A couple of French cities are taking similar precautions.
In Stasbourg, locals and visitors will be banned from buying and drinking alcohol in public from midnight on New Year’s Eve. The ban will be lifted on January 1st at midday.
A curfew has also been put in place for anyone under the age of 16. Those accompanied by a parent or ‘representative of parental authority’ must be home by 10pm on December 31st.
Further south in Lyon, the consumption of alcohol is banned in public from 5pm on December 31st to 11am on January 1st.
The sale of alcohol is banned between 8pm on 31 December and 9am on 1 January. Selling, buying, or transporting fireworks will also prohibited from 6am on 30 December to 6am on 3 January.
In Japan, two of the capital’s most popular nightlife districts – Shibuya and Shinjuku – have introduced restrictions on big gatherings and public drinking over Christmas and New Year’s.
The crackdown isn’t new, having been implemented during Halloween celebrations this year. Its aim is to curb overcrowding and rowdy behaviour in the popular party zone.
Surprisingly, though, Shibuya has announced that its renowned New Year’s Eve celebrations are cancelled altogether. Looks like visitors and locals will have to find a new domain.
If all of this caution is killing your vibe, there is one incredible place where you can drink and set off fireworks to your hearts content.
Now considered a ‘bucket list’ New Year’s location, Edinburgh in Scotland is the place to be thanks to its multi-day Hogmanay celebration.
‘Hogmanay’ is the Scottish word for the last day of the old year. In Edinburgh, New Year’s Eve is no small occasion, with locals and visitors partaking in an outdoors bash unparalleled by any other European city.
It’s also worth mentioning that New Year celebrations in Scotland last an additional day, with an extra public holiday on January 2nd. Based on this alone, many people will likely be thinking the Scots have got it right!
The start of the four-day Hogmanay festivities are marked by the blazing Torchlight Procession on December 29th. The procession is made up of 20,000 participants who carry large torches alit with fire while parading through the city’s old town.
Those partaking can purchase a torch on arrival, with £2 from each torch sold and £1.50 from each ticket being donated to charities including One City Trust, When You Wish Upon A Star, Social Bite, and Simon Community Scotland.
Hogmanay hits its peak on Princes Street, where people gather for a street party like no other, containing live music, bagpipes, drummers, street performers, and street food.
To ensure the safety of attendees, Princes Street and all surrounding streets are closed off to vehicles. The number of tickets sold is also capped to prevent overcrowding.
Finally, at midnight, a dazzling firework show is launched from the city’s famous castle, making for a real spectacle. Last year marked the Hogmanay celebration’s 30th anniversary of being celebrated on Princes Street.
So, despite many cities looking to tame local New Year’s Eve festivities in the name of public safety, others will continue the tradition of going all-out for this once-a-year celebration while ensuring that sufficient safety measures are put in place.
Will you be adding Edinburgh to your bucket list?
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