Decide now to try something new on New Year’s Eve. Instead of sitting at home in your jammies and watching Andy and Anderson giggle and exchange champagne spits in Times Square, rock the old year somewhere else. And, on New Year’s Day, which is a Wednesday in 2025, you can break away from your couch and take a long weekend by taking two days off. Hop into one of these holiday hotspots to ring in 2025 like you’re a HOTTOGO.
New Orleans
Throwing holiday celebrations is standard practice in New Orleans, so New Year’s Eve here is a guaranteed good time. Get in the mood with the afternoon Sugar Bowl Parade, a boisterous annual tradition that rolls through the French Quarter. Afterwards you can make dinner reservations at glamorous spots like Herbsaint or Bar Metier or pop in and join the crowds in Jackson Square as they watch the giant fleur-de-lis slide down the pole over the Jax Brewery at midnight. Then, join the locals and head to the live music clubs along Frenchmen Street to dance until dawn. Prefer an early show? One of the city’s most historic music venues, Preservation Hall, will reopen in December after a nearly six-month renovation with four performances on New Year’s Eve between 5pm and 8:45pm.
TPG tip: Act quickly because rooms are limited. A room at The Barnett — formerly the Ace Hotel New Orleans and now part of the JdV by Hyatt collection — can be booked from $385 or 23,000 World of Hyatt points on New Year’s Eve.
Washington, DC
Even with only local fireworks across the Potomac River in Virginia, Washington shines brightly on New Year’s Eve. Because the Metro is free all night, you can easily breeze between places. Book dinner at The Bazaar by José Andrés, then head to the original Busboys and Poets bookstore on 14th Street NW for its popular open mic event (and all-night happy hour). Or, hop on Metro’s Orange Line to Foggy Bottom after dinner and catch comedian John Oliver’s latest show at the Kennedy Center, the last laugh of the year. All Smithsonian museums are open on New Year’s Day, so start 2025 with some tradition.
TPG tip: Its unbeatable location in the grand Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue makes the Waldorf Astoria an impressive and logical place to stay for a busy weekend. The hotel has rooms from $864 or 110,000 Hilton Honors points for New Year’s Eve.
Seattle
Throughout the month of December, Seattle Center’s Winterfest celebration makes it home to all things holiday: its event calendar is filled with a Christmas Market that runs daily through Dec. 24, a holiday train exhibit that opens Dec. 31 and “The Nutcracker” performances through Dec. 28. New Year’s Eve marks the final night of Winterfest, and it’s guaranteed to go off with a whimper, not a whimper: It’s evening. festivities begin inside with a free 8pm concert and dance party with the Rollicking Blue Wave Band, move outside to the International Fountain Mall for a mini parade and dance party starting at 10pm, and end at midnight with the Space Needle show and fireworks display. up. Bring your dancing shoes.
TPG tip: The Downtown Hyatt at Olive 8 — worth a stay if only for the glass-enclosed rooftop pool and sustainability-minded spa — has rooms available from $193 or 23,000 World of Hyatt points on New Year’s Eve.
Related: Hyatt hop through Seattle: Which Hyatt should you choose for your next trip to the Emerald City?
Philadelphia
You can choose a few different ways to spend New Year’s Eve in Philadelphia: dinner at the Caribou Cafe (you can’t miss the steak frites) followed by midnight fireworks at Penns Landing or, you know, just staying in for the night. Staying is a great option if you stay at W Philadelphia at Rittenhouse Square. Two ticketed parties, one at the Wet, the pool area, and the other at the Living Room, a cool lobby, bring in the locals. Our reviewer says the cocktails will be noteworthy and, what’s more, you won’t need to bring your coat. In the morning, the City Hall, where the famous and colorful Mummers Parade started, is a three-minute walk away.
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TPG tip: The design-forward IW Philadelphia is centrally located in this historic city, yet feels elegantly situated. Between the pool bar and the lobby, you may not be able to get outside. For New Year’s Eve, stays are available from $422 or 76,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
Santa Fe, New Mexico
And now for something completely different. How does peace and quiet feel on New Years? Santa Fe and its surroundings offer both in spades. Choose to spend a few days an hour southwest of Santa Fe at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa, where the cinematic desert landscape surrounding Bernalillo offers a calm serenity to the end of a tumultuous year. You can start the afternoon with a winter tour of the Tamaya stables, followed by a spa treatment (lavender dry-brush therapy, perhaps?) and then spend a peaceful evening thanks to room service and watching the starry sky over the street. mountains. If you need a party, drive downtown for the annual festival at Santa Fe Plaza. Join locals in the flickering light of pinon bonfires and lanterns to listen to live music, grab a bite from a food truck, count down to the fireworks at midnight and raise your voice to “Auld Lang Syne” and traditional Mexican birthday. song, “Las Mananitas.”
TPG tip: With sweeping views of the dusty Sandia Mountains and activities like winter horseback riding, guided hikes and spa treatments, the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa has rooms you can book for New Year’s Eve starting at $273 or 18,000 World of Hyatt.
Nashville
Music City celebrates the new year with a free, star-studded concert, Nashville’s annual Big Bash at the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park. This year’s group includes Keith Urban, Kane Brown and Jelly Roll. Isn’t that enough? As midnight approaches, a 16-foot LED musical note descends from a tower above the stage. When it lands, fireworks go off high above the park. Don’t miss Nashville’s great food scene: It offers high-end and low-end cuisine, including dozens of James Beard Award winners and semifinalists like City House and Prince’s Hot Chicken. Also, the very exciting Country Music Hall of Fame opens on New Year’s Eve and Jan. 1.
TPG tip: Although it’s a convention hotel, the Grand Hyatt Nashville impressed a TPG reviewer with its high-quality rooms and upscale dining options. On New Year’s Eve, it has rooms from $317 or 29,000 World of Hyatt points.
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