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01 AMSTERDAM - THE NETHERLANDS
www.goamsterdam.about.com
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Joining the locals in Amsterdam for a New Year’s Eve celebration (or as they call it “Old Year’s Evening”) proves to be the ultimate party. The place to be, like most other big cities, seems to be the streets with a bottle of champagne in hand – it’s no wonder, considering it’s free, unrestrictive and you won’t miss any of the fireworks going off by being stuck inside a club you paid hundreds to get into. If you venture over to Dam Square, you’ll get to partake in beer tents and live shows with thousands of other partygoers; it’s pretty much the only organized event in the city. If you’re not into the free-for-all type of gathering, there are plenty of clubs, bars and cafes - such as Panama and Passenger Terminal Amsterdam – that will live up to all your expectations of this “anything-goes” city. |
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02 EDINBOROUGH - SCOTLAND
www.edinburghshogmanay.org
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If you’re ready to go all out with your New Year’s plans this year, Edinburgh, Scotland won’t disappoint and will allow your celebration to continue for more than one night. The party starts on December 29th with a torchlight procession lead by Vikings, that leads to the famous Calton Hill where a fireworks display and torch-lit ship ends the journey. The festivities continue with the Night Afore Fiesta in a carnival-like atmosphere with music, dance and street theater. New Year’s Eve marks the date for the street party where multiple stages and bars are placed strategically for limitless entertainment – past acts have included The Fratellis and Pet Shop Boys. The night only becomes complete after a fireworks extravaganza above the Edinburgh Castle. And finally, several events welcome the new year on Jan 1st for those able to actually get out of bed. |
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03 New Orleans - Louisiana
www.neworleansonline.com
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We all know New Orleans knows how to celebrate and party in style – and New Year’s Eve is no exception. It’s essential to start your night off in the French Quarter at Jackson Square where you can watch the ball drop (without being overcrowded and barricaded in like NYC’s Times Square), and then see fireworks light up the Mississippi. From there, the crowd moves on to famous Bourbon Street where the good times continue into the night. You can bar hop, stop in at one of the many restaurants, party out on the street – or you can do all three since there’s no official closing time in the Big Easy. Going along with typical New Orleans-style partying are the stores along the street that sell cheap beer, jell-o shots and frozen drinks so you never have to wait to get a bartender’s attention. It doesn’t get much better than that! |
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04 Paris - France
www.destination360.com
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Spending New Year’s Eve in Paris not only gives you the chance to start a new year in the most romantic city, but also gives you several choices of how to ring it in. If you’re the all-night-party type, you can head over to the Pigalle Palace for a cabaret show, hit the dance floor at popular French clubs, the Nouveau Casino or The Wagg, or spend your time with everyone else on the Champs-Élysées watching the Eiffel Tower light up in an amazing pyrotechnic display. You can legally set off your own fireworks also if you choose to make some space in the packed crowd. If you want a more laid back approach to the celebration, a cruise along the Seine River is the way to go. Put on your party hats – with your dressy clothes because, after all, this is Paris – and get ready for the extravagance all night long. Bonne Annee! |
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05 Rio De Janeiro - Brazil
www.ipanema.com
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Twice a year, you’ll see people from all over the world flock to Rio with all the good intentions of partying hard – one being Carnival, the other being New Year’s Eve. Around two million people a year are attracted to Copacabana to ring in the new year - where there are stages with live shows featuring all kinds of music, a fireworks festival marking the clock striking midnight and 50 cent beers that can be purchased and consumed all on the same beach. It is tradition to dress in all white for the festivities and send a flower offering out to sea before the New Year hits, and it’s considered good luck to be sprayed by champagne. Brazilians know how to do a party right, and being that December is one of the hottest months there, events kick off early and go all night. |
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06 Las Vegas - Nevada
www.destination360.com
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No matter what time of year you go, you will always find some kind of party going on in “The City of Sin” – but the biggest one will always be on New Year’s Eve, when the streets are blocked off to everything but pedestrian traffic. It will be no surprise to witness yard-long drinks, people ready to camp out on the sidewalk and fireworks that look like they’re going to blow the tops off the casinos – all the way from one end of the famous Vegas Strip to the other. If you actually choose to make plans, you always have the option of visiting one of the many nightclubs, bars and casinos that offer massive parties to bring in the new year. Just make sure you don’t have such a good time that you miss the clock strike twelve! |
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