Rising from the snow each winter, Sweden’s original ICEHOTEL offers one of the world’s most distinctive New Year’s Eve experiences. Open from mid-December to April, the hotel is crafted anew each year as artists transform 30 tonnes of ice and snow from the Torne River into sculpted suites, glittering corridors and softly lit, ephemeral rooms. Even with temperatures kept at –5°C, guests stay warm in premium thermal sleeping bags atop reindeer hides, with heated bathroom facilities ensuring a surprisingly comfortable stay.

The hotel’s New Year’s Eve programme captures that same sense of magic. The evening unfolds with a celebratory dinner, a hunt for falling stars or the Northern Lights, cocktails in the ice bar and a lantern release over the frozen river at midnight to welcome the year ahead.

The Plaza Hotel has hosted New Year’s Eve celebrations since 1907, welcoming presidents, royalty and Hollywood icons from Frank Sinatra to F. Scott Fitzgerald. Today, its legendary black-tie Grand Ballroom gala remains one of the most coveted tickets in New York, priced at $1,195 per person.

This year’s Great Gatsby-inspired Grand Fête offers a lavish buffet, a full bar and live jazz that fills the ballroom throughout the night. As the clock strikes twelve, guests enjoy a complimentary toast of Roederer Cristal against the backdrop of the city’s glowing skyline.

For a more understated start to the evening, The Champagne Bar offers a sophisticated prelude from 5–7pm. For $395, guests enjoy free-flowing champagne, a Royal Osetra caviar raw bar carved from ice and a glass of Cristal. It’s an elegant warm-up before the Grand Ballroom, or to simply stay put and admire the city lights over Central Park.

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is one of the world’s great New Year’s celebrations, and The Balmoral offers a front-row seat to the festivities with what many consider the finest view in the city. It’s no surprise that past guests have included Elizabeth Taylor, Beyoncé and Tom Hanks.

A chilled bottle of champagne awaits on arrival, and daily breakfasts feature Balmoral-cured smoked salmon and perfectly cooked scrambled eggs. The evening’s highlight is the black-tie dinner in the Sir Walter Scott Suite, beginning with free-flowing Champagne and canapés before a five-course dinner paired with wines selected by the hotel’s sommelier. Guests in the Glamis Suite enjoy an exclusive post-dinner piping masterclass, adding a uniquely Scottish touch to the experience.

As midnight approaches, a pipe band fills the night air before guests are treated to front-row views of Edinburgh’s famous fireworks over the Castle. It’s a celebration steeped in Scottish tradition, offering authenticity far beyond a typical hotel party.

Tucked away in northern Iceland’s remote Troll Peninsula, Deplar Farm delivers a New Year’s experience worlds away from the typical party scene. Once a 15th-century sheep farm, it has been transformed into an off-grid luxury lodge hidden within the dramatic Fljót Valley, surrounded by soaring peaks and snow-covered wilderness.

With private buyouts for up to 26 guests beginning at $57,350 per night, Deplar Farm replaces champagne towers and dance floors with wild rivers, remote trails and the quiet drama of Icelandic nature. Guests can spend the day fly-fishing in exclusive rivers teeming with Atlantic salmon and Arctic char, before exploring the surrounding landscape through guided skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling. The evening then unfolds with a personalised celebration featuring gourmet farm-to-table dining and signature cocktails.

As midnight draws near, the celebration continues in the property’s warm indoor and outdoor geothermal pools, complete with a swim-up bar, steam room and sauna, all beneath the shimmering glow of the Northern Lights. 

For those seeking something truly exclusive, the British Museum offers private after-hours venue hire. Guests can host anything from intimate dinners to full gala receptions, with private access to the museum’s remarkable galleries and its soaring Great Court.

What sets this experience apart is the rare privilege of having one of London’s most iconic buildings entirely to yourself. Champagne among Egyptian sarcophagi, dinner beneath the Great Court’s 26.3-metre roof — nearly the height of six double-decker buses — it all feels wonderfully surreal.

It becomes a celebration surrounded by the Rosetta Stone and ancient Greek sculptures, welcoming the New Year in a place where history is preserved, something no conventional venue can offer.

Miavana, set off Madagascar’s far northeastern coast, is a private island resort accessible solely by helicopter — the sort of New Year’s Eve retreat reserved for those seeking absolute seclusion. A dramatic arrival takes you over baobab forests, turquoise reefs and shipwreck-dotted waters before touching down on a 10-square-kilometre sanctuary of white beaches and untamed beauty.

The island, Nosy Ankao, sits within 37,000 acres of protected marine ecosystem, surrounded by pristine coral reefs, nesting sea turtles (December is hatching season), and some of the rarest wildlife on earth.

More than 85% of Madagascar’s species exist nowhere else on the planet, with lemurs among the island’s most fascinating residents. Guests can join in-house researchers on daily treks through the forest to encounter elusive lemurs in their natural habitat and gain rare insight into their behaviour.

Starting at $3,700 per night, stays include tailored excursions ranging from scuba diving and whale watching to cellar tastings and kitesurfing lessons. Fourteen oceanfront villas offer private pools and panoramic views, with the option to rent the entire island for a completely exclusive New Year’s celebration. Stays of five nights or more include complimentary helicopter transfers.

Wherever the year takes you next, beginning it somewhere extraordinary makes all the difference.