New Year’s Eve is that final showdown of the year we’ve all enjoyed and loved. Celebrating NYE is all about saying goodbye to the year past and hello to the incoming year. That’s why it is important to find a great place to celebrate New Year’s Eve. If you have a standing date with your TV, plate of snacks and a pair of fuzzy cartoon slippers, forget this post. If you’re the type who likes to rock and roll on NYE, go on and read it. Many people are willing to travel across the world for that perfect NYE celebration and good for them! We’ve curated the best places for a sizzling NYE celebration in the United States – do check them out!
- Portland, Oregon
Portland teems with bars and nightclubs and other nightlife venues, not to mention the craft brew pubs! You can hole up in one of these with your buddies listening to live music or sign up for an epic NYE ball. The Portland Champagne Ball alone boats of four different themed rooms, 17 bars and 4 dance floors. A hot and cold buffet with plenty of dessert awaits you at any ball you attend along with party favors, photo booths, late night pizza, wine by the barrel and much more. The Portland Champagne Party allows you to dress up all fancy so you can put on your cool dude persona for just one night. If a ball isn’t your thing, go to the Pearl District and light up the night at the Teardrop Cocktail Lounge, the Big Legrowlski, or the Low Brow Lounge.
- New Orleans, Louisiana
Check out the New Year’s party night fever at Jackson Square in the historic French Quarter. Where else but in New Orleans, one of the best places to visit in USA for NY, can you wander around after dark, drink in hand, where the weather is still warm and friendly bars are open late into the night? Jazz music pours out of every door and bands and entertainers play their gigs throughout the night. On the 31st at midnight, the famous giant fleur de lis drops from the sky, spilling favors all over the main street. Fireworks burst over the Mississippi River and parties roar on into the wee hours of the New Year up and down Bourbon Street. Hop on to the Steamboat Natchez or the Creole Queen for a fireworks cruise! New Orleans is one of the top tourist attractions in USA.
- Las Vegas, Nevada
About half a million New Year celebrators descend on Las Vegas during NYE. In fact, the whole of the Las Vegas strip is shut down to traffic, and turns into one huge party central. At midnight on new year’s eve, all the casinos come together to launch a beautiful choreographed fireworks extravaganza that puts everything else you’ve seen till now to total shame. Clubs and pubs rock with hot live entertainment and the glittery costumes that people wear add to the overall glamor of Las Vegas on party night. Just make sure you procure tickets to parties early on coz they sell out quick.
- San Francisco, California
Don’t miss the spectacular bayfront fireworks extravaganza at SFO If you can, sign up for a boat cruise on the bay that comes with dinner, or brunch and plenty of fireworks. Make sure you attend at least one New Year’s Eve ball, for example the San Francisco Symphony’s posh Black and White Ball. There’s also the Passport to the World New Year’s Eve Ball, complete with live music, open bar, entertainers and multiple deejays. If you’re looking for something more chilled out, look up rooftop bars such as Twin Peaks, a high point from where you can enjoy fabulous views of the city and watch fireworks go off at midnight. SFO is one of the best vacation spots in the US.
- Chicago, Illinois
The best thing to do in Chicago on NYE is to take a dinner firework cruise off the bay. Head to Nay Pier and sign up for a cruise for your family and enjoy all the entertainment and partying you can handle. These cruises come equipped with a kaleidoscope of firework extravaganzas that are choreographed to music perfectly. Watch from your boat as the fireworks explode over Lake Michigan. If you want to party on land, sign up for the Chicago Resolution Gala and dance the night away. The Gala is an amalgamation of over 30 bars and buffet stations plus access to the Lakeview Terrace and Grand Ballroom.
- Los Angeles, California
If you’re in LA, don’t miss the huge NYE event in the downtown LA Grand Park. The party goes on all night and food trucks line up and live music bands and entertainers do their stuff till the wee hours of the morning. Alternatively, you can enjoy a sizzling NYE party at one of the several bars strewn around the city. If you like history, head to downtown and sign up for the Prohibition event at the historic Union Station. This is a Roaring ’20s-themed event complete with live jazz music from the era, burlesque dancers, deejays, and open bar. Head to the Queen Mary for an international-themed party with multiple bars, entertainers, music and midnight fireworks to cap it all off.
- Atlanta, Georgia
At Underground Atlanta, exactly at midnight, a 362-kilogram giant peach drops over the downtown shopping and entertainment district. Before this event which is Atlanta’s answer to the famous Times Square ball, people party like crazy. There’s plenty of food, drink, entertainers, big name deejays and big name live shows and bands. Admission is free! Check out other fabulous events in Atlanta, such as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl football game at noon on NYE. Then there are the Buckhead NYE Block Party and the Bungalow Ball parties as well. There is any number of choices in Atlanta, if you know which to pick.
- Honolulu, Hawaii
Attend a traditional luau at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, gyrating to the beats of the luau dance. The Waikiki Starlight Luau comes highly recommended. Head out to the Ala Moana Boulevard at Aloha Tower Marketplace and join in the annual New Year’s Eve party. There’ll be tons of rides, food trucks, deejays and live music. Fireworks at midnight will break over the pristine waters of Honolulu, a fabulous sight. The best place to enjoy the fireworks would be on a cruise – sign up for the Star of Honolulu or Dolphin Star for a fireworks cruise.
- New York City, New York
New York’s iconic Times Square is where most people will gather at midnight on NYE, even though there are over 100,000 places to enjoy a sizzling party and ring in the New Year. An official party pass gives you the right to glide onto premium open bars at Times Square in time to watch the ball drop. If you can, head to STK Rooftop to listen to a big name live DJ spinning the hottest tracks while admiring the views over the Hudson River. The Monarch Rooftop Lounge boasts magnificent views of the Empire State Building – another perfect place for a NYE party. NY celebrations in New York are so good; it’s well worth obtaining a US visa just for the purpose of enjoying the Times Square party!
- Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida
Florida is finally seeing some snow this year and it’ll be the perfect way to welcome Christmas and NY, which makes Florida one of the best US cities to visit this year. If you have kids, take them to Disney World for a sizzling NYE party that includes plenty of cool-looking food at Mulino Trattoria and Monsieur Paul, watching the fireworks from the California Grill dancing, drinking and jiving to a live big band at Atlantic Dance Hall. What’s more, if you can afford it, you can buy access to your own dessert bar and a bartender.
Conclusion
New Years is that time of the year that comes just once, bringing hope and joy and dreams of a better future. When you celebrate NY in a big way, you’re creating some wonderful memories to leverage during times when things don’t go as you plan. So do the NY thing with a blast and live full just for a day. Happy New Year!
