Where to spend New Year's Eve 2022 and where to celebrate New Year's Eve 2023?
After two years of cancellations and restrictions, 2022 marks the return of festivities to the cultural programs of Europe's largest capitals and festive cities accessible within a few hours of flight.
It's time to make up for lost time, dress up and toast to the fireworks of Europe's finest festivals.
Tour of the most beautiful New Year's Eve in the world.
Thematic New Year's Eve in London
In London, you can admire the fireworks, fired from the banks of the Thames.
Stewart Marsden
In London, the party starts early.
During the holidays, the theaters of the West End put on performances of the most legendary musicals.
The evening begins in unusual restaurants, starred or with a view.
It continues in pubs, clubs, cocktail bars, themed bars and
rooftop bars
.
The atmosphere is electric and trendy in Soho, vintage in Shoreditch, techno and punk in Camden Town.
Concerts, DJ sets, activities, fancy dress parties…everywhere the bars compete in imagination to impress night owls and
nightclubbers
.
In stereo, Big Ben's chime counts down and rings in the new year.
The luckiest will have their ticket for the fireworks, fired from the banks of the Thames, with Big Ben and the London Eye in the background (new batch of tickets going on sale in early December 2022).
Read alsoFive chic hotels to discover London with the family
Even for those who haven't won the sesame, the party promises to be crazy in a city that is bubbling with parties and parties.
The disappointed will follow the live broadcast of the fireworks in the boosted atmosphere of a pub, will see it during a dinner cruise or a gala evening on the Thames.
And, far from the glare of the fires, several institutions organize huge parties.
The celebration continues on January 1 with the New Year's Day Parade, the unmissable costume parade, as well as concerts in churches and performance halls.
Viking and Gaelic Eve in Edinburgh
During the evening of December 31, the famous Hogmanay festival is an opportunity to take part in various concerts and dance shows in the city.
alice_photo
The Scottish New Year, a cocktail of ancestral customs and trendy evenings, lasts 3 days!
On December 30, the torchlight procession parades in a luminous river on Edinburgh's Royal Mile to Holyrood Park, accompanied by drums and bagpipes.
On New Year's Eve, the Hogmanay festival, inherited from the celebrations of the winter solstice, takes the form of a street party with Viking accents.
Meet at the foot of the castle, on Princes Street, before a concert given in the West Princes Street gardens (access by reservation).
In the streets, parties are broadcast on giant screens, open-air bars create the atmosphere, and music groups perform on improvised stages, when the bars program
ceilidh
, ball-shows of music and folk dances.
The “Midnight Moment” sounds the kick-off of a pyrotechnic show in front of an audience of revelers with luminous bracelets (on reservation).
On January 1, the more adventurous set off for South Queensferry for the Loony Dook, the plunge into the River Forth.
The more cautious join the parade of Dookers on the High Street.
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Festive and superstitious New Year's Eve in Barcelona
In Barcelona, the tradition is to swallow grapes one by one to the rhythm of the twelve strokes of midnight.
Jack F
Barcelona's nightlife is one of the most intense in the world.
On December 31, during the
Nochevieja
, night owls jostle more than ever in tapas bars, take up residence on the terraces, dance in bars and nightclubs.
The passage of the new year is celebrated in the Spanish way: while the carillon strikes the 12 strokes of midnight, tradition or superstition dictates that we swallow grapes one by one, to the rhythm of the strokes.
Swallowing the 12 grains in time is synonymous with 12 months of luck and prosperity.
In the Poblenou district, the Torre Agbar marks each stroke of midnight by changing color.
This is followed by a pyrotechnic sound and light show, given next to the magic fountain of Montjuïc.
Read alsoWhere to sleep in Barcelona for less than 150 euros per night?
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Zen, trendy or frosty New Year's Eve in Amsterdam
Go to Amsterdam to spend a peaceful New Year, strolling along the illuminated canals.
Fokke Baarssen
New Year's Eve in Amsterdam is first celebrated in the peaceful image of the canals, in Zen mode, by walking the streets and the banks, on foot or by bike.
Above all, partygoers flock to the bars and nightclubs of a city known for its hip clubs and techno scene.
For families, the Amsterdam Winter Paradise village (open until 3 a.m.) presents musical performances and offers winter activities in a fairground atmosphere: Christmas stands, ice rink, sledge, Ferris wheel, rides, cross-country skiing, etc.
The more sporty slide on the open-air skating rink at Museumplein (open until 1 a.m.).
A countdown is made there, and a fireworks display is fired at the fateful hour, among several others.
The best spots to admire them are Rembrandtplein, Dam Square, Leidseplein and Nieuwmarkt.
Read alsoTwo days in Amsterdam, from the classic Jordaan to the very fashionable De Pijp district
Jazzy, alternative or
underground
New Year's Eve in Berlin
Head to the Brandenburg Gate to join the party in Berlin.
The most revelers will end the night in one of the many clubs in the city.
BerlinPictures
The epicenter of Berlin's
Silvester
(New Year's) festivities is at the Brandenburg Gate, home to what is known as one of the largest New Year's Eve festive gatherings in the world.
The party is in full swing on Pariser Platz transformed into an open-air concert hall (access by reservation).
On the program: entertainment and musical shows.
When the New Year comes, Berlin keeps its reputation as a night owl.
Street Eve gives way to feverish evenings.
Clubbing reaches its climax in alternative Berlin: in the bobo district of Prenzlauer Berg, and bohemian Kreuzberg, bastion of “
multi-kulti
” Berlin and haunt of students.
