It’s time: 2023 is nearly over and we’re ready for New Year’s Eve countdown parties! Wondering what to do on New Year’s Eve? Here are some fabulous spots to go for the countdown in Singapore as you welcome in 2024. Also, read on for some interesting trivia about New Year’s traditions from around the world.
The best places places to celebrate New Year’s 2023 in Singapore
Portman’s Bar Countdown Party in Singapore
For an unforgettable way to usher in the New Year, book your spot at Portman’s Bar Countdown Party at Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, Singapore. This is among the most glamorous celebrations in town to count down this New Year’s 2023.
Kicking off at 10pm on 31 December and running until midnight, partygoers who’ve managed to nab a table will be treated to an epic countdown party – complete with a 50,000-balloon drop!
For $188 per person, the Portman’s Bar Countdown Party package includes entry to the party, countdown entertainment, a gourmet platter of black angus minced beef, seafood crab cake, truffle tater tots and more, as well as free-flow champagne, red and white wine and beers. It’s going to be a corker!
6 Raffles Boulevard, Level 4 Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay, Singapore
6845 1119 | Bookings here
Pan Pacific Orchard Singapore
This luxury hotel in the heart of Orchard is pulling out all the stops for its first New Year’s celebrations since opening earlier in 2023.
With a backdrop of soothing waterfalls, the outdoor Forest Terrace on Level 2 is the stunning setting for a 5-course dinner at Mosella (31 December from 6pm to 10.30pm; $198 per person). Exquisite Mediterranean-Peruvian cuisine and bottomless party tipples are a fabulous way to kick off the New Year 2023 festivities!
Drool over lobster ceviche, Japanese wagyu A5 beef striploin and white truffle and limoncello, while making the most of 2.5-hours of free-flow prosecco, festive cocktails, red and white wine, beers and soda ($88 per person).
Welcome in 2024 just right by heading up to Florette on the Garden Terrace on Level 11 for magnificent food, drinks and great company. As the clock nears midnight, join others in raising a toast with a glass of Taittinger Brut Champagne ($120 per bottle), celebrating new beginnings and the promise of a fantastic year ahead.
10 Claymore Road
6991 6888 | panpacific.com/christmasinorchard
Little Farms
Looking for somewhere buzzing to meet friends for an end-of-year meal? The trendy organic restaurant is already a favourite spot for its all-natural food, and it’s just got even better with the launch of a “Shop and Sip” promotion at outlets island-wide. So, you can say “yes” to magnificent wine at retail prices when dining at Little Farms this New Year’s 2023 and beyond.
Just in time for the festive season, diners can grab their favourite bottle of wine from the Little Farms grocery store and enjoy it over a plate of cured akaroa salmon or eggplant parmigiana in the restaurant – without paying any corkage!
W Singapore – Sentosa Cove Countdown in Singapore
If you feel like going all out this New Year 2023, there are few places in Singapore fancier than this iconic waterfront resort. Every year the hotel’s countdown party in Singapore is glitzy. But this might just be the most exciting one yet!
Known for its steak and sustainable seafood, SKIRT is dishing up a festive four-course menu ($168 per person) and five-course menu ($228 per person) from 6pm to 10pm. Elevate your meal in this shimmering setting with a wine pairing ($140 per person).
From 9.30pm, the glamorous WOOBAR is the setting for the New Year’s Eve 2023 “All That Glitters” Countdown Party. The night will be hosted by the one and only diva Mona Kee Kee! Kick up your heels beneath sparkling chandeliers and hit the dance floor with live DJ entertainment until 2am ($30 per person inclusive of one drink, early bird until 15 December; $50 per person inclusive of one drink after 15 December; complimentary for guests dining at the kitchen table).
The Kitchen Table is another fabulous venue for the 2023 countdown in Singapore, with a quintessential champagne all-you-can-eat “brunchscape” on New Year’s Eve ($138 per person, 12pm to 3pm), a New Year’s Day Recovery Brunch ($148 per person) and a New Year’s Year’s Eve “All That Glitters” party from 7pm to 10pm ($148) with an option to add Moët & Chandon Grand Vintage 2015 Champagne.
21 Ocean Way
6808 7278 | marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sinwh-w-singapore-sentosa-cove
Crossroads Buffet
Say adieu to 2023 in style at this international buffet restaurant in the heart of Orchard Road. Famous for its slap-up spreads, the New Year’s 2023 brunch and dinner will set the stage for an incredible year ahead.
Gather your crew, make for the lobby of Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel and pile your plate with a stellar line-up of international cuisine featuring a tapas live station and timeless festive roasts like slow-baked John Stone Irish beef ribeye, whole roasted turkey, crispy pork saddle and more. Seafood fans will want to head straight for the ceviche live station, with the likes of salmon and yellowfin tuna sashimi, tuna tartare and barramundi ceviche leche de tigre. Don’t leave without a spin past the desserts! The live stations include molten chocolate lava souffle and the ever-popular chocolate fondue!
