If Christmas Day is meant to be spent with family, then New Year’s Eve is for partying. Ramona Depares has some suggestions that will have you waving goodbye to 2013 – and your country – in grand style.

Bored of doing the usual open-bar, gala dinner or Paceville rounds on December 31, year after boring year?

Maybe it’s time to bid a fond goodbye not just to the outgoing 2013, but also to our shores – at least for a little while. For as long as it takes to party like Armageddon is about to hit, basically.

Maybe it’s time to bid a fond goodbye not just to the outgoing 2013, but also to our shores

And, with the levels that some of these destinations reach... it could very well spell Armageddon for your head and stomach, by the time the hangover manifests in time for New Year’s Day lunch. My advice? Don’t book your return flight for the next day.

Wear white in Rio

Are you a bit jaded with Europe and New York sounds like more of the same? Join the Brazilians in Rio de Janeiro for a party that attracts a rather surprising two million revellers a year.

As an added bonus, this is Brazil, and you will not find a problem glamming it up in sub-zero temperatures for a street party, as you tend to do in locations like Edinburgh and New York. Throw in your bikini or your itsy-bitsy cocktail dress in your luggage and you’re ready to go.

As any self-respecting Brazilian will tell you, there’s only one place to spend your NYE in Rio, and that’s Copacabana Beach. As Barry Manilow has been known to warble: “At the Copa, Copacabana; The hottest spot north of Havana; Music and passion were always the fashion...”

A Brazilian NYE is particularly endearing because it mixes tradition with contemporary partying. Many Brazilians choose to wear white, but anything goes for the tourist really. On the traditional side, don’t miss out on the floating candles show and on a samba show for a taste of what the real Brazilian spirit is about.

On a more wordly level, you will find ample open-bar offers at kiosks lining the beach – these also offer the best view to the fireworks show over the bay. There are also street stalls selling the infamous Caipirinha cocktail.

The concert line-up is usually revealed pretty late in the day, but there’s usually a big Brazilian star, a Carnival samba school and an international DJ.

www.rio.com

Beach it up in Goa

If you think partying in India or Thailand has become a cliché, think again. Few things beat the feeling of the pristine sand between your toes, a thousand fairy lights lighting up the beach and a party that goes on all night in a vibe of thorough bonhomie – and, of all possible beach destinations, Goa is one of the top. Oh, and this is the backpacking crowd we’re talking about, so you don’t even need to pack a cocktail dress. Some colourful beads will be more than enough to see you through the night.

Let’s start with the milder stuff. What to drink, apart from the obvious. Goa is famous for a locally brewed drink called Feni, available in appropriately exotic flavous like guava, coconut and cashew nut. But don’t worry, all the usual stuff is just as available.

Most parties in Goa congregate on the beaches, the main one being on Anjuna Beach, and proceedings are pretty informal. This is where the wilder stuff tends to happen, but if you’re after something a tad more low key, there are plenty of other beaches with smaller parties – Dona Dona Paula, Agonda, Calangute, Miramar, Palolem, Bogmalo, Baga and Chapora. Locals tend to light small bonfires on these beaches; expect plenty of barbecues and dancing.

For those who like the appeal of Goa but who would prefer something a bit more flashy, there are some rather fabulous, formal parties thrown by the hotels surrounding the beaches.

The most well-known include The LaLit Golf & Spa Resort (famous for its three-dimensional visual display, live DJs and live music); The Grand Hyatt Goa (its Black and White party with buffet, band and DJ is infamous); and the masquerade champagne ball at The Park Hyatt Goa Resort & Spa. On the clubbing front, Camelot Water World, Submerge NYE at Red Square and the New Year bash at Molly Malone’s in Bardez are expected to get all the attention.

www.welcome2goa.com

Hogmanay in Edinburgh

If there’s one thing that everyone knows about the Scots, it’s that they know how to drink. And then, they know how to drink some more. But you will definitely need a tot of the strong stuff to keep you warm should you decide to celebrate New Year’s Eve in the Scottish capital.

In what must be the biggest party in Europe, Hogmanay (that’s New Year’s Eve to me and you) celebrations take on epic proportions and what seems to be the whole of Scotland (and a substantial part of the rest of the world) converge on Princes Street and the surrounding side streets for a massive street party featuring pretty big names. The party is known to attract over 80,000 people, so it’s not for you if crowds give you the heebie jeebies.

There’s fireworks, 12 giant screens, different music stages, fireworks on the hour... You name it, the Scots provide it.

But it’s not just about the street party on Princes Street – Hogmanay is also a pretty holistic experience that encompasses theatre, music, art and dance events across the city. There’s a concert by Pet Shop Boys in an enclosed area in the gardens, a candlelit concert at St Giles Cathedral, a torchlight procession that starts at the George IV Bridge in the historic Old Town and finishes with a son et lumière display in aid of charity, and various other events.

Strictly for the bravest, the Loony Dook is one of the most popular of the daytime events. It takes place on New Year’s Day in the morning (so it’s also strictly for the teetotallers) and sees some 35,000 people gathering for a parade through High Street, finishing at the iconic Forth Bridges for a... brace yourselves... dip in the freezing River Forth. If you don’t quite have what it takes to take the plunge, spectators are welcome to cheer on the Dookers at various vantage points along the route or down on the beach.

In short, New Year’s Eve in Edinburgh is guaranteed to get you ample Facebook moments to make your friends go green with envy.

The official website des-cribes Hogmanay as the great-est midnight moment on the planet, and judging by the programme, they could just be right.

www.edinburghshogmanay.org

The Ball Drop in New York

The Scots might just have some competition with the most famous New Year’s Eve celebration on the other side of the globe, as the iconic Times Square in New York becomes a heaving mass of sweaty party animals ready to usher the New Year in with a noisy bash.

New Year’s Eve in New York is a very well-organised – if somewhat stressful – event.

The festival comes with a road map and myriad events that are split into family-friendly ones and for those aged over 21 and who want a wilder time.

Events are held in Times Square and all the surrounding areas, with one of the biggest challenges faced by party-goers every year being the attempt to hop from one event to the next without missing out on anything.

In short, it’s a bit like the script to Mission Impossible. So impossible, in fact, that hit television series How I Met Your Mother dedicated an entire episode to the way most people wind up celebrating the stroke of midnight in a cab somewhere as they’re trying to move from one event to the next.

But relax – if you plan your night well, there’s no reason why you should have anything but a good time. This December, the mix of events is as eclectic as party-goers have come to expect from the world capital.

Of course, the one event that a New York end-of-year celebration needs to include is the so-called Ball Drop in Times Square. Located on the roof of One, Times Square, the ball descends 43m in 60 seconds down a specially designed flagpole, beginning at 11.59pm and resting at midnight to signal the start of the New Year.

The tradition started on December 31, 1907, when Adolph Ochs (who owned The New York Times) came up with the idea to promote the newspaper’s new headquarters.

The ball itself was first designed by Artkraft Strauss, although over the years it underwent several upgrades.

www.timessquarenewyears.com