8 Fabulous Places to Spend January 1st ...

By Neecey

8 Fabulous Places to Spend January 1st ...

Would you rather spend January 1st nursing a huge hangover or doing something really fun? You could of course hit the New Year sales but so many start before Jan 1 these days. TV is boring and often New Year’s Day can be a bit of an anti-climax after all the fun of Christmas and New Year’s Eve. But not if you spend it in one of these places:

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1

The Bahamas: Junkanoo

The Bahamas: Junkanoo Held between 26th December and 1st January, the largest Junkanoo street parade takes place in Nassau Paradise Island. It's one of the best events of Jan 1st 2016, offering dancing and live music performed by teams of local dancers donning elaborate, spectacular costumes they spent all year making by hand. Parades, fireworks, delicious food and stunning beaches - what else do you need to make New Year's Day the best ever?

2

London, UK: New Year's Day Parade

London, UK: New Year's Day Parade If you happen to be in the United Kingdom at the end of the year and wondering where to spend January 1st, you cannot go wrong with London's amazing New Year's Day Parade. It kicks off a year of more British eccentricities with a bang, when more than 10,000 performers dressed up to the hilt take to the streets. Cheerleaders, acrobats, street actors, dancers and musicians representing all the London boroughs, not to mention a few nations dotted around the globe thanks to the Commonwealth connection, provide a colorful entertainment for spectators that starts at Piccadilly at noon and ends about 3 hours later in Parliament Square. It's been held for a good cause since 1987, having since then raised more than one and half million pounds for charity.

3

Scheveningen, the Netherlands: New Year's Day Dive

Scheveningen, the Netherlands: New Year's Day Dive The North Sea is not famous for being warm and welcoming, so running into the waves at Scheveningen's shores is not for the faint-hearted. The traditional baptizing of the new year is not unique to Scheveningen or the Dutch, but this is one of the biggest such events anywhere in the world. More than 35,000 sore heads plunge into the icy cold waters across the country, but 10,000 of them choose to do so in Scheveningen, making it the largest event of its kind.

4

Monterey Bay, California, USA: Seashore Sleepover

Monterey Bay, California, USA: Seashore Sleepover If you prefer to meet fishes in dry conditions, head to Monterey Bay's annual Seashore Sleepover, a great family favorite for New Year's Day at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It's the pajama party of a lifetime, offering an abundance of fun activities such as late-night nature movies, bedtime among the lovely ocean creatures and watching sea otters and humpback whales waving a friendly paw or fin at breakfast time, when you're standing at the Great Tide pool deck to greet the new year.

5

Vienna, Austria: New Year's Day Concert

Vienna, Austria: New Year's Day Concert Held by the controversial Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra on the first day of the new year, the concert is led each year by alternating conductors. The venue and orchestra are considered one of the finest of its kind anywhere in the world - despite past controversial decisions not to feature female musicians or conductors. Featuring a wide range of musical forms, from polkas and marches to waltzes, the concert aims to be a homage to the Strauss family and other famous Austrian composers. Held at the Great Hall of the Musikverein (Vienna Music Association), the event is very up-market, so dress in your glad rags and finery. There are several ballet performances for selected pieces and the whole event is broadcast to more than 90 countries in the world to the delight of 50 million music lovers.

Famous Quotes

One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity.

Albert Schweitzer
6

New York City, USA: Marathon Poetry Reading

New York City, USA: Marathon Poetry Reading In vino veritas, in wine lies truth: if drinking the night before has left you not with a sore head but one brimming with new ideas for poetry, this is the place for you. The Poetry Project hopes to foster, inspire and promote the reading and writing of contemporary poetry and for this purpose hosts a 12-hour poetry marathon each year. Since 1974, when the first event was held, the marathon reading has seen such literary giants as Patti Smith, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and the likes of Yoko Ono on its stage. Around 140 artists, from terrified newbies to seasoned poets, take to the stage for this memorable art event every year.

7

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK: New Year's Day Triathlon

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK: New Year's Day Triathlon Whereas most people would rather pull their duvet over their heads and continue with their slumbers, some sporty types cannot resist a challenge and must participate in Edinburgh's famous New Year's Day Triathlon. Starting comparatively gently with a 400m swim, the race then cranks up the pace a bit by demanding contestants do an 11-mile cycle ride followed by a 3.5-mile run. Not a feat done lightly with a New Year's Eve hangover! Astonishingly about one third of every New Year's Day Triathlon are newbies. Little athletes can participate in a parallel run "duathlon", which is designed for children aged 8 to 15.

8

Tokyo, Japan: Imperial Palace New Year's Day

Tokyo, Japan: Imperial Palace New Year's Day While many people follow the tradition of Hatsumode, which is the first visit of the year to a temple or shrine, not everybody flocks to Tokyo's Meiji shrine, which is located in one of the few large wooded areas still existent within city limits. Admittedly, about 3 million of Tokyo's inhabitants do so, but some prefer to visit the Imperial Palace's inner grounds instead. New Year's Day is one of only two days out of the entire year when the inner sanctum of Japan's royalty is open to the public.

What’s on your menu for New Year’s Day?

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Where Thoughts and Opinions Converge

We're going to be in Edinburgh. Going to be fab!

These all look such fun.We're doing the London parade this year. Looking forward to it. 

Interesting

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