It’s only hours away from 2013. By now you should have a bottle of champers in the fridge and your party clothes ready! Here’s to a fabulous 2013, and some great New Year’s Eve parties tonight.
Looking back at New Year’s Eves past, Getaway staff members recall their most epic celebrations.
Jacqueline Lahoud, Getaway publisher
My favourite New Year’s Eve was on the beach in Sea Point: no immediate crowds, just the sounds of the city, parties in the distance, waves lapping on the beach and then fireworks at V&A.
Cameron Ewart-Smith, Getaway editor
My wife and I once had an awesome New Year with a whole group of fellow travellers in Bariloche in the Lake District of Argentina.
Chris Davies, Getaway digital project manager
My most exotic New Year’s Eve was in India where we celebrated the millennium in a small, slightly grubby roof-top restaurant overlooking the beautiful Lake Pichola in Udaipur, Rajasthan. Two of our friends were battling a bad case of Delhi belly, but we managed to make it to midnight none-the-less, as a massive firework display lit up the Jag Mandir palace and Lake Palace Hotel.
Dylan Kotze, Getaway photography editor
I’ve spent two New Year’s eve-ses in Tofo, Mozambique. Morning dives, fish braais and beach parties is a great way to spend any day, but live local music, Tipo Tinto and sideways fireworks makes New year’s in Tofo (un)memorable.
Sarah Duff, Getaway web editor and photojournalist
My best New Year’s Eve was spent on a 50-sleeper houseboat on Lake Kariba with a great group of friends that I’d road trippped through Zimbabwe with. We watched the sun set over the lake (with G&Ts) on the roof of the boat, saw the New Year in (with copious amounts of JC Leroux) with some wild partying on our self-made dance floor and skinning dipping in the jacuzzi-sized house boat pool, and watched the sun rise (with Bloody Marys) from fishing tender boats.
Adel Groenewald, Getaway online journalist
As it goes every year, we hadn’t actually organised anything concrete until about a day or two before New Year’s. Luckily a friend had an uncle with a farm and we all set up camp next the the most beautiful dam, complete with waterlilies, foefie slide and paddle boats. The whole day was spent acting like children and the party just became more and more fun as the sun set and the millions of stars came out. It felt like we were the only people on earth when the clock struck 12.
Basil Scordilis, Winemag.co.za intern
My best New Year’s was spent eating breakfast at a closed restaurant with more than one bottle of MCC at 6am on a wine farm after a heavy night shift of waitering and drinking on the job.
Fatima Jakoet, Getaway photojournalist
I was on Patong Beach in Phuket, Thailand with some friends on the eve of 2010 and we had an amazing time partying in the sand with live music and chinese wish lanterns floating above us and the countdown set off an extraordinary fireworks display. We ended the night with a walk down the lively Bang La Road.
Tyson Jopson, Getaway online journalist and social media manager
My best New Year’s Eve ever was spent at Fatima’s Nest in Tofo, Mozambique. I spent the first half of the evening dancing frivolously on the beach in the nude before bush-diving my way into the New Year. I had immense fun while also learning my first, and most valuable, lesson of 2009: the flying starfish is not a ‘clothing optional’ manoeuvre.
What’s been your most memorable New Year’s Eve party?
Image courtesy of Shutterstock and Nomad Africa Adventure Tours
