What better way to celebrate the year coming to a close than by heading to Paris for New Year's Eve?
Whether it’s a romantic dinner, clubbing or a night at the cabaret, when it comes to celebrating in style the French do it best. So charge your glasses and start the countdown with our LeShuttle guide to celebrating New Year in Paris.
Dining
Let the Paris New Year celebrations begin in earnest by dining in style. Party dinner packages get snapped up early so book in advance! Another word of warning is that the traditional New Year’s Eve meal can be over 6, 7, 8 or even more courses!
What could be more romantic than a dinner cruise on the Seine?
Cruise on the Seine
What could be more romantic in the City of Love on New Year’s Eve than a night cruise past the most famous landmarks of Paris? There are plenty of options for Seine river dinner cruises, with most companies offering three course meals, live music and entertainment past midnight.
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is the place to be as the clock approaches twelve. How about dinner in Madame Brasserie on the first floor of the Tower itself? Bookings have to be made in advance, as you would expect. Then get your spot on the Trocadéro or the banks of the Seine for the best view of the Arc De Triomphe fireworks that illuminate the midnight sky across the river.
Other Parisian restaurants
The traditional food and drink of New Year’s Eve in Paris
Paris has numerous seafood restaurants where you can enjoy the traditional oysters and champagne as you wait for the midnight hour; some of the best can be found along the Rue de Montparnasse near the famous Montparnasse cemetery.
The French don't like to rush their food (or their service), so ensure you book early enough to be back outside before midnight, as the street is the place to be when the clock strikes to ring in the New Year in Paris.
Shows
Life is a cabaret old chum, come to the cabaret! And what better night to do so than New Year’s Eve?
Moulin Rouge
Possibly the most famous dance club in the world, the Moulin Rouge was the birthplace of the Can-can and modern cabaret. More than 130 years after it opened the Moulin Rouge is still wowing audiences. On New Year's Eve lucky ticket holders are treated to a gourmet dinner with champagne, after which the ‘Féerie’ grand revue show takes centre stage. Being the Moulin Rouge, it is not suitable for children.
Guests can then see in the New year and dance until dawn, accompanied by a live orchestra. What an unforgettable way to celebrate New Year's Eve!
The Moulin Rouge, the world’s most famous cabaret venue
Credit: Law_Keven, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Lido 2 Paris
Housed in the iconic former Lido de Paris cabaret venue on the Champs-Élysées, Lido 2 Paris is the place to see the best of Broadway and West End musical theatre. The venue has recently been fully refurbished and renovated in magnificent Art Deco style, and is an amazing way to spend New Years Eve. Expect to see Stephen Sondheim classics, singalong musicals and rollicking operas at Lido 2 Paris.
Paradis Latin
The Paradis Latin in the Latin Quarter is the oldest cabaret venue in Paris, having first opened as a theatre in 1802. It was rebuilt by Gustave Eiffel in 1889 at the same time as his tower. Here you can watch the archetypal Parisian revue – the current show is L’Oiseau Paradis, an acrobatic affair full of feathers and sequins. As you would expect, it is a little risqué, so definitely one just for the adults!
Countdown Parties
Champs-Élysées & the Arc De Triomphe
In recent years this is where the party in Paris really goes global. Thousands of people gather in the Champs-Élysées, some since early evening, waiting for the final countdown. Then at the stroke of midnight the fireworks start at the Arc De Triomphe! The sound and light show gets bigger and better every year, and these are the pictures you usually see on your TV of France welcoming in the New Year.
Sacré Cœur
For a less hectic celebration, head out to mellow Montmartre. There are plenty of bars, clubs and cabaret venues around the church of Sacré Cœur, and this street party has a more bohemian vibe. You get incredible views of the Paris skyline and all the fireworks at midnight. We know it’s not exactly secret Paris, but it still feels like an escape and is a great place to party in the first few hours of the New Year.
The streets of Sacré Cœur at a more peaceful time than New Year’s Eve!
Rex Club
Rex Club in the 2nd arrondissement has been home to cutting edge electronic music since the late 1980s. For clubbers and techno lovers it is one of the iconic places to dance in Paris, and New Year’s Eve promises to be one of the best nights you can go. Get in the queue early and expect to dance through the night, as Rex is usually open until 6am.
Disneyland® Paris
For families looking for a special New Year celebration, Disneyland® Paris offers something magical. The park has extended opening hours for 31st December, and the centrepiece of the celebrations is a spectacular fireworks display over Sleeping Beauty Castle. In the past there have been special parades, character meet and greets, and disco parties where you could bop along to floorfillers with your favourite Disney® characters.
Where can I park on New Year's Eve in Paris?
If you are driving to Paris to celebrate New Year's Eve, you will obviously want to know the best places to park. As you might expect, you will find it very difficult to find spaces in central Paris on the busiest night of the year, but there are plenty of car parks at Metro stations and the overground RER railway network in the suburbs. Metro and RER services run well until the early hours on New Year's Day. Find out about more places to park in Paris.
Does the Eiffel Tower have fireworks on New Year’s Eve?
No, the Eiffel Tower does not stage a fireworks display every New Year’s Eve. The last major New Year’s Eve fireworks at the Eiffel Tower was at the Millennium. There is usually a light show, however. Check before you travel so you are not disappointed. The big Paris fireworks are generally at the Arc De Triomphe.
Parisian Traditions
When the clock strikes twelve, expect to get to know your neighbour a little bit better, as kisses are exchanged (on the cheek) and everybody wishes everyone an enthusiastic ‘bonne année’. The French also prefer to kiss under the mistletoe at New Year, rather than at Christmas. If you’re outside make sure you have a champagne flute and a bottle of fizz at the ready. Street vendors will often sell cheap bottles of sparkling wine (be sure not to call it champagne within earshot of the locals) and a chorus of popping corks can be heard across the city when the time comes.
A slice of Galette des Rois on January 6th brings New Year in Paris to a close
New Year in Paris is huge – as it is throughout France. It is often called ‘Réveillon de la Saint Sylvestre’ after a 4th -century Pope called Sylvester I, whose feast day is 31 December. New Year greetings cards are usually sent to family and friends, and on January 6th a ‘Galette des Rois’ (the Kings’ cake, a puff pastry pie filled with frangipane) is eaten, in honour of the Three Kings or Magi who visited the infant Christ on the Epiphany.
Ring in the New Year with LeShuttle
New Year’s Eve in Paris is closer than you might think – just a 35 minute journey on LeShuttle between Folkestone and Calais, and a drive of around 3 hours 30 minutes from Calais. Let the countdown begin!