Top 10 places to ring in the new year

By ShermansTravel editorial staff

updated 9:51 a.m. ET Dec. 30, 2008

3, 2, 1 ... Happy new year!

Whether counting down to 2009 at tried-and-true celebrations like New York’s annual Times Square extravaganza or by eating a grape for every stroke of midnight in Barcelona, your adrenaline is sure to be racing as 2008 winds down in our favorite places to ring in the new year.

We love the ultimate party city, Vegas, for its most over-the-top show of the year; partying hearty in Berlin's massive open-air fiesta; schussing the slopes of the majestic Rockies; and even standing under the breathtaking fireworks as they cascade over Sydney’s harbor.

Should you agree that one day of feting simply won't suffice, experience the celebration Scot-style, with merrymaking in Edinburgh that lasts four long days, or head to bustling Hong Kong to experience what's billed as the world's largest Chinese New Year celebration, spanning more than a week of festivities. Beach-lovers can also experience sandy revelry with a twist on Dec. 31 in Rio or Miami.

Aspen, Colo.
Snow bunnies will use any excuse to hit the slopes, and a New Year’s celebration is better than most. But, there’s way more than soft, wide mountain terrain to lure reveling holiday travelers to Aspen’s legendary runs.

This fabled, fabulous resort has long played host to the free-spirited and the Forbes/Fortune crowd who can’t get enough of the sophisticated action on and off the slopes. Whether schussing down the slopes of Snowmass or Aspen Highlands, dining on gourmet cuisine, or savoring martinis with the well-heeled, Aspen makes for a glittering Alpine getaway and a stylish end-of-year send off.

Barcelona, Spain
Don’t miss your siesta — Barcelona’s all-night New Year’s fiesta requires some stamina! The Spanish version of año nuevo kicks off with family and friends sharing a sumptuous meal and mucho vino at a private home or restaurant — the more exceptional restaurants, like Catalan-inspired Ca l’Isidre and upscale Jaume de Provença — must be booked well in advance.

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The onset of 12 a.m. means a frantic race to stuff your face with 12 good-luck grapes — one for each stroke of midnight. You’d be wise to concentrate on the task at hand: If you succeed at this long-standing Spanish tradition, you’re ensured a year of prosperity and good luck (otherwise, it’s said you’ll have a month of bad luck for every uneaten grape).

Once the last one is downed, crowds spill out into the Gothic Quarter and Las Ramblas, drawn by the pulsating music and chatter emanating from numerous bars and nightclubs. The action stays pumping until dawn — just in time to catch the first sunrise of the year on the beach, with some hot chocolate and churros in hand!

Berlin
Sure, winter in Berlin can be downright frigid, but the city’s schedule of adrenaline-pumping New Year's Eve activities warms spirited revelers right up.

Kick off the festivities long before the stroke of midnight at the Berlin New Year’s Eve Run — whether you lace up your sneakers or just join ranks to watch, this is guaranteed to be a race unlike any other. (The trophy goes not to the fastest runner, but to the most outrageously costumed!)

Afterwards, follow the crowds to the mile-and-a-quarter-long Silvester (New Year’s Eve) party, which unfolds between the iconic Brandenburg Gate and the Victory Column. Join over a million people at this mind-blowing bash complete with DJ towers, laser light shows, party tents, video screens, live bands and a fireworks show that brings in the new year with a bang.

Edinburgh, Scotland
This Scottish capital boasts one of the world’s biggest new year bashes: Hogmanay. At the close of each year, a four-day fête counts down to the big kahuna on Dec. 31, complete with parades, concerts, carnivals, dog races, firework shows and a slew of hedonistic events and parties.

Major international artists perform in the city center during the Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party on New Year’s Eve, while age-old national customs, like “first-footing,” are practiced all over town: Right after midnight, neighbors bring luck — and gifts of coal or shortbread — to their friends and family by being the first to set foot in their household in the new year.

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