New Year's Eve is a great excuse for people to throw parties across the globe. If you've watching the best of the action on TV while you quietly ring in the New Year at home then it might be time to get out there and check out some of the best New Year's Eve parties the world has to offer.
10. London, U.K.
The banks of the Thames fill with people eager to watch an impressive fireworks display along the river. Big Ben's midnight chiming is truly iconic and you can always guarantee a huge crowd of revelers in nearby Trafalgar Square. There's also a dizzying number of clubs and events around the city. Free public transport is available throughout the festivities so you can easily party across England's capital well into New Year's Day.
9. Las Vegas, U.S.A.
The adult Disneyland offers predictably spectacular fireworks displays as The Strip buzzes with even more excitement than usual. Some of the music world's biggest names descend on the desert city to play very lucrative New Year's Eve gigs and if you can somehow wrangle an invite, you can ring in the New Year in more style here than anywhere.
8. New York, U.S.A.
One of the most iconic locations featured in countdowns around the world is New York's Times Square. The streets are teeming with people and there are plenty of adjacent buildings offering those who book ahead the chance to enjoy the spectacle in warm surroundings. The city has more than the drop of a ball to offer everyone - New York is a great city to party in, especially on New Year's Eve.
7. Berlin, Germany
With over a million visitors from across the continent piling into Germany's capital, Berlin offers one of the biggest New Year's Eve parties in Europe. Berlin's nightclubs stay open for days at a time all year round, just imagine how they throw it down on New Year's Eve. Naturally, there's a massive fireworks display to enjoy as well.
6. New Orleans, U.S.A.
Bourbon Street may just be the rowdiest street party in America each December 31st. While crowds huddle and shiver in Times Square, the party atmosphere for which New Orleans is famous is sure to help anyone ring in the New Year in style. If you're young, free and single, few places offer a party vibe as irresistible as New Orleans' French Quarter.
5. Prague, Czech Republic
If twelve o'clock fireworks are your thing, few cities offer a more spectacular display than Prague. Prague has also earned a well deserved reputation as one of Europe's premier party cities. This may or may not have something to do with the Czech Republic's notoriously lax laws on drugs and prostitution.
4. Edinburgh, U.K.
The famous Hogmanay celebrations in Scotland's capital top London in providing the British Isles most spectacular New Year's celebrations. With the streets in the center of the city teeming with people, there is a buzz around these celebrations like no other in Europe. There's just the right mix of tradition and carefree good times, with cannons sounding in the New Year and partying that lasts for several days before and after the main New Year's celebration.
3. Sydney, Australia
Check out the famous fireworks at Harbor Bridge as Sydney rings in the New Year before anyone in Europe or North America. New Year falls in the middle of Australian summer time, so expect beach parties galore and an unforgettably bonzer bonanza.
2. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Spectacular fireworks and beaches teeming with nightlife help give Brazil's most famous city an incredible party vibe each December 31st. Though the carnival festivities are better known, there are few better places to see in the New Year than on the sand of Copacabana beach.
1. Goa, India
With beach parties lasting long after sunrise, it's obvious why this sixties hippie haven is still a world class party destination. You may find yourself sharing a dance floor with big Bollywood stars, as the great and the good of Indian popular culture head to party in Goa to see in the New Year.
10. London, U.K.
The banks of the Thames fill with people eager to watch an impressive fireworks display along the river. Big Ben's midnight chiming is truly iconic and you can always guarantee a huge crowd of revelers in nearby Trafalgar Square. There's also a dizzying number of clubs and events around the city. Free public transport is available throughout the festivities so you can easily party across England's capital well into New Year's Day.
9. Las Vegas, U.S.A.
The adult Disneyland offers predictably spectacular fireworks displays as The Strip buzzes with even more excitement than usual. Some of the music world's biggest names descend on the desert city to play very lucrative New Year's Eve gigs and if you can somehow wrangle an invite, you can ring in the New Year in more style here than anywhere.
8. New York, U.S.A.
One of the most iconic locations featured in countdowns around the world is New York's Times Square. The streets are teeming with people and there are plenty of adjacent buildings offering those who book ahead the chance to enjoy the spectacle in warm surroundings. The city has more than the drop of a ball to offer everyone - New York is a great city to party in, especially on New Year's Eve.
7. Berlin, Germany
With over a million visitors from across the continent piling into Germany's capital, Berlin offers one of the biggest New Year's Eve parties in Europe. Berlin's nightclubs stay open for days at a time all year round, just imagine how they throw it down on New Year's Eve. Naturally, there's a massive fireworks display to enjoy as well.
6. New Orleans, U.S.A.
Bourbon Street may just be the rowdiest street party in America each December 31st. While crowds huddle and shiver in Times Square, the party atmosphere for which New Orleans is famous is sure to help anyone ring in the New Year in style. If you're young, free and single, few places offer a party vibe as irresistible as New Orleans' French Quarter.
5. Prague, Czech Republic
If twelve o'clock fireworks are your thing, few cities offer a more spectacular display than Prague. Prague has also earned a well deserved reputation as one of Europe's premier party cities. This may or may not have something to do with the Czech Republic's notoriously lax laws on drugs and prostitution.
4. Edinburgh, U.K.
The famous Hogmanay celebrations in Scotland's capital top London in providing the British Isles most spectacular New Year's celebrations. With the streets in the center of the city teeming with people, there is a buzz around these celebrations like no other in Europe. There's just the right mix of tradition and carefree good times, with cannons sounding in the New Year and partying that lasts for several days before and after the main New Year's celebration.
3. Sydney, Australia
Check out the famous fireworks at Harbor Bridge as Sydney rings in the New Year before anyone in Europe or North America. New Year falls in the middle of Australian summer time, so expect beach parties galore and an unforgettably bonzer bonanza.
2. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Spectacular fireworks and beaches teeming with nightlife help give Brazil's most famous city an incredible party vibe each December 31st. Though the carnival festivities are better known, there are few better places to see in the New Year than on the sand of Copacabana beach.
1. Goa, India
With beach parties lasting long after sunrise, it's obvious why this sixties hippie haven is still a world class party destination. You may find yourself sharing a dance floor with big Bollywood stars, as the great and the good of Indian popular culture head to party in Goa to see in the New Year.