10 Best New Year’s Eve Destinations for 2025-2026

Sydney dazzles with celebrations and beauty during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer and the festivities surrounding New Year.

The entire city erupts with joy as different neighborhoods provide ways to engage with its cultural history, landmarks, and vibrant daily life, before witnessing one of the world’s most advanced fireworks spectacles over Sydney Harbour.

Whether visiting Sydney to embrace vintages during an Australia wine tour, cruising in one of the boats that line the waterways on a Sydney tour, or enjoying a picnic with a view of the bridge before the extravagant light show during an Australia family vacation, Sydney embodies the wonders of a New Year’s Eve celebration with enthusiasm and perfect beach weather.

Learn more: Australia Tours & Vacations • Australia Travel Guide

Rio de Janeiro blossoms on New Year’s Eve, as the city and country embrace the warmth of summer in the Southern Hemisphere.

The Reveillon celebration swings into action across the beach, where participants infuse religious, traditional, and superstitious customs with live music, before the night sky erupts with fireworks.

Little rafts float on the ocean with offerings to the sea goddess, while the city indulges in a passion for life and the promises of the year to come. You can explore more ideas of what to do and what food to try with our answers to the most frequently asked questions about visiting Brazil.

Learn more: Brazil Tours & Vacations • Brazil Travel Guide

New Year’s Eve in Buenos Aires can feel like the ultimate family affair or an exceptional celebration of life in an elegant and beguiling city. Fireworks fill the sky with light and grandeur as locals bask in the dancing colors from rooftop restaurants and cafes, with more exciting flavors emerging in the foods you should try when visiting Buenos Aires.

Music often fills the streets in trendy neighborhoods and tango shows can instill the night with the essential spirit of Argentina. Whether looking for a quiet corner in which to share a stolen moment at midnight or eager to participate in the enthusiastic ambiance for which the city is known, Buenos Aires can offer your preferred New Year’s celebration, especially when attached to an Argentina wine tour or luxury Argentina experience.

Learn more: Argentina Tours & Vacations • Argentina Travel Guide

Fireworks, barges floating down the River Thames, the circling views from the London Eye, and the iconic skyline accentuated by Big Ben create London’s allure on New Year’s Eve.

Concerts, balloons, light displays from the Shard, and the endless bustle of Trafalgar Square provide a promising and eventful evening for locals and visitors to celebrate.

Whether interested in bringing in the New Year with a five-course meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant or wishing to wander the celebrated city to find famous architecture and traditional teas during an enchanting England family vacation, London is a timeless destination in which to celebrate the new year.

Learn more: England Tours & Vacations • England Travel Guide

Paris is the ideal destination for romance or family intrigue for a memorable New Year’s Eve celebration. The City of Light shines brightly beneath the night sky as the Eiffel Tower glistens with changing colors and the Champs-Elysee blossoms with an evening bustle in which to enjoy late-night dining and drinks.

The distinct arrondissements feel like a collective celebration long after midnight, with cruises gliding down the Seine River, cabaret artists singing, and classic performances embodying the grand history of a city that feels endlessly inspiring. Discover the best of it during a Paris vacation package for the new year or when finding new possibilities with our France vacation ideas.

Learn more: France Tours & Vacations • France Travel Guide

The Acropolis looms large over the ancient city as a symbol of Western civilization and an illustrious image that helps shepherd in the new year in Athens.

Greek flair and passion fill the cafes and spill into the streets, with dance performances, rooftop cocktail parties, colorful fireworks, and multi-course meals that celebrate the long tradition of cosmopolitan culture in the country’s capital city.

Whether joined as an Athens & Santorini tour or experienced before a Greek island hopping adventure, you can find quiet retreats in neoclassical architecture or explosions of color above ancient monuments to reveal Athens as a city that embraces the pleasures of life on New Year’s Eve.

Learn more: Greece Tours & Vacations • Greece Travel Guide

New Zealand in December is a season of exciting summer adventures in the Southern Hemisphere, embodied in Gisborne on New Year’s Eve, one of the first places in the world to witness the initial rays of the new year.

The city on the East Cape of the North Island hosts the Rhythm & Vines festival, while beaches and celebrated restaurants create the perfect opportunity for an effortless celebration. Sheltered valleys, warm and dry weather, and a combination of Maori and settler history add authentic local culture to your celebration.

The natural beauty connected to the great walks of New Zealand, mouthwatering culinary experiences, music paired with wine during the popular festival, and ideal excursions for couples or tailored tours for family vacations, seniors, or romantic travelers make Gisborne the perfect place for a New Year’s experience, no matter your travel preferences.

Learn more: New Zealand Tours & Vacations • New Zealand Travel Guide

Cape Town shines with the summer light of the Southern Hemisphere on New Year’s Eve, with the final sunset of the year easily visible from the top of Table Mountain.

Festivities embody the lively ambiance of one of South Africa’s most famous destinations, as fireworks burst over the V&A Waterfront, live music echoes above the wildflowers in Kirstenbosch Gardens, and Georgian-Victorian architecture betrays elegantly modern interiors along Kloof Street.

From jazz to culinary mastery, the neighboring Winelands to safaris, Cape Town on New Year’s Eve offers endless possibilities during a Cape Town tour.

Learn more: South Africa Tours & Vacations • South Africa Travel Guide

Marrakech brings the mysterious and exotic to life on New Year’s Eve, where the colors and majesty portrayed in cinema become tangible.

Preserved mansions offer access to luxuries, while Djemaa El Fna Square brims with storytellers, dancers, magicians, and fire performers. The best places to visit in Marrakech further enhance the marvelous ambiance building up to the celebrations.

Restaurants celebrate with patrons and fireworks speckle the night sky above minarets. From live music to private dinners and the daily magic the city captures, Marrakech brings effortless charm and wonder to any New Year’s Eve celebration.

Learn more: Morocco Tours & Vacations • Morocco Travel Guide

New Year’s Eve sparkles with excitement and light across the world, but Chiang Mai glistens with beauty as paper lanterns drift into the night sky to celebrate the end of the past and promise good luck for the future, especially during a luxury Thailand experience.

Locals and tourists gather along the banks of the Ping River to guide lanterns into the air at midnight as participants cheer, before fireworks create a spectacular backdrop in a city surrounded by woodlands and accentuated by aromas embraced during Thailand food tours.

Others gather at the North Gate to enjoy the musical nightlife and diverse spread of restaurants. No matter how you choose to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Chiang Mai, the city can feel authentic and enchanting.

Learn more: Thailand Tours & Vacations • Thailand Travel Guide

New Year’s Eve is a time to end the previous year with a celebration of exciting times to come, and the right destination can help create the perfect ambiance in which you can do so.

From festivals to floating lanterns, quiet mountain retreats to gilded beaches, the best spot for you to visit for New Year’s Eve 2024-2025 will depend on your preferences and goals. You can find more inspiration for your seasonal travel with our winter vacation ideas and holiday season travel - where to go this year.