A New Year.  New possibilities.  New commitments.  New resolutions.  Celebrations and customs may vary around the world, but in most places, New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest party days of the year. We are all waiting for this special night and carefully preparing for it. Countries around the world will be ringing in the new year soon with fireworks, festivals, friends, parties. That is a magical time when all of the cities around the world are more gloriously alive than they usually are. Here are the best cities to be for New Years Eve in order to have unforgettable New Years celebration.

If you’ve ever been to Barcelona, you’d know it has an energy and style unlike any other, and its New Year’s celebrations dip into that uniqueness that is Barcelona.  If dancing and partying until the first sunrise of the New Year sounds like it’s right up your alley, then you may want to celebrate with some of the greatest partiers in the world.  The Spanish culture of late meals and even later nights out don’t change just because it’s New Year’s Eve.  Unlike most other cultures around the world, the party in Barcelona doesn’t even begin until close to midnight, with the traditional eating of the twelve grapes during the twelve chimes of midnight.  It’s typically family time when the clock strikes twelve, then it’s off to the clubs to celebrate in style until the sun comes up on the New Year.

Boston’s First Night celebrations are very famous for its fireworks and ice sculptures. The fireworks take place around midnight over the river, but festivities begin days before. First Night Boston is the country’s oldest and largest New Year’s arts celebration. From 1pm to midnight, First Night presents a day-long festival of art, music, dance, ice sculpture, and fireworks. First Night is an alcohol-free event that welcomes children, families, and revelers of all ages.

Tokyo is the opposite of “Drink and Dance” concept. Japanese spend the ending days of the year while praying, cooking and cleaning. Japanese clean their houses to the last stains, from the inside and outside. They believe all the stains and everything bad should be removed in the passing year and the new one should be spent with only the good things and good thoughts. On the new year eve, a special kind of noodle dish is made called Toshikoshi Soba (New Years Eve Noodle). This is only made on 31st December, so make sure you don’t miss these.

Over twenty thousand young people cram on Haat Rin beach in Thailand to celebrate the new year. People from around the world dance, paint themselves up, and drink buckets of alcohol until the sun rises. It may not be as large as New York or Sydney or Tokyo, but for those who want to spend their new year on the beach, this place in Thailand is the only destination that should be on your mind.

New Years Eve in Vegas! A huge party on the Las Vegas Strip, tremendous fireworks over the hotels, light and sound shows at the Fremont Experience, best entertainers in the showrooms and great parties in the clubs – on New Years Eve Las Vegas is even more alive than you’ve ever seen it.

London is another popular place to party on New Year’s Eve and the UK capital offers a wide range of clubs, bars and restaurants to choose from. London has astonishing fireworks launched into the sky from the London Eye. The fireworks can be seen from rooftops and balconies all across London, but best views are from Westminster Bridge and the north embankment of the River Thames, opposite the London Eye.

Paris has great festivities – from high class dining to clubbing to fantastic fireworks to Champagne on the Champs-Elysees. The place to be is the Champs-Elysees. Around 9pm, people gather at the famous street and start to count down to the new year. Around midnight here, you can watch the Eiffel Tower’s light show. Montmartre is another fantastic place to ring in the New Year as its elevated and has spectacular views of the entire Paris skyline. While Paris doesn’t typically have a fireworks show, there are till great parties and many people light them off from the Champs-Elysees.

Traditional Toronto New Years Eve Bash at Nathan Phillips Square attracts many visitors to watch and listen to some of the hottest pop artists performing live. There are hundreds of performers and a lot of shows that are taken place around the city during New Years celebration.

A New York tradition since 1906, an estimated one million will people gather in Times Square this New Year’s Eve. The highlight of the evening is seeing the legendary crystal and electric light ball drop from the top of One Times Square. The event is free and apparently the fantastic atmosphere is definitely worth waiting around in the cold for. If you are thinking of going, arrive early and be prepared to be barricaded into areas where you’ll have to stay for the duration of the evening.

Rio de Janeiro holds one of the biggest New Year parties in the world. It’s estimated that around 2 million party-goers will meet on Copacabana beach this new year’s eve. The ‘Revellion’ event is held every year and here you can eat, drink, watch fireworks and dance into the early hours of the morning. Rio is famous for its partying and many visitors talk of the great atmosphere, weather, scenery and of course the beautiful people.

Sydney Harbour is the place to be if you find yourself down under for the New Year’s celebration.  The massive fireworks display is one of the main reasons people from all over the world come to Sydney to celebrate, so be sure to check out the vantage point map.  The more popular viewing places fill up early, so planning ahead and arriving as early as afternoon is essential.  There are plenty of restaurants and bars in the area hosting their own parties; check those out if you aren’t interested in battling the one million plus people that will be in and around the Harbour area.

Venice holds a very youthful celebrations of the New Year. Naples and Florence also arrange good parties but Venice takes the crown with its concerts and romantic environment. The whole city becomes a party rather than just one place. All the restaurants arrange special feasts, all the buildings are decorated with lights, and the fireworks become the icing on the cake.

If you don’t hate cold, how about going to the Alps, the most beautiful mountain range in the world. Switzerland arranges a big party on the new year’s eve at Lake Zurich. Over 200,000 visitors celebrate their new year at this lake watching a spectacular fireworks being launched from boats in the lake.

Reykjavik is a very trendy travel destination and New Year’s Eve would be a great time to experience this unique and happening city. Iceland has a reputation for having excellent night life, which might have something to do with their long dark nights. The celebrations on New Year’s Eve start with revellers gathering around a large bonfire in each quarter of the city then at midnight everyone watches a display of beautiful fireworks. Most then head down town to party until the early morning and many of the bars and clubs offer live music until at least 5am the next day.