Making the top 10 list, Cape Town’s festive party spirit has seen it named as one of the world’s best places to ring in the New Year, according to global travel site Big 7 Travel’s 1.5 million strong social audience.
While Cape Town was the top African destination to make the list, the continent had a good showing overall. Maputo, Mozambique, came in at 50th; Marrakesh, Morocco, at 40th; and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, at 18th thanks to its Vic Falls Carnival.
Explaining what makes the Mother City so special on New Year’s Eve, Big 7 Travel highlighted the V&A Waterfront’s annual New Year’s Eve extravaganza saying, “The V&A Waterfront in Cape Town is brimming with magic and wonder well into the New Year.”
The cosmopolitan V&A Waterfront offers a medley of extraordinary tourism, leisure, retail and entertainment experiences for all tastes and ages. Visitors can enjoy live performances, fun characters and delicious food as they explore the wonderland of its Joy From Africa to the World themed festive decorations that not only showcase African creativity and craftsmanship but also environmental sustainability.
Underscoring Cape Town’s Top 10 position, for New Year’s Eve the V&A Waterfront will once again present something for everyone to enjoy.
David Green, the CEO of the V&A, says, “For a truly unforgettable New Year’s Eve celebration, the Waterfront is the place to be for locals and visitors alike. The property will be a bustling, colourful experience loaded with pop-up performances, fun characters and delicious food in all the main areas throughout the night. From Nobel Square to Alfred Mall, the Amphitheatre and Silo courtyard, there will be non-stop entertainment and dynamic visuals that you don’t want to miss. A spectacular fireworks display watched across the city bids in the new year and can be enjoyed at the water’s edge or aboard any of the boat charters for an even more memorable night.”
Cape Town Tourism CEO Enver Duminy adds, “Along with Table Mountain Aerial Cableway, Robben Island Museum, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Gardens, Groot Constantia, and Cape Point, The V&A Waterfront forms part of Cape Town’s Big 6 – the attractions that are the city’s tourism backbone. Millions of visitors to our city stop over at the V&A Waterfront every year during the tourist season creating direct and indirect tourism work for locals and pouring millions into the city’s economy. That the V&A’s dedication to creating a spectacular evening of entertainment for locals and tourists alike every New Year’s Eve has led to Cape Town being included on this list, goes to show why it is such an attraction for both first-time and returning visitors to Cape Town.”
Alderman James Vos, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, including Tourism, says “Cape Town being named as one of the best places to celebrate New Year’s Eve reaffirms our commitment to making tourism accessible and beneficial across our city. Accolades like these are a great way for us to benchmark not only our levels of achievement but also allow us to see who the competitors above and below us are. They also importantly give us the opportunity to determine what we are doing right, and what we could improve on as a city.”
Being named on this list is only the latest distinction Cape Town has received as a tourist destination. This year, the Mother City has been named the Best African & Middle Eastern City in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards for the 18th year running, one of the World’s Friendliest Cities by Big 7 Travel, and Africa’s Leading Festival & Event Destination, and at the World Travel Awards Table Mountain Aerial Cableway and Cape Town International Airport were also voted as Africa’s Leading Tourist Attraction and Africa’s Best Airport respectively. Most recently, more than 39 000 readers of the UK’s Telegraph voted Cape Town the best city in the world.
Here’s the rest of the top 10 places to celebrate New Year’s Eve and the full list of 50 can be found here:
10. Cape Town, South Africa
9. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
8. Prague, Czech Republic
7. San Juan, Puerto Rico
6. Vancouver, Canada
5. Valparaíso, Chile
4. New York City, USA
3. Sydney, Australia
2. Koh Phangan, Thailand
1. Reykjavik, Iceland