You’ve got to go big on the last night of the year.
So naturally most of us reserve our wildest nights and most extravagant celebrations for New Year’s Eve.
And while we can show you where you should be seeing 2017 in, we can’t help with the hangover. Sorry, you’re on your own with that one – but at least you get a day off.
Here’s what’s happening across the globe when the clock strikes midnight.
Hogmanay – Edinburgh, Scotland
Midnight Fireworks (c) Chris Watt
Let’s start with Scotland, where New Year’s Eve is by far the best party of the year (it’s way bigger than Christmas).
To be honest, there’ll be some cool ceilidhs (dances) and first footing (being the first visitor to someone’s house) going on wherever you go. But the capital city really goes to town.
It’s grown from an informal gathering on Princes Street to a huge three-day festival with crowds of more than 100,000 people packing the streets of Edinburgh city centre.
And while it’s busy, it’s also blooming freezing so you’ll be glad of all those warm bodies around.
Get tickets for the street party, complete with live bands, DJs, plenty of outdoor bars and a massive fireworks display.
They even get an extra day off on January 2 to recover.
Sydney Harbour – Sydney, Australia
Party by the harbour and and your friends in the northern hemisphere will be waking up to see your Facebook feed full of photos (you’ll be sleeping if off by then).
Australia is one of the first places to celebrating New Year and they like to get the ball rolling in spectacular fashion.
Fair dinkum, the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House make a pretty decent backdrop for the fireworks.
And the sheer scale of the display means there are plenty of viewpoints to enjoy them from.
It’s super hot so you can grab a picnic and make a whole day of it (helps you bag a good spot) round the harbour.
One of the most decadent parties is at Luna Park, a retro theme park opposite the harbour, where the alcohol flows and world class electronic DJs keep the party going.
Plus you get free theme park rides all night, just go easy on the rollercoasters after a few glasses of celebratory champagne.
Brandenburg Gate – Berlin, Germany
Silvester am Brandenburger Tor New Year’s Eve at Brandenburg Gate. Via visitBerlin, (c) Wolfgang Scholvien
The demolition of the Berlin Wall was one of the most iconic images of the latter part of the 20th century and since then the city has provided the backdrop for some of the most extravagant New Year’s celebrations anywhere.
If you want a wild and adventurous night, Berlin is the place to be – no one does the club and all-night rave scene quite like them (don’t peak to early).
But it’s at the imposing Brandenburg Gate, where a street party sprawling two kilometres along the tree-lined Straße des 17 takes place.
A giant stage with live music, DJs, street food stalls, bars and dance floors are spread out across the Tiergarten.
A popular spot, well every year one million people seem to think so.
Fiesta de Iemanjá – Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Copacabana Beach, New year’s Eve
They love a carnival in South America and Brazil sets the standard when it comes to al-fresco partying.
While we’re shivering up in the northern hemisphere they’re heading to the famous beaches of Rio de Janeiro.
Two million people will be on the Copacabana beach come midnight at one of the largest outdoor parties in the world
Join them and sip champagne in a swimming costume while you count down the seconds to the New Year and the fireworks framed against the waves.
It’s a double celebration too, with the date also being Festa de Iemanjá, when Brazilians pay tribute to Iemanjá, the Goddess of the Water, throwing gifts and flowers in miniature boats into the sea.
Gamlarsdagur – Reykjavik, Iceland
New Year’s Eve. Image via Visit Reykjavík / Ragnar Th Sigurdsson
It’s going to be a long night. Literally.
The Land of Fire and Ice has about five hours daylight over the New Year. We say that’s a brilliant excuse to start early and finish late.
Visit Reykjavik and you can celebrate the first day of the new year in the most northerly capital city on the globe.
Get your Gamlarsdagur going off (Icelandic for New Year) by doing what the locals do – and having dinner together.
They’ve also been busy building huge bonfires – brenna – in their neighbourhoods, so tag along to one of those before heading into the centre for the fireworks.
Now there’s 200,000 people in the city, and they’ve got hold of 500 tons of fireworks for the evening.
They also get a bit over-excited (and who can blame them). So you might see them being set off well before midnight – we love the enthusiasm.
Tradition also says it’s the one night of the year when elves move house and cows can talk (that’s if they’re in the moo-d of course).
London Fireworks – London, England
NYE Fireworks 2014 (c)
Greater London Authority
Big Ben, The London Eye and Tower Bridge – three iconic world landmarks that act as a backdrop to what is now one of the world’s leading fireworks display.
If you want to get a prime spot alongside the river, then you have to buy tickets in advance.
But there’s also loads of places you can see them for free, like some of the central bridges and viewpoints like Hampstead Heath and Primrose Hill.
The 12,000 fireworks are launched from three big barges moored next to the London Eye.While Big Ben chimes in the display, GPS technology ensures the fireworks are ignited in exact synchronisation to the music.
We’ve put together a guide to what to expect when you visit London over New Years.
Times Square – New York, USA
Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball
Ah the city never sleeps, sounds like they’d throw a decent do.
And they’ve honed it over the years in the appropriately named, Times Square – with the first ball dropping in 1907.
They host a huge, crazy street party where everyone gazes at a ball descending as the clock chimes, before the confetti drops and the fireworks kick off.
The ball has a whopping 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles. It can display a palette of 16 million colours and endless patterns, which creates a kaleidoscope effect across the area.
If you’ve never been to the Big Apple before – we’ve put together a first timers guide to New York to point you in the right direction.
Where are you bringing in the New Year?
We’d love to hear where you think the parties at. Tell us your favourite places to kick off the next year in by leaving a comment below.
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