotels, like the famous Knickerbocker or the Renaissance New York Times Square.
London
Since London first dazzled us in 2012 with a New Year’s Eve on the banks of the Thames, which included fireworks bursting from the Eye and the Elizabeth Tower (commonly known as Big Ben), it has been a top destination to ring in the New Year. You can buy tickets to be right in the action, or get out on a boat on the river, or just find a great spot on one of the city’s hilltops for a view of the skyline silhouetted against the fireworks. Afterwards head to a cozy pub to toast a pint to the New Year.
Dubai
Given that Dubai is an over-the-top destination, it’s no surprise it offers over-the-top backdrops for New Year’s Eve. Watch fireworks explode off Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, or enjoy them at the Palm Jumeirah and Burj Al Arab. You can also book a Dhow river cruise that includes dinner and a view of all the fireworks from a traditional Arab sea vessel. Another different but exotic option: a New Year’s Eve desert safari! Watch the sun set over dunes, feast with music, and enjoy your own private fireworks show.
Edinburgh
If a three-day New Year’s celebration that includes gifts, fireballs and a castle sounds just right, Edinburgh is the New Year’s destination for you! The Scottish celebration of Hogmanay involves all sorts of fun traditions, including “first-footing,” when the first person across your threshold brings a gift of good luck (usually in the form of shortbread and tall, dark good-looks!). The purifying powers of the sun are celebrated with bonfires and torch parades, while the fireworks over Edinburgh castle make a memorable backdrop as you join hands in a midnight rendition of “Auld Lang Syne.”
Photo by: Nicole in San Francisco
San Francisco
The City by the Bay has a carefree, infectious spirit on New Year’s Eve, with parties throughout its neighborhoods. To really celebrate San Francisco style, focus your sights on the water. Fireworks go off at midnight over the Ferry Building at Pier One on the Embarcadero. Watch them on land or get out on a boat in the Bay. There are plenty of dinner cruises to choose from, including one hosting a 1920’s themed Speakeasy. Or take your celebration to the next level on the historic USS Hornet aircraft carrier for a night of swing dancing and a perfect view of the fireworks over the water.
Barcelona
Cava, fountains, and good times flow in Barcelona on New Year’s Eve. Gather in Plaça d’Espanya and on the steps up to the National Palace in Montjuïc for a view of the Font Magica pyrotechnic display and fireworks. Or don your best red underwear (for good luck) and join the locals in Plaça de Catalunya. Try to keep up with them as, with each stroke of midnight, they eat one grape to bring even more good luck to the New Year, then throw their empty cava bottles into the middle of the square with a resounding crash!
Photo by: Anna in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney may not technically be the first city in the world to welcome the New Year, but it sure celebrates like it is! And because it’s summer in December, you can put on your favorite summer dress or your fanciest flip flops, head down to Sydney Harbor, and claim a spot at one of the parks for a romantic New Year’s picnic. From there watch the spectacular air, water, and firework displays, or dress up a bit more and enjoy the view from a party at the Sydney Opera House.
Paris
Paris offers so many stunning backdrops for your New Year’s Eve kiss it can be hard to choose. But trying is half the fun! People fill the Champ de Mars beneath the Eiffel Tower while others take in the city’s celebrations from one of the Tower’s restaurants. The Champs-Élysées also fills with revelers who will enjoy an amazing light show over the Arc de Triomphe. And those seeking out a more intimate setting, but with perhaps the best views of all, will head to the street party around Sacré-Coeur in Montmartre.
Reykjavík
If you’re looking for a different vibe for New Year’s Eve head to Reykjavík. Like elsewhere, the locals fill the streets and watch fireworks, but they also put their own spin on the night. Everyone buys fireworks from ICE-SAR, the national search-and-rescue unit, and sets them off themselves! So if you don’t just want to watch your New Year ring in, but make it happen yourself, here’s your chance! You can also head to the edges of the city, away from the fireworks, to see Nature’s ultimate light show, the Aurora Borealis!