Celebrate the biggest bash of the year in one of Earth's biggest party towns
Millions gather on Copacabana beach to welcome the new year
Japan
celebrates New Year the way Westerners do Christmas: at home. In the
run-up to December 31, many Tokyo residents leave the capital to return
to their families, where tradition dictates that they spend the evening
watching NHK's Kohaku, a marathon TV show in which J-pop stars reprise
the year's most nauseating hit singles. If you're wanting to hit the
town, there's still plenty to do, and it's the one day of the year when
the public transport keeps running all night long. The best place to be
for the countdown itself is probably at Shibuya crossing, which turns
into a writhing mass of humanity at midnight. Afterwards, you could head
to a local club like Womb or Sound Museum Vision, or else go and join
the queues at Meiji Shrine for the all-important ritual of hatsumode,
the first shrine visit of the year.
Happy new year: 'Akemashite omedetou!'
Since
the UAE capital isn't the drinking-in-the-streets type (and with prison
time as a deterrent, it's hardly surprising), you're best off ringing
in the new year in the sandy outskirts. Tour company Emirates Adventures
operates a New Year's Eve desert safari, which takes revellers out to a
traditional bedouin encampment complete with barbecue buffet, belly
dancers and an alcohol bar. There's also the opportunity to ride a camel
or, for faster thrills, quad bikes, with a dazzling canopy of stars
virtually guaranteed come midnight.
Happy new year: 'Kul am wa antum bi kheir!'
Depending
on where else you are in Beirut on New Year's Eve, you'll witness
gargantuan firework displays, heaving nightclubs, Orthodox Christian
neighbourhoods ringing to the sounds of festive smashing china, or
celebratory gunfire. The city's hub on the last night of the year is
Nejmeh Square or Place de l'Etoile in the gleaming, glittering Downtown
area; a six-pointed star of pedestrianised streets that meet around an
iconic 1930s clock tower outside the houses of parliament.
Well-lubricated with booze and whirled about with fragrant smoke from
multiple arguileh cafés, you can expect happy crowds from all over the
world celebrating together in an easy-going street party. At midnight, a
huge firework display goes up from the neighbouring Port of Beirut; if
that isn't enough, head next to nearby party avenue Gemmayzeh, and a
laid-back bar like Torino or EM Chill that won't stiff you for the
entrance fee.
Happy new year: 'Kil sana wa enta bi kheir!' (Lebanese Arabic) or 'bonne année!' (French).
In
Turkish culture, Yeni Yıl (New Year’s Eve) is a day traditionally
spent at home with family. In recent years, however, people in Istanbul
are taking to the streets – particularly Taksim Square and Bağdat
Caddesi – turning the night into a citywide street celebration. Time
Out’s pick for the best place to ring in 2013 is the swanky
neighbourhood of Nişantaşı. You can choose from the slew of venues
offering rather expensive NYE dinner-and-entertainment packages, but
better to grab your champagne and watch the fireworks on the main
avenue, Abdi İpekçi Caddesi. A more low-key street celebration awaits
you right underneath the Galata Tower, where you can party with young
locals and expats. For a truly local experience, visit Burgazada, the
third largest of the Princes’ Islands, and partake in the bonfire
parties around the pier.
Happy new year: 'Mutlu yıllar!'
Take
to the streets (and bars, many of which only open at midnight) to
celebrate. This year’s countdown to 2013 will take place in a large
grassy square, in front of the Rijksmuseum on Museumplein. The best
areas to visit are Nieuwmarkt and Dam Square; the latter often stages a
big council-sponsored concert, with Dutch acts and DJs to help keep
things moving.
Happy new year: 'Gelukkig nieuwjaar!'
Parisians
tend to head home on New Year's Eve for dinner with friends or family,
but there's always a good time to be had on the Rue Oberkampf or in
the artistic, romantic Montmartre area where bars like Le Soleil de la
Butte and Le Café Arrosé recall the Années Folles of Hemingway and
Picasso – or you can wrap up warmly (mind the streams of drunken
revellers, too) and admire the cityscape by night from below the Sacré
Coeur. Once you've raised your glass to at midnight, head over to the
once seedy, now trendy quarter Pigalle, where in between the neon
lights and come-hither club entrances are plenty of down to earth clubs
and bars that will keep things rocking until dawn.
Happy new year: 'Bonne année!'
If
you want spectacle, then London's South Bank is the place for you. The
official New Year firework display from The London Eye and barges on
the Thames is certain to be a spectacular show against a stunning
backdrop, but don't leave it too late or you may find yourself being
turned away. Good viewing spots are limited, with designated viewing
areas along the Thames filling up by around 9pm. Don't make for the
London Eye - the immediate area is cordoned off as a fall-out zone -
and note that road closures in the area will start early in the
evening. The prime vantage points are the Victoria Embankment, north of
the Thames, and the bridges (Waterloo, Westminster and the eastern
Jubilee footbridge; the Millennium Bridge has only a partial view of the
Eye).
In
Spain, New Year’s Eve tends to be a time for family dinners, with most
people emerging to party after midnight, but there is always a group
of revellers to be found in Plaça Catalunya. The drill is to wear red
underwear for luck in the coming year, and to eat 12 grapes, one for
each chime of the clock, at midnight. It’s harder than you’d think, and
tinned, pre-peeled versions are available. During the day, look out
for L’Home dels Nassos, the man who has as many noses as days the year
has left (it being the last day, the sly old fox has only one) who
parades and throws sweets to the children.
Happy new year: 'Bon any!'
The
city may be awash with parties in iconic spots like Sugarloaf Mountain
and the Lagoa, but there's only one place for the Rio New Year
debutante: Copacabana Beach. The kiosks lining the sand offer expensive,
all-you-can-drink tickets (and some of the best seats in the house), or
grab a caipirinha from the street, meld in with the two million-odd
people dressed in white (peace), yellow (prosperity) or red (take a
lucky guess; this is Rio) filling the beach from late-afternoon and wait
for the show. The musical line up is always a fairly well-guarded
secret until closer to the day, but expect a big Brazilian star,
Carnival samba school and an international DJ to grace the stage, whilst
midnight’s 15-minute firework display fired from barges out at sea is
never short of spectacular. Oh, and it invariably rains, but nobody
seems to care.
Happy new year: 'Feliz ano novo!'
Since
1907, a sparkly sphere has been lowered in Times Square, and even
though the rest of the America has adopted the tradition, New York can
still lay proud claim to it. Last year's event boasted performances from
Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. At a minute to midnight, the geodesic
sphere (11,875 pounds, 12 feet across and covered with 2,688 Waterford
crystal triangles and 32,256 LEDs) will begin its 70-foot drop, before
confetti is released into the city sky. Arrive by 2pm and be prepared to
stay put: The main area (from 42nd Street to 47th Street) is usually
packed by 3pm, and the rest fills up before 11pm. There’s also a limited
amount of public restrooms in the area, and leaving to grab some food
nearby means giving up your spot. Having said that, this is really the
best kind of holiday masochism: You haven’t really celebrated until
you’ve frozen your ass off and lost your voice screaming while that ball
drops above you.
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