The Best Places To Spend New Year's Eve In Belgium

In Bruges, the number of partygoers that karaoke their way into the New Year on ‘t Zand keep swelling. Huge crowds enjoy the giant sing-along event at the site of the medieval city’s monumental copper red concert building. Songs are in English and Dutch, and you can pick up the lyrics in the early evening from bars and tourism offices all over town. Though the music always stops around 1:30 am, at least one or two marriage proposals will have taken place on stage by that time, met with huge ‘whoops’ from the crowd. It’s becoming somewhat of a New Year’s tradition in what many consider a city as romantic as Venice. Those not ready to go home just yet can spill into the bars lining the square, which stay open until the wee hours, or the Vlamingstraat in the center, where cellar bars and cozy cafés await.

The ‘Queen of the Bath Cities’ couldn’t possibly go without her very own grand display. Thousands of firework lovers flock to Ostend each year, a lot of them families young and old. Layer up against the chilly seaside wind when you join the celebration on the boardwalk in front of the Kursaal concert hall. As parents turn around to tuck their tired offspring into bed, couples and groups of friends make their way towards the center and the Langestraat, where the bars and clubs welcome night ravens for a party with no tomorrow. Other seaside options include glühwein coziness and fireworks in Koksijde. The boardwalk of Sint-Idesbald will be decked out for a low-key ringing in of the new year with booths offering drinks, warm snacks and a bit of music before the fireworks start. Nieuwpoort tackles the countdown more energetically with a DJ firing up the party animals on the main square before the ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ come into play. The day after, there’s the traditional New Year’s Dive, during which over 5,000 daredevils will sober up by diving headfirst into the frosty North Atlantic.

The square nicknamed ‘the longest bar in the world’ thanks to its rows upon rows of student pubs will be filling up in no time for Leuven’s legendary countdown. The live music at the Oude Markt stops after the fireworks, but the light show carries on, not to mention the dozens of pubs at your fingertips that stay open until the wee hours of the morning. Make sure to claim your place on party central early because the large square fills up surprisingly fast.

Ghent usually starts to liven up just half an hour before the clock strikes 12. It’s only then that the locals come out of their private party nests to hurry to the Portus Ganda, the city’s yachting harbor and a magnificent spot to watch the fireworks reflected in the water. Bring your own bubbly since there won’t be too many bars open nearby and wish your neighbor a happy New Year (Gentenaars are a friendly bunch). There’s no giant open-air event but a smattering of venues such as old textile factory ArtCube, arts center Vooruit and the Vlasmarkt square with its many pubs – including alternative music hot spot Charlatan – all of which are staples for further NYE fun.