As a kid, my family always went camping over New Year’s Eve. We’d have a big party with a few other families, let off some sparkler bombs and we’d all have a great night of wholesome fun.
When I graduated from family holidays over the New Year, the night became more about going to parties with friends, beers, and if I was lucky (read: organised), we might go up the coast somewhere.
From about October onwards the question would be asked frequently “what are we going to do for New Year’s?”, which would be met with a few great ideas being bounced around, most of which weren’t acted upon and we’d end up doing a party at someone’s place. Sometimes this was a hit, other’s not so much.
Some of my favourite end of year shindigs have included getting a house in Forster with a huge bunch of mates, overnight camping on the Stockton sand dunes, staying on a boat moored at Hamilton Island, and having the best view of Sydney Harbour fireworks with our own personal grassy space. These were all well planned and well executed and the company was excellent too.
They also weren’t overhyped.
The few underwhelming ones that I’ve had were either because I tried to see too many people at too many parties, or I went fireworks chasing in a big city.
Trying to over-party sucks because you end up spending your whole night driving instead of chilling. And it also means one person with you has to drive and spends the whole night being overly cautious about how many appletinis they’ve had.
Fireworks chasing sucks because, well, I’ll be honest here, and I realise I’m probably the minority, I’ve always thought fireworks are a bit overrated. I mean, they have to be absolute world class for me to feel compelled to discuss them when all the oooh’s and aaaah’s have finished.
I go along with it because everyone else seems to like them and I don’t actively hate them, but unless I’m actually the one setting them off or someone else is letting them off with me in the bush, the beach, or someone’s backyard, they often seem anticlimactic.
This is especially true if you’ve spent your whole night (and potentially day) camping out to get a good spot to see them. A few years ago some of Kynie and my best friends rented an apartment over New Years Eve in Melbourne. We had a fantastic few days, and even New Year’s Eve was great, up until we went out to watch the fireworks.
Maybe it was the spot we chose, maybe it’s the fact that Melbourne isn’t situated on a harbour like Sydney, but the four of us were all disappointed by the fireworks and weren’t impressed by the amount of people we had to jostle with.
So, for those of you playing along at home, are you sensing a theme here? What’s the one constant through all the good parts of New Years Eve?
Your buddies!
At the end of the day (or rather, year), New Year’s Eve is just another party. Who do you like to party with? Friends. Or at least people you like (family included).
For me, NYE isn’t about having the biggest night of the year, or seeing the biggest fireworks of the year. And it’s especially not going where thousands or millions of other people will be gathering because this means you’ll be crowded all night and you’ll probably be in lame alcohol free zones.
For any given New Year’s Eve give me anywhere with people I like in a place I like with beers that I like. And if we happen to be somewhere new or out in nature, that’s good too.
This year I’ll be enjoying an entirely new experience for New Year’s, celebrating it at sea aboard a Caribbean Cruise. I have no idea what to expect, but I’m sure they’re going to put on a good show for us.
What will you be doing for new years? Let me know in the comments below. I’d also love to know if you agree with me or if you’ll be chasing the crowds and fireworks as well.
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