Top Travel Destinations for New Year’s Eve Celebrations
Time To Party
It’s time to party again!
Well, sort of…
Maybe.
Perhaps?
Hopefully.
New Year’s Eve is upon us shortly but, unfortunately, for the second straight year, it will be tempered by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year, the onset of the Omicron variant coupled with the lingering effects of the Delta variant is giving pause to many would-be revelers eager to bring in 2022.
According to the personal finance website wallethub.com, 60 percent of Americans plan to celebrate New Year’s Eve with family or friends, but only 24 percent will attend public events or parties.
To that end, let’s hope for the best as we run through a list of the best places to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Your Place
Arguably, the safest place to have New Year’s Eve is in your own home with your own nuclear family. If you’re looking to have multiple guests join you, the best-case scenario would be for all attendees to be fully vaccinated and, if possible, to also have received the booster shot.
New York City
Few can rival the Big Apple when it comes to NYE. Congregating in Times Square with hundreds of thousands of your closest friends is always exhilarating – albeit risky this year – to watch the ball drop to ring in the New Year. As of press time, outgoing New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio had yet to make a decision on this year’s outdoor celebration, which he enthusiastically approved months ago prior to Omicron.
Orlando
Got kids? Well, look no further than the prototypical vacation destination. Between Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration and its annual holiday extravaganza, not to mention nearby University Studios Orlando and SeaWorld, it could be days before your children realize New Year’s Eve has come and gone.
Sydney
Talk about magnificent. Whether watching from shore or being on a cruise, watching the fireworks go off over Sydney, lighting up the harbor and the world-famous Opera House, among others, is a sight to behold. Americans can’t get there this year, but it’s certainly a place to add to the bucket list for a future trip.
Los Angeles
L.A. is a strange bird in that there are so many things to do that have that traditional SoCal laid-back vibe, instead of that wild, congested New York City feel. One of them is heading to Marina del Rey and watching the fireworks at midnight over the water, having a late meal to celebrate, and then heading to Pasadena in the morning for the annual Rose Bowl parade.
Paris
L’amour, people. L’amour. Paris isn’t called the City of Love for nothing, you know. This just might be the most romantic place on earth to spend your time winding down 2021 and welcoming in 2022. Say, perhaps, with an engagement ring?
Philadelphia
Philadelphia? Yeah, Philly! It has everything New York City has save for it being more toned down. But if cost is a factor, know this – according to WalletHub.com, there is an average $758 difference in cost for a couple to enjoy dinner and a show on New Year’s Eve between pricey New York and more reasonable Philadelphia.
Miami
Miami Beach, South Beach, heck, any beach. Miami is one of the world’s great cosmopolitan cities and few can rival bringing in the New Year on its beaches – and fewer still can rival its unbelievable nightclub scene.
Venice
Sure, there’s Rome. But NYE in the lagoon city is practically a daylong/nightlong party. It’s an event, where people go to the opera, go to lavish and extravagant dinners, gather in St. Mark’s Square to watch the fireworks, get their romantic fill on a gondola ride, and continue it right into New Year’s morning.
Honolulu
Speaking of beaches, like Miami, or romance, like Paris, Honolulu makes for a spectacular setting for New Year’s Eve. There are fireworks, traditional Hawaiian luaus, strolling Ala Moana Blvd. with tens of thousands of others, or just the two of you celebrating privately.
Dubai
Not the first city that rolls off your tongue when you think New Year’s Eve. But, like with many things in the United Arab Emirates, it’s over the top spectacular. The multiple fireworks displays are outrageous and the celebration alone at the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai Fountain are worth the trip.
New Orleans
Let’s just leave it at this – nobody throws a party like New Orleans. Mardi Gras, Super Bowls, Sugar Bowls, New Year’s Eve, funerals, the sun came out, the beignets are fresh, somebody sneezed, whatever.
Rio de Janeiro
If you’re going to join one of the world’s best parties on Copacabana Beach, do it right. Party with old friends, party with new friends, watch the fireworks display and then be sure to rush the ocean and jump over seven waves while making seven wishes, which is supposed to bring you good luck for the new year.
Las Vegas
Ah, Vegas. America’s Playground. New Year’s Eve is probably not a whole heck of a lot different than any other night in Las Vegas save for the fireworks and the countdown and the throngs of people who hit the Strip at Midnight. But it is one of the few places in the world where the party – parties? – really start at 12:01 a.m. with the best shows and nightclubbing in the world.