Mull over those new year’s resolutions with a glass of bubbly in hand, with free-flow Henriot champagne, house red or white wines, draft beers, soft drink, juice or iced tea, for an additional $30. Cin, cin!
The details: 31 December, brunch, adult $138, child $68, 12pm to 2.30pm. Dinner, adult $98, child $58, 6.30pm to 10pm.
Book your table here!
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, 320 Orchard Road
crossroadssg.com/promotions
Artemis Grill
Dine, drink and be dazzled by panoramic views of the Marina Bay fireworks at this sky-high restaurant and bar. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows help to beautifully showcase the festivities.
Set on the 40th floor of the CapitaGreen building, Artemis Grill is renowned for its exquisite Mediterranean-inspired cuisine – and the 4-course New Year’s menu is no exception. Guests can choose from two seating options – 5.30pm for the early birds or a later seating from 8.30pm onwards ($198 per person).
Highlights include sun-dried tomato focaccia and comté gougère, grilled Maine lobsters, barley risotto, Iberico pork loin, full blood wagyu tenderloin and chocolate and caramel torte. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…
138 Market Street CapitaGreen Level 40
6635 8677 | artemisgrill.com.sg
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Give 2023 the ultimate send-off at the Poolside Terrace of this newly revamped hotel. From 10.30pm to 2am on 31 December, the “Momentous New Year Party” is the place to be, with an exciting line-up of live music, DJ performances, champagne toasts and a fireworks display illuminating the Marina Bay skyline. Book your tickets here but be quick – this sophisticated soiree will fill up fast!
Before dancing the night away, fuel up on Italian cuisine with a pre-countdown set dinner at Dolce Vita, feast on oriental favourites at Cherry Garden or sip on seasonal tipples at MO Bar. All-day dining experience Embu will also be hosting a fabulous New Year’s Eve lunch and dinner, along with a New Year’s Day lunch and dinner for a fabulous way to ring in 2024.
“Momentous New Year Party” entry:
$200 per person including one welcome drink, standing only. (Enjoy an early bird price of $180 if you purchase before 30 December).
Fireworks Observation Deck, $1,000 per person.
Private Cabana, $4,800 per cabana with maximum of 6 persons.
5 Raffles Avenue
6885 3500 | mosin-dining@mohg.com
mandarinoriental.com
Mondrian Singapore Duxton
This high-design hotel is a fabulous spot to celebrate new beginnings, with festive feasts, stylish cocktails and some of the coolest countdown parties on the island. You’ll want to secure your spot soon though – reservations stack up quickly!
Toast to the year’s successes with a negroni at modern Italian restaurant Bottega di Carna. Overlooking the garden, the venue’s à la carte menu showcases classic and unexpected cuts of meat from master butcher Dario Cecchini, along with creative handmade pasta, fired tomahawk steaks and fish.
Ready to party the night away? There are New Year countdown parties with DJ entertainment at tropical cocktail bar Jungle Ballroom, Christina’s café and wine bar and Canyon Club. With Californian-influenced food, stylish cocktails and a pool party atmosphere, this pool club and bar exudes 70s Hollywood glamour. It’s the ultimate backdrop for welcoming 2024!
16A Duxton Hill | 6019 8888
book.ennismore.com/hotels/mondrian/singapore-duxton/
Marina Bay Countdown in Singapore
See out 2023 with a bang at the island’s largest countdown celebration, the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2024. This year’s countdown event promises spectacular fireworks and light projection artworks on the façades of iconic landmarks, such as The Fullerton Hotel Singapore, the Merlion and the ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands.
Unfolding at intervals in the hour leading up to midnight and culminating in a 12-minute grand finale, the artisanal fireworks will change colour as they burst accompanied by specially curated music played through speakers around the Bay. It’s a fabulous way to countdown in Singapore!
At the Bayfront Event Space, you’ll also find TurboCharged, a go-kart area for adrenaline junkies running until 31 December, and Ice Magic: Winter Wonderland, a pop-up winter playground happening until 21 January 2024. Expect snow slopes, dual-lane ice slides and merry-go-rounds set against a snowy landscape.
Looking for more Singapore restaurants to countdown to the new year in style? Read our best restaurants guide.
New Year’s traditions from around the world!
Now that you’re clued on the finest ways to countdown in Singapore, here are a few interesting new year’s traditions and superstitions from across the globe.
Austria
At midnight, all the radio and television stations operated by the state broadcast the sound of the bell of St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, followed by “The Blue Danube”. People across the country turn out into the streets to dance the waltz in this new year tradition.
Belarus
Some single women who are looking for lasting love sit in a circle, each with a pile of corn in front of them. A rooster is placed in the circle’s centre, and the woman whose grain heap it pecks first is believed to be the one who’ll get married first.
