New Year Celebrating in Paris
Posted in Clubs, entertainment, Holidays, Just fun 4 u, travel on 11/22/2009 01:42 am by Surfer
Dont you know that in Paris, as in the rest of France, the New Year, or “St. Sylvestre”, starts January 1st and ends February 1st. French people start wishing each other cheerful Bonne Annees and exchanging bises (small kisses on each cheek) at the stroke of midnight January 1st, and mailboxes are flooded with greeting cards and gifts throughout the month. So don’t be surprised if you hear wishes for the new year throughout January– and feel free to return them:-)
Paris is wonderful place to visit on any occasion but New Years in Paris is a wonderful affair, and the City of Lights is truly one of the special places to be to usher in the New Year!
So where to go? You could spend the better part of a day at The Louvre, visit the Notre Dame Cathedral and then enjoy a sumptuous French dinner and still feel like you’ve just touched the tip of the iceberg. New Years in Paris is a wonderful affair, and the City of Lights is truly one of the special places to be to usher in the New Year. Six hours before the Times Square Ball drops in New York City, the Parisians and the Paris visitors will have already celebrated the New Year in grand style. There are plenty of varying ways to celebrate New Years in Paris, whether you are looking to go clubbing, want to enjoy a multi-course dinner or are thinking that a dinner cruise on the Seine river is the ideal way to go.
If you want to be at the center of the New Years Eve Paris party, then you will want to head to the famed Champs-Elysees. The Paris metro is free on New Years Eve until around 12:30 a.m., and if you don’t mind a packed metro car, you could certainly arrive that way. But Paris is such a great walking city that your own two feet might be the best way to go. The Seine lit up at night is a pleasure in and of itself. People generally start to arrive at Champs-Elysees at around 9 p.m., and usually they are armed with champagne bottles and plastic flute glasses. When the clock strikes midnight, you can catch a good view of the Eiffel Tower’s exploding pyrotechnic display. Just be prepared for the fireworks going off around you too. In Paris, it is legal to buy and sell fireworks, and youths throughout the city like to set them off everywhere, sometimes even in the metro stations. Along or near Champs-Elysees, there are a good amount of spots where you can dine or dance for New Years in Paris. You can head closer to the Eiffel Tower if you want to witness its celebratory light display up close, and if you want a less crowded locale to take it all in from, then the plaza at the Sacre Coeur Cathedral is the place to go. The atmosphere is a bit more laid back than at Champs-Elysees, and the views of the Paris skyline are hard to beat.
Watching a cabaret show is another popular way to take in New Years Eve in Paris. At the Lido on Champs-Elysees, you can enjoy dinner and a cabaret show, and the famed Moulin Rouge is a classic place for those wondering where to go on New Years in Paris. Such delicacies as foie gras and lobster are on the dinner menu at the Moulin Rouge, and dancing to the music played by the Moulin Rouge orchestra is surely a treat. The Moulin Rouge cabaret show, much like that at the Lido, is designed specifically around the occasion. If you are really looking to let loose while celebrating New Years Eve in Paris, then clubbing is the way to go. While it may not have the club scene that London offers, it is surely not to be sneezed at.
There are plenty of hip clubs where you can enjoy an unadulterated New Years Eve Paris bash that will last long into the morning. One of the city’s top clubs that will be sure to be lively on New Years Eve is the Nouveau Casino. Large and open, the dance floor here is the main attraction, that is unless you consider the large main bar, which resembles an iceberg. The Wagg is another French club that is a spot worthy of those wondering where to go on New Years Eve in Paris. Its owner is also the owner of club Fabric, which is one of the recommended clubs to visit for New Years in London. Popular with those in their 20′s and 30′s, the Wagg is a place where you can dance and drink the night away, regardless if it’s New Years or not. Other Paris clubs that will be offering slamming New Years Eve Paris bashes are Le Troisieme Lieu, the REX Club and Divan du Monde, to name a few. Regardless of your decision for where to go on New Years in Paris, the experience is sure to be a memorable one. Here’s a champagne toast, wishing you a Bonne Annee!