Best places to visit for a great New Year spectacle!

The year is coming to an end, and we would all like to start the 2019 in the best possible way. All around the world we can see a variety of different ways to celebrate the new year. From fireworks to parades, we can see  big celebrations taking place everywhere. EUclaim tells you about the best places to visit to enjoy the best New Year spectacles!

New Year’s Eve in the Sidney Harbour Australia

If you are in Sydney to ring in the New Year, then you will be among the first in the world to welcome it. You, and more than a million other people that gather along the waterfront each year for the blazing midnight firework display. The famous Sydney New Year’s Eve firework take place on in one of the most beautiful natural harbours in the world. Choose one of the fun vantage points from which to catch the show, which lights up the sky over Sydney Harbour. After the big show, you can see the beloved Harbour Light Parade, during which more than fifty illuminated vessels float by. Sydney has no shortage of countdown events. Join in the festivities with a delightful mix of options for family and friends across the city. Whether you are looking for a lively party venue or a more intimate setting, get ready for a wonderfully memorable New Year’s Eve experience. Moreover, before Sydney’s biggest fireworks blast off, music lovers can also turn up the fun. There is live entertainment and DJs spinning dance tracks at various venues.

Flying to Sydney

With British Airways you can fly from London Heathrow to Sydney, with a layover in Singapore. For those who would like to celebrate the arrival of the new year twice, there is a special flight for you. Air Tahiti Nui offers a flight from Auckland to Papeete that celebrates New Year twice. The flight TN102 flies in between time zones, giving you the chance to welcome the new year two times!

Fireworks over the opera house at the Sydney Harbour

Fireworks show in the Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, New Year’s Eve is celebrated with lights. Standing on the Kowloon side of Victoria Harbour, you can watch as the world-famous skyline disappears in a flash of fireworks and Hong Kong’s most iconic skyscrapers are crowned in the pyrotechnics bursting from their tops. The scope and range of the fireworks as the complexity and sophistication of the entire performance has been extended exponentially. The new additions include fireworks launched from the middle of the Victoria Harbour, as well as laser and LED displays and a stunning choreography. The limelight of the celebration has transferred in recent years from the IFC tower to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. This is where the countdown to midnight takes place. You can practically watch the fireworks from just about anywhere in Hong Kong. Besides, new features and improvements are constantly being added. Moreover, the countdown celebrations have feature “shooting stars” beginning an hour before the countdown with splashes of light exploding every 15 minutes from the rooftops of the buildings surrounding the harbour. The pyrotechnics and synchronized music and sound effects provide an incredibly dazzling spectacle with a superb atmosphere that you cannot miss!

Flying to Hong Kong

From London Heathrow you can flight to Hong Kong nonstop with Virgin Atlantic or British Airways. For those that prefer a cheaper journey, you can fly with a layover. SWISS offers flights from London Heathrow to Hong Kong with a layover in Zurich. With KLM you can travel to Hong Kong with a stop in Amsterdam.

Lighted harbour of Hong Kong at night

Nochevieja in la Puerta del Sol in Madrid, Spain

Like many other European capitals, Madrid celebrates the turn of the year with fancy family dinners and lots of music and dancing, whether in bars and clubs or out on the streets. However, what sets this lively city apart, is the unique tradition of eating twelve grapes at midnight, one for each month of the year. Spaniards believe that this will bring prosperity and good fortune in the new year. Thus, in New Year’s Eve, also known as Nochevieja, they put on their lucky red underwear, grab a bottle of cava, and go to Puerta del Sol to swallow the grapes. One grape with each stroke of the clock. The New Year’s Eve countdown in Puerta del Sol tower clock is by far the biggest New Year celebration in Spain, and it is broadcasted live on television. After this, the party gets started once the New Year arrives and the bars, pubs and discotecas fill up with thousands of tourists and locals to celebrate. Of course, the night culminates with the traditional chocolate con churros.

Flying to Madrid

If you want to visit Madrid for New Year, you can travel from London Stansted with Ryanair. If you prefer to depart from London Gatwick, Iberia and Norwegian offer you nonstop flights. For a more special trip, we recommend you to stay a little longer. The Three Kings is one of the most important holidays in Spain. You can experience Los Reyes Magos’ spectacular parades and festivities. Besides, you can see the colourful Cabalgata de los Reyes Magos – Three Kings Parade – on January 5th and the Day of the Epiphany on January 6th.

Lighted building in Madrid at night

Celebrate at the biggest party in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio is known for its huge parties and celebrations. However, the New Year’s Eve bash at Copacabana beach is something else. More than two and a half million people attend this event every year. People start to arrive to the beach in the day, to set up their stay for the rest of the day and night. By midnight, close to three million people are in the beach, ringing in the new year. Around 8pm, as the night begins to fall, the live music set up on the beach starts to play. Besides, there are several stages along the beach, featuring live musical acts, such as Brazilian samba, Brazilian pop music, and, sometimes, even international stars. Once midnight hits the clock, a massive amount of fireworks begin to light up the sky above the Copacabana harbour. These fireworks are set off from the boats and barges anchored in the harbour. The great spectacle lasts for about twenty minutes. At the end of the Beach, at the Forte de Copacabana, there is a giant ferris wheel set up for this great event.  One of the great scenes of the New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeiro, is seeing all the majestic cruises that come into the harbour. The sight of the light up cruises in the harbour looks like clusters of diamonds sitting in the sea. Moreover, after the fireworks are over, the party continues. You can enjoy the street life and energy that continues right along Avenida Atlantica, or have entry to a nearby club. There are many nightclubs and bars in Copacabana and the neighbouring streets, which you can enjoy.

Flying to Rio de Janeiro

Attending this amazing party means you will be travelling for quite a long time. You can flight from London Heathrow to Rio non-stop with British Airways. Also, you can travel with Tap with a layover in Lisbon, or Air France with a layover in Paris. The travelling time is about fifteen hours.

View of the Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro

Countdown at Times Square, New York, USA

Probably the most famous event of New Year’s Eve is the ball drop over Times Square in New York City. The tradition began in 1907, and since then, the crowds that gather to watch a massive, 11,875-pound ball descend upon One Times Square have only gotten larger and rowdier. The celebration begins with the lighting and raising of the New Year’s Eve Ball atop One Times Square. The Ball is lit at 6:00pm and begins its ascent accompanied by special pyrotechnic effects. Then, the Times Square Alliance sanitation crew, begins to distribute tens of thousands of fun party favours—those famous hats, glasses, and noisemakers—. Later on, the live performances start. The stage will come to life at around 8pm with some of your favourite musical guests. Sixty seconds before the big moment, the New Year’s Eve Ball begins its descent. At the stroke of Midnight, the Ball’s lights on are turned off as the numerals of the New Year burst to life shining high above Times Square. The world-famous New Year’s Eve confetti is released from the rooftops of buildings throughout Times Square creating a celebratory blizzard of colourful confetti as travellers welcome the New Year accompanied by colourful pyrotechnic effects. Definitely a breath-taking event!

Flying to New York

If you want to experience this incredible spectacle, Norwegian International offers you direct flights from London Gatwick to New York. If you prefer to depart from London Heathrow, you can take one of the non-stop flights that American Airlines offers you.

Brooklyn Bridge lighted at night with view over the New York Skyline

Where will you spend your New Year’s Eve? Tell us in the comments below!

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