8 Gay Cities to Celebrate the New Year
Vacationer’s short list of LGBTQ+-friendly cities offering fun bar crawls and events on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day!
Vacationer wants you to celebrate the New Year right! So, we compiled a list of a few LGBTQ+-friendly cities that are home to fun New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day events that you may want to consider joining to ring in 2024.
From a fun night of bar hopping in NYC to a queer masquerade party in Birmingham, England – we’ve got you covered. And even if you don’t live near one of these popular cities, we know you’ll create your own fab way to celebrate the New Year, or we’ll inspire you to plan an NYE trip next year! Just remember to celebrate safely, and as always, Vacationer wishes you a healthy and prosperous year full of amazing adventures!
New York City
It goes without saying that Times Square in New York City is probably one of the most famous places in the world to celebrate the New Year. Join hundreds of revelers as the ball drops as the clock strikes midnight. Afterward, you can head a few blocks east to Hell’s Kitchen for some bar hopping at Hush, The Spot, and Rise or check out the newer venues The Dickens, Thirst, the 9th Avenue Saloon, and Boxers NYC with a basement dance floor so you can celebrate 2024 into the early morning hours. All are welcome, but if you’re looking for bars for queer womxn, check out Ginger’s Bar in Brooklyn. For Black queer folx, you may want to head to Club Lambda, Brooklyn’s only minority LGBTQ+ Nightclub.
Sydney
If you’re Down Under this year, you can miss out on the New Year’s Eve celebration as the fireworks light up the Sydney Harbor. For the best view of the NYE light show, we recommend that LGBTQ+ fam attend the Celebration NYE at the Museum of Contemporary Art at Circular Quay which will include an amazing rooftop view. The big bash features a six-hour food and drink package with French Champagne, and a DJ roster that will keep the party going! Even though the annual New Year’s celebration may be sold out, you should still consider planning an NYE trip to Sydney in the future!
San Francisco
In the “City by the Bay,” there’s more than one way to ring in the New Year, but we thought we go with an alternative New Year’s Day celebration – the It’s a New Day + Breakfast of Champions Block Party 2024, touted as “the biggest New Year’s Day Block Party in the US”. New Year’s revelers will converge along Utah Street and San Bruno Avenue between Alameda and 16th Streets on January 1 from 4 am to 4 pm. This fabulous festival will include more than 100 DJs on 10 stages, art installations, aerial performances, food trucks, fresh-made cocktails, VIP Cabanas, and more! If eclectic is your thing, then you’ll probably fit in at this unique NYD celebration. This is a ticketed event so get your tickets now!
London
Of course, the UK knows how to ring in the New Year right! In London, head to Union Club for New Year’s Eve Bootylicious (starts at 10 pm on Dec. 31) especially if you like Dancehall, Afrobeat, Trap, Disco House, and R & B Hip-Hop Classics. Priority entry advance tickets are available now! Another option in London is the Beefmince’s Big Dong – New Year’s Eve hosted by Lola Lasagna at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern on Dec. 31, starting at 9 pm. What can you expect? DJs rocking 90s US and UK house, dance music, disco, and EDM. So, get ready to pop corks after the Big Dong countdown to the New Year! And if you can’t make it to the ‘Big Dong’ NYE event, you may want to consider joining local gay bears and their admirers at Beefmince twice-a-month parties, held at the same location, from 10 pm to 4 am. The first party after New Year’s is set for January 5th.
Manchester, England
If you are in Manchester or nearby, ring in 2024 and join dozens of other queer revelers at the big New Year’s Eve party at Cruz 101, touted as Manchester’s No. 1 LGBTQ+ nightclub. It all starts on December 31 and runs from 10:30 pm to 8 am. Expect an all-star cast of DJs, drag queens, go-go dancers, entertainers, and more spread over two floors.
Birmingham, England
In Birmingham, you may want to consider heading to the Nightingale Club’s NYE Spectacular on Dec. 31, starting at 10 pm, at the Nightingale Club on Kent Street. Queer revelers will celebrate the transition from 2023 to 2024 in the club’s three floors and four rooms – go-go dancers included! Click here to get tickets now!
Key West
For a warm-weather destination, LGBTQ+ revelers can head to South Florida, specifically Key West, to enjoy the city’s annual celebration with drag queen Sushi Roll descending from a giant high-heel shoe, lowered from a balcony of the gay bar, Bourbon Street Pub, to a cheering crowd below on Duval Street.
Rio de Janeiro
Join two and a half million people donned in white as they celebrate an exciting New Year at one of the biggest beach parties in the world, the Rio Reveillon on Copacabana Beach! Parties are everywhere for this special occasion, including the Rio Gay Reveillon which is a big LGBTQ+ circuit party with several stages, music, fireworks, dancing, and more! But even if it’s not your thing, you’ll find your special way to ring in the New Year on December 31. Don’t forget to join locals and purchase lilies to sacrifice to the Yemanja (Goddess of the Sea) to be granted three wishes, including a wish for a happy and prosperous 2024!
