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New Year’s Eve Family Vacations: 7 Places to Welcome 2019

New Year's Eve Family Vacations: Hong Kong

Celebrate the new year with your family by heading somewhere new. Skip the livestreams and house parties, and head elsewhere for a New Year’s Eve family vacation everyone is sure to enjoy. 

London

New Year's Eve Family Vacations: London
New Year’s Eve Family Vacations: London (Flickr/Giggling Gigi)

London, England knows how to throw a party and New Year’s Eve is no exception. Before the party, you can take the kids to the British Museum , London’s fun-filled box of surprises. They’ll be amazed at the sight of preserved Egyptian mummies and the iconic Rosetta Stone.

Then, enjoy a three-hour extravaganza where locals and tourists alike gather around the River Thames. Join in singing, dancing, and witness an incredible fireworks display as Big Ben chimes in the new year. The next morning, bundle up and head outside to see the London’s iconic New Year’s Day Parade.

Osaka, Japan

New Year's Eve Family Vacations: Osaka, Japan
New Year’s Eve Family Vacations: Osaka, Japan (image via Pixabay)

Families with kids should head to Universal Studios Japan for the 2018 New Year’s Eve Countdown Party. Catch high-energy performances on the outdoor stage and welcome in 2018 alongside all your favorite characters! Cap off this fun-filled day of rides and shows with a stunning fireworks show.

Don’t waste the last of 2017 in line, and book your tickets ahead over here! This special New Year’s Eve pass gives you and your family 26 hours of unlimited holiday fun!

Hong Kong

New Year's Eve Family Vacations: Hong Kong
New Year’s Eve Family Vacations: Hong Kong (Flickr/Michael Elleray)

Few cities can out-do Hong Kong’s New Year’s Eve celebration. The event begins as early as 8:00pm, with the Symphony of Lights display that illuminates 45 buildings across the Hong Kong skyline. Take in  one of the world’s best fireworks shows, a spectacular 8-minute extravaganza over Victoria Harbour, as you countdown to 2018.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

New Year's Eve Family Vacations: Chiang Mai, Thailand
New Year’s Eve Family Vacations: Chiang Mai, Thailand (image via Pixabay)

Thailand is always a great place for a family vacation. With its abundance of interesting sights, cheap food, and shopping options, everyone in the family will be entertained. In between visits to the elephant sanctuary, join in the New Year’s Eve tradition of lighting a sky lantern with your hopes and dreams. Head to the Tha Phae Gate and purchase a paper lantern for around 40 -60 Baht. Teach the kids how to make a wish and release their lanterns for them, as they can get quite hot. Make heartfelt wishes for everyone’s health and wellness with grandparents and older relatives. Feel the sense of childlike wonder as you glimpse hundreds of illuminated New Year’s lanterns floating into the night sky. 

Sydney, Australia

New Year's Eve Family Vacations: Chiang Mai, Thailand
New Year’s Eve Family Vacations: Sydney, Australia

As one of the first countries to enter into 2018, Sydney shows the rest of the world how it’s done. All day long, the city is filled with fun live performances for the whole family. The highlight is the Harbour of Light Parade, where over 50 illuminated boats cruise along the Sydney Harbour. Be part of the show when you book a Sydney New Year’s Eve Fireworks Cruise, and catch the brilliant midnight fireworks display.

 

Niagara Falls, Canada

New Year's Eve Family Vacations: Niagra Falls, Canada
New Year’s Eve Family Vacations: Niagra Falls, Canada (Wikimedia/Coolhandchuck)

Spend your holiday family vacation in Canada, and stick around for the New Year’s Eve Extravaganza at Niagara Falls! From grandparents to  grandkids, the whole family will enjoy this outdoor celebration. Catch the New Year’s Eve Concert, which showcases international performances, as well as lots of food and drinks to go around. Join the crowd in a new year’s countdown, and as the clock strikes midnight, over 2,000 pounds of fireworks are set off over at Victoria Park, overlooking the falls.

Northern Lights

New Year's Eve Family Vacations: Northern Lights at Yellowknife, Canada
New Year’s Eve Family Vacations: Northern Lights at Yellowknife, Canada (Flickr/Xander CC BY 2.0)

Maybe New Year’s Eve fireworks isn’t a cool thing to watch according to your family. Keep your celebration just as exciting when you catch the Northern Lights (READ: Now’s Your Best Chance to See the Northern Lights). Before you do, make sure the kids are properly dressed for the cold weather. Keep them entertained with igloo building, crafting snowmen, skiing and sledding around the area.

Then, take advantage of the dark, cloudless skies of December to see this spectacular natural light show that’ll put any pyrotechnic show to shame. Snuggle up with the whole family in a cozy cabin in Yellowknife, Canada for an unforgettable New Year’s vacation.

Family vacations never have to be boring! Keep posted for more New Year’s Eve travel ideas here at KKday. Check out more links below:

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