CELEBRATING NEW YEARS HERE
Here are 10 of our favorite beautiful places to celebrate New Years Eve:
December 31st in Mexico City
Like its sister event in Dallas, Lights All Night in Mexico City, Lights All Night is an electric extravaganza, with some of the top EDM and other live performances, the best light shows, and amazing art installations. It’s a spectacular way to welcome 2014.
Photo: Leandro Neumann Ciuffo. New Year’s Eve to Reveillon 2013.
2) Copacabana Beach
New Years Eve to Reveillon
Rio de Janeiro
Brazil
New Year's Eve to Reveillon is considered the world's largest and wildest New Year's celebration. It’s a free-for-all of seaside dancing and partying that continues well into the next day.
More than 2 million cariocas(Rio natives), all dressed in white, hang out along a half-mile stretch of the Copacabana Beach. It’s a gorgeous visual extravaganza.
Blending African rituals and local culture, this is the time when Brazilians pay homage to Iemanja, the goddess of the sea. The dress up their boats, toss white flowers into the sea, and spread gifts along the sands.
Enjoy the free concerts and midnight fireworks reflecting off the dancing ocean waves.
Photo: Courtesy of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay.
3) HOGMANAY
Edinburgh
December 30 - January 2nd
Hogmanay is the Scots word for the last day of the year. Enjoy the celebration in Edinburgh with a torchlight parade, followed by a carnival, film, concerts (this year featuring Billy Bragg, Charlatans, with local star K.T. Tunstall headlining), and a rocking street party.
Photo: Dal Lu. Sydney Fireworks.
4) SYDNEY FIREWORKS
Sydney, Australia
12.31.13
Perhaps the world's second-largest New Year's celebration is in Sydney, Australia. It is the first major city in the world to ring in the new year. And it boasts the world's largest fireworks display. More than $4 million in pyrotechnics, shot from 6 barges along 3 ½ miles of waterway, light up the sky and harbor.
The show lasts for 12 minutes, exploding with over 30,000 effects. No matter how many times I see it, I am totally blown away.
Throughout the day, every hour on the hour a cannon is fired from Fort Denison, mini-light shows unfurl, indigenous smoking ceremonies pop up, and aerial flyovers leave messages in the sky. When the booms are over and peace returns to the harbor, illuminated boats glide along the waterfront for the late-night Harbour of Light Parade, spanning a 9-mile route.
Photo: Trey Ratcliff. Hong Kong fireworks in the South China Sea.
5) HONG KONG FIREWORKS
Hong Kong
12.31.13
This year, Hong Kong promises that it will launch the largest ever countdown extravaganza in the Victoria Harbor on Dec. 31, with unprecedented fireworks features, including outrageous pyrotechnics, illumination and an eight minute-long musical performance.
The fireworks and pyrotechnics will be launched at six layers of different height, ranging from as low as 50 meters from the surface of the Victoria Harbor to 250 meters high. We bet it’s going to be way beautiful!
Photo: Othree. Taipei Firework Display.
6) TAPEI FIREWORKS
Taipei
12.31.13
Taipei 101 Tower, one of tallest skyscrapers in the world, is planning to celebrate the arrival of 2014 with a 218-second fireworks display, costing nearly $2 million in explosives. The Taipei 101 fireworks show was also chosen by CNN as one of the top 10 New Year's Eve fireworks displays in 2012.
Photo: Juska Wendland. Fireworks in Berlin New Years 2012.
7) BERLIN FIREWORKS
Berlin
12.31.13
Over one million people will be chanting the countdown to midnight and over 2,000 fireworks will light up the city of Berlin. Get ready for a gigantic street party, with live bands and a mind-boggling lightshow.
You’ll be dancing in the streets along a 2km "party mile" that stretches between the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) and the Siegessäule (Victory Column), with video screens, live music stages, party tents and refreshment stands along the way.
Photo: William Cheng. Dubai Fireworks.
8) DUBAI FIREWORKS
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
12.31.13
Dubai is gunning to break the Guinness Book of World Records for the Largest Fireworks on New Years. There will be three prime locations (The Palm, the Burj Khalifa and Jumeirah Beach) that will hold official 2014 NYE fireworks displays around Dubai so you can bear witness. See the location maps of Dubai NYE Fireworks 2014).
Photo: Icomei. Fireworks in Rome.
9) ROME NEW YEARS EVE
Rome, Italy
12.31.13
Fireworks and great performances of the most popular local bands rock the party at the Piazza del Popolo in Rome. The Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II, Piazza Navona, and the Colosseum are the most popular places where people gather to countdown and welcome the New Year
Enjoy the many concerts, or perhaps a pub crawl? Or a more refined soiree at the Villa Borghese, where people celebrate the evening in a traditional way with the classical music, fireworks show and some traditional Italian meal.
Photo: Remi. P. Paris Fireworks.
10) NEW YEARS EVE IN PARIS
Paris, France
12.31.13
Saint-Sylvestre, as the French call New Years Eve, is beautiful in the city of lights. The New Year celebration lasts for a whole month. It’s grand -- full of parties and masked balls. Feast upon seafood, foie gras and champagne. Dance your little heart out. Revel in the music. But don’t expect a typical fireworks show.
The people of Paris do not celebrate the evening with fireworks; instead they organize light show at the Eiffel Tower at twelve o’ clock. Although, you will find some unofficial fireworks events all across the city.
Photo: Courtsey of Reji. White Doves.
Read more about Beautiful Peace, as it relates to Arts/Design, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Place/Time, Mind/Body, and Soul/Impact in our posts throughout this week, including 10 New Books & Apps for Peace, Musing on Beautiful Peace, Beautiful Hot Chocolate Peace, and Peace Drone Sounding Louder.
Spread some peace and share your beautiful vision. Enter this week’s BN Competition. Our theme this week is Beautiful Peace. Send in your images and ideas. Deadline is 12.29.13.
Also, check out our special competition: The Most Beautiful Sound in the World! We are thrilled about this effort, together with SoundCloud and The Sound Agency. And we can’t wait to hear what you’ve got! Now closed for entries. Judging is in progress. Finalists announced and voting begins 01.02.14.
