Top spots for New Year's Eve

3, 2, 1 . . . Happy New Year! Whether counting down to 2008 at tried-and-true celebrations like New York’s annual Times Square extravaganza, or by eating a grape for every stroke of midnight in Barcelona, your adrenaline is sure to be racing as 2007 winds down in our favorite places to ring in the new year. We love the ultimate party city, Vegas, for its most over-the-top show of the year; schussing the slopes of the majestic Rockies; and even standing under the breathtaking fireworks cascade over Sydney’s harbor. Should you agree that one day of feting simply won't suffice, experience the celebration Scot-style, with merrymaking in Edinburgh that lasts four long days or, head to the bustling Thailand capital of Bangkok, where you can ring in the new year no fewer than three times – Western, Chinese, and Thai style – between December and April. Beach-lovers can also experience sandy revelry with a twist on December 31 in Rio, Miami, and Goa.

1. Aspen

Snow bunnies will use any excuse to hit the slopes, and a New Year’s celebration is better than most. But, there’s way more than soft, wide mountain terrain to lure reveling holiday travelers to Aspen’s legendary runs. This fabled, fabulous resort has long played host to the free-spirited and the Forbes/Fortune crowd who can’t get enough of the sophisticated action on and off the slopes. Whether schussing down the slopes of Snowmass or Aspen Highlands, dining on gourmet cuisine, or savoring martinis with the well-heeled, Aspen makes for a glittering Alpine getaway and a stylish end-of-year send off.

2. Bangkok

New Year’s Eve is thrice as nice in Thailand, where you’ll have three annual chances to rid yourself of the old and ring in the new. First, there’s the New Year’s celebration with the Western world on December 31; the biggest event unfolds at Bangkok’s Central World Plaza where rockin’ Thai musicians and mesmerizing fireworks promise a party through the night (and a hangover to remember it by). Between mid-January and February, Thailand then tips its hat to its Chinese neighbor, with massive celebrations in Bangkok’s Chinatown, including colorful parades of dragons and lion dancers, fireworks, operas, and more. Finally, the centuries-old tradition of Songkran kicks off in April, a joyous occasion that celebrates the first day of the traditional Thai calendar with three days of parades, feasting, costumes, and, most outrageously, a water-throwing festival in which passersby are drenched with water balloons, water guns, buckets, you name it – an interesting custom that’s surely a byproduct of the region’s often stifling heat.

3. Barcelona

Don’t miss your siesta – Barcelona’s all-night New Year’s fiesta requires some stamina! The Spanish version of año nuevo kicks off with family and friends sharing a sumptuous meal and mucho vino at a private home or restaurant – the more exceptional restaurants, like Catalan-inspired Ca l’Isidre and upscale Jaume de Provença – must be booked well in advance. The onset of 12am means a frantic race to stuff your face with 12 good-luck grapes – one for each stroke of midnight. You’d be wise to concentrate on the task at hand – if you succeed at this long-standing Spanish tradition, you’re ensured a year of prosperity and good luck (otherwise, it’s said you’ll have a month of bad luck for every uneaten grape). Once the last one is downed, crowds spill out into the Gothic Quarter and Las Ramblas, drawn by the pulsating music and chatter emanating from numerous bars and nightclubs. The action stays pumping until dawn – just in time to catch the first sunrise of the year on the beach, with some hot chocolate and churros in hand!

4. Edinburgh

This Scottish capital boasts one of the world’s biggest New Year bashes: Hogmanay. At the close of each year, a four-day fête counts down to the big kahuna on December 31, complete with parades, concerts, carnivals, dog races, firework shows, and a slew of hedonistic events and parties. Major international artists perform in the city center during the Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party on New Year’s Eve, while age-old national customs, like “first-footing”, are practiced all over town: Right after midnight, neighbors bring luck – and gifts of coal or shortbread – to their friends and family by being the first to set foot in their household in the new year.

5. Goa

Before creating that list of New Year’s resolutions for 2008, why not venture off to Goa for one last chance to enjoy a night of true hedonism? Located on the western coast of the Indian Peninsula, Goa’s lush green vegetation and breathtaking beaches not only offer some of India’s most beautiful natural scenery, but also serves as the backdrop for some of the globe’s hottest New Year’s celebrations, complete with all-night seaside bashes packed with partygoers entranced by techno music. If glow sticks and rave parties aren’t your thing, you can gamble the night away aboard India’s first offshore casino – the MS Caravela yacht – or, rent a motorbike and visit an old Portuguese fort or local fishing villages. Either way, if you’re looking for a place to kick back, party and relax, just follow the local Goan motto of sossegarde – take it easy – and enjoy the fun!