New Year’s Eve is just around the corner, so we take a look at some of the world’s most iconic countdown spots. From Paris, to London; Barcelona to Dubai. Here are the top 10 most iconic places in the world to spend New Year’s Eve.
1. Time Square, New York
As the famous New Year's Eve Ball drops in Time Square around 1,000,000 people fill the area and bid a collective farewell to the year that passed. They usually have celebrity MC’s and a star studded performance.
2. Sydney, Australia
Every year, Sydney is one of the first capitals in the world to greet the New Year. The biggest celebration takes place at the Sydney Harbour, where hundreds of boats and thousands of people gather around the harbour to watch the firework show at midnight. Other performances and rituals include indigenous smoking ceremonies, aerial flyovers, mini-light shows and a lighted boat parade.
3. Thames River, London
London also hosts one of the biggest celebrations in the world with over 250,000 visitors gathered along the Thames River by the Big Ben. At midnight spectators can expect a light show and an amazing fireworks display. The party usually continues throughout the night with activities planned for the next day including a three-hour parade complete with marching bands, colourful floats, costumed dancers and a procession of the Queen’s horses.
4. Eiffel Tower, Paris
The city of lights hosts a beautiful spectacle at the Eiffel Tower. The light show and fireworks display is projected on and around the tower is a romantic way to kick off the New Year.
5. The Vegas Strip, Las Vegas
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Las Vegas on any other day is a party, but on December 31, over 300,000 people are on the streets celebrating. Every year the Vegas Strip is closed to cars and opened up to the people of the city to walk on. Live bands, pyrotechnic displays and laser-shows transform the street into a giant party.
6. Jackson Square, New Orleans
This city has one of the best New Year’s Eve fireworks displays in the United States. The 15-minute-long show by the Mississippi River is the main event of an evening of festivities that include the Fleur de Lis drop, the famous activity where many oversized gifts are thrown off the roof of the Jax Brewery in Jackson Square. Parties often continue until dawn, with live music throughout the bars and clubs in the French Quarter.
7. Valparaiso, Chile
The cultural capital of Chile is home to a three-day festival with millions of visitors coming to watch the amazing fireworks display. The city hosts one of the most extravagant New Year’s Eve shows in South America. An unusual tradition is for locals to wear yellow underwear and eat 12 grapes when the clock strikes 12.
8. Princes Street, Edinburgh
Edinburgh hosts its yearly last day of the year celebration known as the Hoganay Hoopla. The event lasts for 4 days and plays host to a torchlight parade throughout the city, concerts, and a huge street party on.At midnight the entire city sings along to “Auld Lang Syne,” while a spectacular greatest fireworks displays takes place at midnight, with magnificent Edinburgh Castle as the backdrop.
9. Burj Khalifa, Dubai
The previous Burj Khalifa firework shows were record breaking and have become one of the most watched spectacles on the planet. For the first time since the Burj Khalifa has been erected, there will be no fireworks to ring in 2018. The highlight of this year's display will likely be a pyrotechnic light and sound show.
