For many people, New Year's Eve can be disappointing -- there's so
much hype in the lead-up to the event that when it actually comes
around, it often falls short of the mark.
Madding crowds, endless
taxi queues and even longer lines to get to the bathroom -- it's no
wonder so many people choose to stay at home with a good movie and a
bottle of bubbles.
However, certain
destinations around the world offer such spectacular greetings to the
new year, that you may want to seriously consider braving the throngs
for a front-row seat.
Firework's light up Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong's harbor
dazzles for most of the year, but on December 31 it really glows. This
year, for the first time, the city's midnight fireworks display will
journey across town, beginning at the sea and moving along Victoria Harbour to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
The best places to view
the action? The Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza, the promenade from the
Avenue of Stars
to Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the promenade at Golden
Bauhinia Square in Wan Chai and the area near Central Pier. Come back in
February to witness the whole spectacle again as the city prepares to
ring in the Chinese New Year (February 10).
London
It's been a big year for
London, having hosted the Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as the
Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. And the English capital intends to
see out 2012 with more pomp and ceremony.
Secure a riverside perch, book a Thames cruise or even better, secure a spot at the London Sky Bar
-- the views from here are unmatched -- and count down to the annual
fireworks display launched from the foot of the 135-meter-tall London
Eye Ferris wheel.
With 2013 in full swing,
hit the streets for the New Year's Day parade, which will see more than
10,000 musicians, dancers and acrobats take over the town for the 2013
event, themed "Hats Off To London -- Celebration Capital of the World."
Fireworks light up Edinburgh's Princes Street.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is cast aglow at its annual New Year's Eve
(Hogmanay) festivities, which kick off on December 30 with a torchlight
procession involving more than 25,000 locals. The parade is led by
Shetland's Up Helly Aa vikings, with their pipes and drums, and
culminates atop Calton Hill with a fireworks display.
There's more to come on
New Year's Eve, when an expected 80,000 people will take to the streets
to sing Auld Lang Syne -- apparently the biggest and loudest rendition
of the song in the world -- and party; this year, entertainment comes
courtesy of British bands the Maccabees and the OK Social Club, while
Simple Minds will headline at the city's Concert in the Gardens.
New York
More than one million people brave sub-zero temperatures to be part of New York's ball drop celebrations on New Year's Eve, with live entertainment this year provided by the likes of Taylor Swift, Psy and the Neon Trees.
As it has done for the
past 105 years, the ball -- some 3.6 meters in diameter, studded with
2,688 Waterford crystals and lit by 32,256 LEDs -- descends from the
flagpole atop One Times Square, dropping 21 meters in 60 seconds.
At the stroke of
midnight, a blizzard of colorful confetti is released from the rooftops
and party-goers are treated to renditions of Auld Lang Syne and Frank
Sinatra's New York, New York.
Revellers party in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.
Berlin
Berliners warm up on New
Year's Eve with the annual Berliner Silvesterlauf: a fancy dress
running race that sees participants flipping pancakes along the way. In
the evening, party gear replaces gorilla suits as the city descends on
the Brandenburg Gate for one of the world's largest open-air
celebrations.
This year, a stage at
Pariser Platz will host international and local musicians, while DJs
entertain crowds along the city's "Party Mile": a two kilometer strip of
dancefloors, stages and bars behind the Brandenburg.
As midnight approaches, a
laser and light show brightens the sky, with more than 2,000 fireworks
and a New York-style ball drop as the clock strikes 12.
Sydney
If there's a famous
Australian who knows how to have a good time, it's Kylie Minogue. And
this year, the pint-sized pop star is the creative ambassador for Sydney's New Year's Eve extravaganza. Prepare to party.
The entertainment
launches early in the day with a series of aerial acrobatic shows,
followed by a traditional indigenous cleansing ceremony: smoke flows
across the harbor from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander vessels,
removing the water of negative spirits.
There's an early
fireworks show for families and a flotilla of boats is transformed with
waves of color and light, but the real draw is the midnight fireworks
show on Sydney Harbour Bridge. This year's theme is a guarded secret,
although according to organizers it will include "exciting new effects."
A fire dancer performs on a beach in Samoa.
Samoa
Samoa went back to the
future last year when it skipped a full day, changed sides of the
International Date Line and went from being the last country to the
first to see in the New Year. If you're visiting the island nation on
December 31 this year you can look forward to events that are less about
fireworks and fanfare and more about family.
After visiting elders,
Samoans traditionally welcome January 1 with song and prayer services at
large, and loud, choral exhibitions. You won't go hungry -- village
banquets are very generous -- or thirsty for that matter, with all
festivities beginning and ending with a kava ceremony. Don't forget your
ukulele.
Kyoto
In Kyoto, New Year's Eve
revelers are encouraged to make some noise. Crowds flock to the city's
shrines, where stalls sell omikuji (fortune notes) and taiyaki
(fish-shaped pancakes with green tea, chocolate or red bean fillings).
As the clock ticks
toward 2013, temples across town ring large bronze bells 108 times, a
Buddhist tradition said to rid humans of earthly desires.
The Yasaka Shrine and
Chion-in Temple are particularly busy on December 31 -- the latter
features a bell that weighs more than 70 tons and takes a team of 17
monks to strike it, crying out "Ee hitotsu" (One more!) and "Sōre"
(Now!) each time they make contact.
The Taipei 101 tower is lit up by fireworks.
Taipei
The Taiwanese capital
thinks big when it comes to New Year's Eve, transforming the
509-meter-high Taipei 101 tower into a fireworks frenzy with a
188-second show themed, "Amazing Moment, Amazing Taipei."
Six of the country's favorite performers, one for each hour of the official countdown, will entertain crowds at ground level.
If you can't secure a
spot at Rainbow Riverside Park or Elephant Mountain, head to Miramar
Entertainment Park, where an equally dazzling display will fill the
night sky. After the big bangs subside, locals make their way to nearby
hot-spring resorts for a romantic soak -- the perfect start to 2013.
Dubai
Never shy of making a
grandiose statement, Dubai sees in the New Year with a bang --
literally. The world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, is the
launching pad for a multi million-dollar pyrotechnics display (also
claiming to be the largest of its kind in the world), which sees
choreographed fireworks cascading down the 828-meter-tall skyscraper to
the tune of Arabic and world music notes.
The fun continues on the beach at the Atlantis, The Palm resort where the annual Sandance festival
sees headlining acts Ellie Goulding, Rita Ora, Roger Sanchez and Paul
Van Dyk entertain revelers into the early hours of 2013, backdropped by
more fireworks, of course.
wow wow wow. this is lovely
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