Choosing where to spend New Year’s Eve is a major decision for most people, especially if you’re looking to celebrate it overseas. South America has steadily become a popular New Year’s destination because of its warm climate and electric party scene. Check out some of our expert travel advisor’s favorite Latin America destinations to spend New Year’s Eve.
How does dressing in all-white and being a part of the ‘The World’s Greatest Party’ on Copacabana beach sound? Well for over two million people, locals and travelers alike, the idea of spending New Year’s Eve in Rio de Janeirosounds like a dream come true. The New Year’s celebrations in Rio, concentrated on the Copacabana beach, are by far the biggest and most popular in all of South America. Brazilians often say, “God made the world in six days and on the seventh he created Rio de Janeiro.” The Copacabana stretch pays tribute to this, built on a narrow strip of land between mountain and sea its holds some of the most stylish shops, restaurants and nightclubs in all of Brazil; the perfect setting to come up with New Year’s resolutions.
Check out this spectacular view of Fireworks in Rio de Janeiro.
Rio’s New Year festivities are second only to their Carnival celebrations which are held in late February and for both events you can expect the city to be buzzing until the early hours of the morning. Rio’s New Year is however more than just partying; Brazilians are highly spiritual in their celebrations, a large majority of the crowd will be dressed in white as a way of paying tribute to the goddess of the sea.
Celebrating New Years in true ‘Carioca’ style means an incredible amount of Samba dancing all across the beach and perhaps even some jumping of Copacabana waves later on in the evening. Once midnight strikes, be prepared for some of the biggest and most colorful fireworks you’ll ever experience. Take it all in because there is no feeling quite like it as enviable eyes from all around the the world will be watching you welcome the New Year in style.
However, travelers looking to bring in the New Year in Rio, should make sure to plan ahead. Most hotels start taking reservations from August and have their prices noticeably inflated, making advanced planning all the more necessary on this once in a lifetime trip to Rio de Janeiro.
A popular alternative to New Year’s in Rio de Janeiro is the spectacular fireworks show along the coast ofValparaiso in Chile. Valparaiso is one of the country’s most historic towns and officially known as the Cultural Capital of Chile. Located 120 kilometers west from the capital, Santiago, Valparaiso or ‘Valpo’ is a city with a population of around 300, 000 tucked into the hills along the Pacific Ocean. The city has always been an important seaport and was a 19th century stopover for ships coming from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
This amazing photo was captured over the sea in Valparaiso Chile during their New Year’s Eve celebration.
New Year’s in Valparaiso is a three-day festival where millions of visitors descend to witness the famous fireworks display, the biggest in Latin America. Most travelers find accommodation along the coastline and hillsides where you can find panoramic views of the show. As a way of ensuring that everyone gets to witness the spectacle, just prior to midnight all the lights from the city blocks are turned off. The fireworks come from about 15 different launching points from within Valparaiso and along the coast of Vina del Mar. The show concludes with famous cascade of Valparaiso, a waterfall of sparks which shower down onto the water.
The views are perhaps the most memorable part of the experience and need to be seen by everyone at least once in their lifetime. Musicians and performers from all around the world arrive to perform at the Plaza Sotomayer, where the party continues until around 8 a.m. The streets of Valpo are filled with people drinking and dancing, as the locals pride themselves in being some of the happiest and the most hospitable people in all of Chile.
Similar to Rio de Janeiro, New Year’s in Valparaiso is incredibly popular with international travelers. It is again highly recommended that while planning your trip to Chile, you take this into consideration and book well in advance.
Enjoy the fireworks, friendly faces, and diverse culture of Rio de Janeiro or Valparaiso during your South America vacation. To learn more about how to make your New Year’s Eve incredibly memorable contact one of our travel experts to create a customized travel package.
0 comments:
Post a Comment