Best New Years Festivals Around the World

While we’ve already watching the ball drop from the top of One Times Square in New York City, an American tradition for most Americans for decades, on 2016, it’s not too early to think about where to ring in the New Year next year. Did you know there are even better parties than Times Square across the globe? If you’re dying to see how other cultures ring in the New Year, try spending next Dec. 31, at one of these destinations.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio is home to the world’s largest New Year’s Eve celebration, Reveillon. More than 2 million locals line the shores of Copacabana Beach for a spectacle celebrating lemanja, the goddess of the sea. Revelers dress in mostly white attire, as black is considered an omen, and party and dance the night away while the fireworks explode above.

Sydney, Australia

Australia has the honor of ushering in the New Year before the rest of the world, and do they do it in style. Sydney showcases the world’s largest fireworks display each year with 30,000 pyrotechnics bursting over the harbor across three miles and six different barges.

Edinburgh, Scotland

A lot of folks might argue ringing in the New Year sober is blasphemous, so if you’re going to do it right there’s no better place to drink then with the Scots. The drunken revelry in Edinburgh marks the celebration of Hogmanay, where thousands of locals and tourists take to the streets and let loose with traditional ceilidh. The following day is host to numerous events like the One O’Clock Run and the Looney Dook parade.

Paris, France

Champs-Elysees in Paris is one of the most famous streets in the world. The two-mile stretch becomes jampacked with partiers during New Year’s Eve all lining up to watch the fireworks overhead. The light displays engulf the street in brilliant displays of purple hue, but it can be hard to find any room.