Apart from the jazz clubs which are legion, the techno scene flourishes in Friedrichshain, stronghold of dancing Berlin.
Night owls take off for
underground
trips to the very select clubs of this district, emblem of Berlin's marginality.
Read alsoWhere to sleep in Berlin for less than 150 euros per night?
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Romantic New Year's Eve in Prague
Several fireworks will be set off in Prague on the evening of December 31.
Do not miss the castle one, which you can admire from the old town or the Charles Bridge.
Sergii Figurnyi
Praque seduces lovers for a New Year's Eve placed under the sign of romanticism.
The "city of a hundred steeples" is one of the most beautiful old towns in Europe, with its multicolored Baroque monuments and Gothic churches linked by cobbled streets.
The charming cabins of the Christmas markets remain open, and the lucky ones will even see the steeples covered in a blanket of snow.
Lovers spend happy hours in a brasserie or a medieval tavern, during a river cruise on the Vltava, to the sound of jazz or a DJ set, or in trendy nightclubs.
Partygoers on a pub crawl stop in the squares and on the banks of the river.
Highlights of the celebrations, several fireworks are fired, the most majestic being that of the castle.
Crowds gather in Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square, but the festivities light up the entire city, from sidewalk cafes to the hills of Letná and Petřín, Charles Bridge and the Vltava quays.
Read alsoCreative or gourmet, 20 addresses to discover Prague like a local
Baroque and spa New Year's Eve in Budapest
Some thermal baths open their pools every year for
sparties
on New Year's Eve.
GezaKurkaPhotos
The “Pearl of the Danube” puts on a show during dinner cruises and gala dinners on the river.
These formulas offer a panorama of the Baroque buildings, the Parliament, the castle and the Chain Bridge.
But behind the baroque facades, the party resounds in the countless beer and wine bars, and in the clubs, chic or popular,
mainstream
or more
underground
.
Budapest makes partygoers swim in happiness.
Thermal baths are an integral part of the Hungarian way of life, and New Year's Eve is no exception.
Some establishments open their pools for
sparties
(combination of "spa" and "party").
That of the Szécsényi baths is among the most prominent.
During this midnight swim, under multicolored lights, bathers sway their hips in an electro evening sprinkled… with thermal water.
They play, immersed in the outdoor pool, the first game of chess of the year.
Read alsoThe baths of Budapest: our best addresses for thermal baths in the Hungarian capital
Polar and Boreal New Year's Eve in Reykjavik
In Reykjavik for the New Year, you may be lucky enough to observe the sublime Northern Lights.
Marc Jedamus
In Iceland, New Year's Eve is celebrated with your feet in the snow and your eyes fixed on the sky.
In a polar fairyland, Reykjavík sees the Northern Lights give the spectacle of New Year's Eve.
Besides the sky, the ground also shines brightly.
Between 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Reykjavíkoans gather in the streets for bonfires.
And throughout the evening, they shoot off fireworks by the thousands, with the majority of the revenue from firework sales going to search and rescue teams.
Some of the best spots to view these explosive festivities include Hallgrímskirkja Church, Perlan Geothermal Reservoir, Lake Tjörnin and the city's heights.
This endless polar night continues during private parties in bars, clubs and discos.
Read alsoIceland, land of volcanoes: our best activities
Oriental New Year's Eve in Marrakech
With pleasant temperatures and numerous folklore shows, Marrakech is one of the most exotic medium-haul destinations for the New Year. Maurizio De Mattei
The ocher city of Marrakech is one of the most beautiful medium-haul destinations in the East to celebrate the New Year, in an atmosphere worthy of the
Thousand and One Nights
.
Meet for a parenthesis of oriental magic in the shelter of a riad in the medina, around the pool of a patio or on a roof terrace, in a club or even an open-air restaurant-lounge, at the shelter of a palm grove.
The party is lived in the middle of
live bands
, troupes of folk dancers and snake charmers, under the notes of traditional instruments and dinghies.
Read alsoMarrakech: the most beautiful hotels for a charming stay in the Palmeraie
Mythical New Year's Eve, river or sports in New York
Fancy a festive and unforgettable New Year's Eve?
Every year, no less than a million people gather in Times Square to move on to the next year.
lazyllama
Every year in New York, nearly a million people celebrate New Year's Eve in Times Square.
The star of the party is the
Times Square Ball
, a geodesic sphere, a sort of giant disco ball, which makes the show and the countdown.
The year starts with a shower of confetti and fireworks.
The evening and the night pass to the rhythm of video projections, concerts,
live
performances and star appearances.
Outside of Times Square, other fireworks are set off in a plume of entertainment, such as at Prospekt Park in Brooklyn.
The spectacle can also be admired from the observatories and
rooftops
of skyscrapers.
Lovers of calm will opt for a cruise on the Hudson;
the most athletic, for the NYRR Midnight Run, a 4 km race in Central Park, decorated with disguises, parades and DJ sets.
Read alsoThe ten most beautiful views of New York to gain height
Tips for these New Year's Eve
The key words: organization, planning, and booking.
Most of these events, private or special parties are only accessible by reservation.
Quite often, establishments - restaurants, cruise ships, bars and clubs - only open their doors to ticket holders.
It is better to book as far in advance as possible, as they fill up quickly. Similarly, municipalities regulate and restrict access to open-air festive spaces set up for concerts and fireworks.
To escape traffic restrictions and hope to have a better view of the events, it is advisable to arrive on site as soon as possible.