Brazil
If you head to Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for New Year’s Eve, be sure to wear white. Here, people offer white flowers as gifts to Yamanja, the Afro-Brazilian queen of the sea. The floral gifts are placed on the water, some even in special boats, hoping the queen will bring them energy and strength.
Colombia
Love to travel? So do Colombians. To be sure their year will be filled with plenty of travel opportunities, they walk around the block with an empty suitcase.
Denmark
People in Denmark save their broken dishes and throw them at the homes of their friends and family as a gesture of good luck. You can also just opt to leave a heap of broken china on doorsteps if you’d prefer.
Ecuador
Some Ecuadorians make scarecrow-like effigies called los anos viejos (“the old years”) of people they dislike or of notable people from last year. Dolls and masks line the streets in the weeks leading up to the holiday. In Quito, the capital, a New Year’s Eve parade at night culminates with the effigies being tossed onto giant bonfires. Also, women and kids dress up as viudas, or widows of the dolls; some dress as Baby New Year. Together, they use just about everything imaginable to block streets, even highways, until you pay a toll of money or candy.
El Salvador
People here are said to crack an egg in a glass at midnight and leave it on their windowsill as a tradition. Fortunes are then predicted based on what shape the egg takes by morning.
Estonia
You’d better have a big appetite if you plan to spend New Year’s Eve in Estonia. There, one New Year’s tradition involves eating seven, nine or twelve times on the day, as these are all lucky numbers in Estonia. For every meal consumed, you apparently gain the strength of that many men for the following year! Luckily, some food should be left behind for the spirits of ancestors who visit on the day.
Finland
The Finns are said to melt lead in a tin pan on the stove and throw it quickly into a bucket of cold water. The resulting blob is then analysed and all sorts of predictions made. What kind of shadows does it cast by candlelight? This New Year’s tradition is loads of fun and never taken too seriously.
France
The New Year’s holiday period goes to 6 January and ends with a celebration of the Epiphany. A special kind of cake called la galette des rois (“King’s Pie”) is served; it consists of two flat sheets of puff pastry filled with almond paste. The cake also contains a feve, or small china doll. Whoever finds the doll gets to wear a paper crown and also choose a partner.
Germany
Like in Finland, some Germans make predictions using molten lead. It’s also considered good luck to touch a chimney sweep or rub some ash on your forehead.
Greece
The Greeks have all sorts of New Year’s Eve traditions. During some family dinners, the hostess puts jewellery on a plate and serves it as a sign of the coming year’s prosperity. Dinner plates aren’t washed because Saint Vassilis (Greek Santa Claus) is expecting food when he visits. At midnight, lights are turned off and on again; this represents the new light of the new year. A vasilopita (also a “King’s Pie”!) is then served with a foil-wrapped coin inside. Whoever finds it is said to be blessed with luck for the year ahead.
The Philippines
There are many New Year’s traditions and superstitions in the Philippines. One involves opening all the doors, windows and cabinets in the house to let the bad energy out and the good energy in, all while making noise to keep the evil spirits away.
Romania
New Year’s Eve belongs to the animals in Romania. Farmers apparently try to hear their animals talk; if they do, it’s said they’ll have good luck for the coming year. People also don bear costumes (often made out of real bear fur) and dance to keep evil at bay.
Russia
Some Russians write down a wish on a piece of paper, burn it, throw it into a champagne glass and drink it before midnight turns to 12.01am.
Scotland
Immediately after the clock strikes midnight, the “first-footing” begins. This new year’s eve tradition involves a dark-haired male being the first person to cross your threshold after midnight for good luck in the new year. Sometimes, the first-footer brings gifts such as coal or whiskey.
South Africa
In Johannesburg, locals who live in the city’s Hillbrow neighbourhood toss old furniture out the windows, or off their balconies. The idea is to get rid of stuff from the old year and also embrace what the new year has to offer.
Spain
As the clock strikes midnight, Spanish people have been known to eat twelve white grapes, one for each chime of the clock. This New Year’s tradition has its origins in 1909. Back then, grape growers thought of it as a way to cut down on the year’s production surplus.
Turkey
Some folks in Turkey apparently grab a handful of pomegranate seeds and throw them from their balconies. The more the seeds burst, the more plentiful the year ahead is supposed to be.
Also …
Aside from all these weird and wonderful practices, did you know there are lots of NYE superstitions about underwear?! In Turkey, red is the magic colour for fertility and passion, while Columbia and Venezuela believe yellow lingerie brings happiness and peace. Meanwhile, Puerto Ricans are said to don white undies for fertility and health. Some Argentinians also wear brand new pink underwear to attract love.
Liked this article on New Year’s Eve traditions around the world? For more interesting stories, head to our Living in Singapore section.
