It’s New Year’s Eve! Where will you be celebrating?
When our kids were little, we celebrated each New Year’s Eve by watching the ball dropping on Time Square, then we go to bed on California time. But about five years ago, inspired by an article in Travel and Leisure, I made a secret bucket list that involves celebrating New Year’s Eve in different places around the world. After all, New Year’s Eve only comes once a year!
Since then, I tried to plan our holiday vacation around New Year’s Eve. Most trips were close to home but we did make it to Asia one year:
- DisneyWorld. The park reached full capacity by 9am and it was nuts all day long! (READ MORE: My top 5 Disney tips for budget travelers)
- Key West, kids loved the town but we stayed away from Duvall Street after dinner.
- Las Vegas (without the kids). It was a mad house with lots of drunk people! Maybe I am just getting old.
- New Orleans without the kids. It was also a surprise trip for my husband for his big round birthday. NOLA was fun, but NYE there was just as nuts as everywhere else, plus many people in town one day early for the Sugar Bowl on New Year’s Day as well.
- Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta, where we spent many wonderful Christmas holidays and peaceful New Year’s Eve.
- Hong Kong, and it was so worth the trip!
Hong Kong — the best place I celebrated New Year’s Eve
With an extravaganza of light and sound display over Victoria Harbor, Hong Kong celebrates each New Year’s Eve with a spectacular count down. Growing up, I have always dreamed of being there!
During our trip to China over Christmas 2013, I purposely planned a two-day side trip to Hong Kong for New Year’s Eve. I wanted to be on the Kowloon side where the celebration takes place. I spent months looking at hotels and finally settled on the Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui for its beautiful Regency Club on the 23rd floor.
[Snagging an upgrade at the Hyatt Regency Tsim Sha Tsui]
I booked two club rooms using points and paid cash to upgrade one of the room to a suite. During the day, we did tourist stuff, enjoyed the delicious food, walked along the Avenue of the Star and soaked up the festivity in town!
Around 10:30pm on New Year’s Eve, we went to the Regency Club and secured our “prime spot” for the firework — a table by the window. The lounge offers a full view of Victoria Harbor and is the perfect place to watch the firework without being in the cold with a huge crowd! The firework lasted nearly ten minutes and totally lived up to my expectation. Since then, no matter where I am on New Year’s Eve, I couldn’t help but thinking of that night in Hong Kong,. It was magical!
What was the best place you celebrated New Year Eve?
If you google “the best place to celebrate New Year’s Eve”, you will find many lists including one by Travel and Leisure, Fodor’s Travel, Town and Country Magazine, and Food and Wine. This year, after spending two weeks in Florida visiting grandparents, including a couple days visiting the crowded and magical DisneyWorld, we finally got home yesterday. Everyone just wants to spend a quiet evening at home, watch the ball drop on Times Square and then go to bed. But I will keep dreaming, until the day I am in Sydney on New Year’s Eve!
Happy New Year!
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
You know, I had a similar experience as a kid. My family always watched Dick Clark host the concert in Times Square on TV and then did the countdown… then ate a nice light meal on the dining table to welcome the new year. Since then I’ve gone to parties with friends, etc. but nothing beats those days of simply experiencing the new year with family. I’d say those times were my favorite overall (no need to look for taxi or deal with UBER surge pricing; no one gets drunk; no $$$ cover charges, etc.)
Happy New Year!
I didn’t write this piece (Sharon did), but I agree. We hardly ever have gone out on NYE – our family tradition is watching a movie and drinking root beer floats
Two years ago our entire family (myself, my husband and five children) traveled to Australia for Christmas and New Years. We had a 13-hour layover in Beijing, where we saw the Great Wall of China, then we flew to Brisbane and spent two weeks traveling to Sydney, where we spent New Years Eve at Macquarie Point overlooking the harbor bridge and the opera house. It required getting in line at 9:00 am to be admitted to the park at noon, then we spent 12 hours waiting on a ledge with the perfect view in order to see the fireworks. Despite the complaints of the kids throughout the day, we all agree now that it was totally worth it! The entire trip was paid for with airline miles and hotel points, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to top that trip. An experience we’ll never forget!
How awesome! Thanks for sharing and I hope someday I will make it there with my family.
Waiting 3 hours in a line and then locked up in a park for 12 hours. That sounds like pure hell. The only thing worse would be to spend the night in jail.
I used to travel for New Years but not worth dealing with all the crowds. My best pace for New Years is at home with friends and family or at my cabin in the Smokie mountains.
To each their own.
Rio de Janeiro, 2000
Many years ago (2005 ?) I was at Enchantment Resort in Sedona, AZ, snowed-in in a red rock canyon with 200 strangers from around the world. Incredible views, great food and fascinating people. And outside the main party room, the most amazing silence … all the world seemed at peace as a light snow fell. Not a snow guy, but it was close to perfect.
New Years is not my favorite holiday- and I’m in the middle of the kids thing you were talking about. Have had some great ones around Blue Ridge, Ga. in rented cabins celebrating with friends with our kids and pre kids. Washington D.C. at The Willard last year was a favorite for me though! Others interesting ones were Atlanta, Destin, Fl., and Birmingham.
NEW YORK CITY
My last combat tire mission and on a plane stateside ! Never forget that one !
Was in Hong Kong last night for New Years. I would agree with you. With Sydney coming in as my second favorite !
Was in Hong Kong Dec 31, 2017. Stayed at the Intercontinental with a front row of the action from their restaurant balcony right on the waterfront. It was absolutely spectacular seeing it from that location. The fireworks were very loud and definitely the ultimate New Years Eve fireworks display. I don’t think anyplace tops Hong Kong, especially from where I viewed it. The view from the Hyatt Tsim Tsa Tsui is very nice but not as great as from the Intercontinental which is much closer to the action. I live in San Francisco and the NYE fireworks display is so lame and is a joke compared to Hong Kong. Even times square in New York is just a big yawn.
Yesterday in Bali. 10miles of beach front with thousands of amateur firework launch sites putting on a show from 8pm to 12pm. Crazy.
Last year it was Chiang Mai where 10000+ lanterns released into the sky. Airport closed, of course.
It was in the nineties, my girlfriend searched and found a new club to bring in the New Year. They were providing dinner and then champagne at midnight. We came across a colleague from my office and settled in at a table for a fun evening. It turned out that the club was an adult club and we soon had a stripper at our table. We were able to obtain a refund and exit, but with no reservation for the evening. We thought there might be a party at the Disneyworld Swan so we went there and it was packed. We were walking around and saw a stairway marked “No admittance”. We climbed the stairs and found ourselves on the inside of a pricy party. There was a live band, gourmet foods, free-flowing alcohol, along with party favors. And it was all FREE!
I was at Disney for the Millennium, also have spent New Years eve in Miami, on a cruise, skiing, Las Vegas but my favorite place for New Years Eve is home.
Hoping to make it to NYC or Vegas for New Years next year.
On a ferry as part of the parade of lights in Sydney. In my shirtsleeves since it is summer down under on New Year’ Eve.