New Year’s Eve 2026
Midnight is the one moment of the year when a city shows off. These ten do it biggest: the famous fireworks, the loudest streets, the traditions people fly in for. They are also the busiest places on earth that night, so every card ends with a calmer way to do it.
Sydney, New Year's Eve
Ranked by how famous and how big the night is. That is my call, not a score. The programs for this year are still being announced, so each card describes how the night has gone in recent years. Check the official site of the city before you book.
No. 1 · Australia
Two fireworks shows: a family-friendly one at 9pm and the main display at midnight over the Harbour Bridge. Free viewing spots in the Royal Botanic Garden and The Domain are first come, first served and fill early. Some vantage points are ticketed.
A calmer way: Go for the 9pm show. Same harbour, earlier night, a calmer crowd.
No. 2 · United States
The Times Square ball drop is the one everyone knows. Reports from past years put the crowd at over a million people, and the night is broadcast live across the US.
A calmer way: Brooklyn's Prospect Park has a free midnight fireworks show at Grand Army Plaza, with music from 10pm. An RSVP is recommended. Check this year's details with the park.
No. 3 · Brazil
Copacabana Beach turns into a free party, with concerts on several stages and a fireworks show of around 12 minutes at midnight. Estimates run to about two million people. The beach party and the fireworks cost nothing.
A calmer way: Book a hotel, bar or boat package instead of standing on the sand. Taxis and ride apps are hard to find near the beach after midnight.
No. 4 · United Kingdom
Fireworks along the Thames around the London Eye. Entry has been ticketed since 2014, with six paid viewing areas, and tickets are released in the autumn. The best areas sell out.
A calmer way: No ticket? A New Year's Eve cruise on the river is the usual alternative. Hampstead Heath is free, but a long way from the show.
No. 5 · United Arab Emirates
The centre of the night is the Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai. Burj Park is the paid viewing spot, and the free areas around The Dubai Mall fill early. In past years roads closed and the nearby metro station shut once it was full.
A calmer way: Watch from Kite Beach for the Burj Al Arab, or the Palm Jumeirah boardwalk for Atlantis. Both are free, and away from Downtown.
No. 6 · United Kingdom
Hogmanay is a festival of several days, not one night. The Street Party on Princes Street is ticketed and holds tens of thousands of people, and the fireworks go off over the castle at midnight.
A calmer way: Start earlier. The torchlight procession (usually on 29 December) and the Loony Dook swim on 1 January are the gentler parts of Hogmanay. Tickets sell out, so book when they go on sale.
No. 7 · Thailand
Countdown concerts and fireworks at CentralWorld, and a riverside show at ICONSIAM on the Chao Phraya. The city only allows fireworks at approved sites, and roads around central Bangkok close.
A calmer way: Book a river-view restaurant, cruise or rooftop bar well ahead. They fill weeks before, and late-night transport gets crowded.
No. 8 · United States
The Strip closes to cars and becomes one long walking party, with fireworks launched from the rooftops of several resorts at midnight. In past years police closed the main roads from the early evening.
A calmer way: You can watch from off the Strip. The Las Vegas Review-Journal has listed spots such as Desert Breeze Park. Expect to wait a while to leave after midnight.
No. 9 · Germany
The big party is at the Brandenburg Gate, with DJs and fireworks after the countdown. For the 2025 night it was free but needed a reservation, with space for 20,000 people. Details change every year and are announced in December.
A calmer way: Locals suggest Viktoriapark in Kreuzberg or the area around the Victory Column in Tiergarten for the fireworks, with more space.
No. 10 · Spain
At midnight Spain eats twelve grapes, one for each chime of the clock in Puerta del Sol. Thousands gather in the square, and around 25,000 come to the rehearsal, called the preuvas, on 30 December.
A calmer way: Do it like most of Spain: with friends and the clock on TV, as every channel shows the same square. Eat your grapes in a bar or at your hotel and skip the crowd.
Want a quieter start to the year?
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