Celebrate New Year 2024 in a unique way; here's how

Swimming with Sharks

The idea of coming face to face with one of nature’s most agile predators may not be everyone’s idea of a New Year celebration but make ‘overcoming your fears’ your New Year resolution and jump in. To be honest, swimming with sharks is actually much safer than you think. You can either scuba dive with sharks in many parts of the world or swim with sharks in cage diving, where swimmers are put in protective cages that sharks are not able to penetrate. Some popular destinations include Hawaii, South Africa, Australia and the Bahamas.

In front of a massive bonfire

The Dutch love their bonfires and on New Year’s Eve, the towns of Scheveningen and Duindrop compete to build the world’s largest bonfire. The locals begin to assemble wood a few days ahead of time to prepare for the massive conflagration. Bonfires have been a large part of Icelandic culture since the Middle Ages and are also well-known in Reykjavik. So go ahead, kick off 2024 in front of the world’s largest or second-largest bonfire in the Netherlands.

Running a Midnight Race

If your New Year resolution is to get more fit, there is no better way to start the year than running a midnight race. The New York Road Runners organise a four-mile run at Central Park on New Year’s Eve. There’s music and dancing for everyone leading up to the race which kicks off at 11:59 pm and is accompanied by a fireworks show. You will have plenty of company with approximately 4,000 runners and even more spectators, many donning costumes. Or you could run the Shrewsbury Midnight Run in the UK.

First place to welcome the New Year

While Sydney, Australia, receives the lion’s share of media attention for having one of the first celebrations of the new year, it is Tonga, which is the first country in the world where the New Year dawns. Made up of more than 170 South Pacific islands, the main island is Tongatapu, a coral island with plenty of sandy beaches. Go for snorkelling, island hopping and sea kayaking in the protected lagoon. Oh! and when you see the first dawn of the New Year, don’t forget to greet others by saying, “Ofa kemou ma’u ha ta’ufo’ou monu’ia”— Tongan for Happy New Year!

Last place to welcome the New Year

Just over 500 miles away from Tonga, be among the last to welcome 2024 in American Samoa. Technically, the clock will last strike midnight on Baker Island in the South Pacific. However, Baker Island is uninhabited, so you’ll need to celebrate an hour earlier in American Samoa. Charter a flight between Tonga and American Samoa and you can celebrate New Year twice on the same day!