Posted by: Richie Bernardo

Times Square might be the most hashtag-worthy spot for ringing in the new year, but it's certainly not the best if you're a frugal partier seeking an equally grand experience.

Local businesses are notorious for hiking up their prices when big crowds are in town for a major event. The cheapest hotel rates in New Orleans and Atlantic City, for instance, can rise in excess of 300 and 500 percent, respectively, on New Year’s Eve compared with their normal prices. The last thing you want to do in the final hours of 2017 is ruin your finances over one night of entertainment.

Fortunately, you have plenty of fun yet affordable options for celebrating #NYE2018. To help you decide where to count down to the new year, WalletHub compared the 100 biggest cities based on 25 key indicators of an epic New Year’s Eve celebration. Our data set ranges from legality of fireworks to average price of a New Year’s Eve party ticket to forecasted precipitation for Dec. 31. Read on for the winners, expert tips and our methodology.

Curious to know how much cash Americans plan to blow this New Year’s Eve or what makes this festive holiday so festive? Make sure to check out WalletHub’s “50+ New Year’s Eve Facts – Traditions, Spending & More” infographic.

1. Main Findings
2. Ask the Experts
3. Methodology

Main Findings Embed on your website<iframe src="//d2e70e9yced57e.cloudfront.net/wallethub/embed/17263/geochart.html" width="556" height="347" frameBorder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> <div style="width:556px;font-size:12px;color:#888;">Source: <a href="http://ift.tt/2iQuh43; Best Places for New Year’s Eve

Overall Rank (1 = Best)	City	Total Score	‘Entertainment & Food’ Rank	‘Costs’ Rank	‘Safety & Accessibility’ Rank
1	New York, NY	77.23	1	99	6
2	Orlando, FL	76.47	4	21	75
3	Atlanta, GA	72.93	5	41	88
4	Los Angeles, CA	72.63	6	56	47
5	San Francisco, CA	72.52	2	97	71
6	San Diego, CA	71.51	11	54	39
7	Chicago, IL	71.14	9	70	40
8	Miami, FL	70.21	3	100	72
9	Washington, DC	69.27	10	88	35
10	Las Vegas, NV	68.55	7	69	84
11	Seattle, WA	66.43	12	87	62
12	Dallas, TX	66.18	14	31	54
13	Denver, CO	65.55	16	36	43
14	New Orleans, LA	65.49	8	90	89
15	Austin, TX	65.24	15	39	53
16	Philadelphia, PA	65.15	13	80	34
17	Buffalo, NY	64.38	21	45	27
18	San Antonio, TX	64.06	18	24	69
19	Louisville, KY	62.24	22	10	96
20	Birmingham, AL	62.22	24	37	73
21	Boston, MA	61.32	19	93	8
22	Anaheim, CA	61.25	28	62	11
23	Houston, TX	61.13	26	40	67
24	Tampa, FL	61.11	27	35	61
25	Nashville, TN	60.65	17	50	90
26	Omaha, NE	60.47	37	7	42
27	Portland, OR	60.13	23	58	74
28	Pittsburgh, PA	60.08	30	60	23
29	Minneapolis, MN	60.01	31	48	33
30	Cincinnati, OH	59.95	33	3	46
31	Scottsdale, AZ	59.66	29	72	21
32	Tucson, AZ	59.61	34	14	57
33	St. Louis, MO	59.50	20	27	100
34	Virginia Beach, VA	58.00	45	43	10
35	Honolulu, HI	57.57	25	95	44
36	El Paso, TX	57.07	63	1	16
37	Reno, NV	56.04	41	17	51
38	Milwaukee, WI	55.89	35	20	79
39	Sacramento, CA	55.20	32	38	81
40	Indianapolis, IN	55.16	47	15	87
41	Boise, ID	55.14	68	12	24
42	Mesa, AZ	54.99	66	16	19
43	Phoenix, AZ	54.83	58	2	64
44	Irvine, CA	54.66	40	91	4
45	Memphis, TN	54.34	53	4	94
46	Kansas City, MO	54.20	38	25	93
47	Madison, WI	54.18	52	74	14
48	Columbus, OH	54.06	59	11	65
49	Raleigh, NC	53.69	42	42	58
50	Colorado Springs, CO	52.90	43	65	37
51	Cleveland, OH	52.88	36	44	92
52	Lincoln, NE	52.69	73	47	5
53	Detroit, MI	52.56	44	23	99
54	Chandler, AZ	52.40	76	18	18
55	Tulsa, OK	52.35	70	6	91
56	Baltimore, MD	52.14	39	68	68
57	Albuquerque, NM	52.02	51	28	95
58	Henderson, NV	51.66	62	46	48
59	Greensboro, NC	51.41	79	8	36
60	Charlotte, NC	51.35	55	66	38
61	Oklahoma City, OK	51.33	64	5	76
62	Santa Ana, CA	51.10	46	86	22
63	Wichita, KS	51.05	71	19	63
64	Long Beach, CA	50.97	61	76	17
65	St. Paul, MN	50.11	60	79	30
66	Norfolk, VA	50.01	69	59	45
67	St. Petersburg, FL	49.97	54	51	77
68	Riverside, CA	49.89	50	82	52
69	Fort Worth, TX	49.70	67	77	41
70	Lexington-Fayette, KY	49.61	75	33	55
71	Jersey City, NJ	49.54	81	75	3
72	Baton Rouge, LA	48.98	57	67	78
73	Laredo, TX	48.66	100	9	1
74	Durham, NC	48.62	74	32	56
75	Jacksonville, FL	48.49	56	49	97
76	Plano, TX	48.43	72	83	2
77	Oakland, CA	48.38	49	81	86
78	Bakersfield, CA	48.16	78	26	82
79	Arlington, TX	47.79	80	53	26
80	Winston-Salem, NC	47.12	77	61	29
81	Aurora, CO	46.71	87	30	28
82	Chesapeake, VA	46.42	88	34	49
83	Fresno, CA	46.29	91	29	59
84	San Jose, CA	45.32	65	78	83
85	Gilbert, AZ	45.13	97	13	7
86	San Bernardino, CA	44.78	48	89	98
87	Glendale, AZ	44.63	83	22	70
88	Corpus Christi, TX	44.53	89	55	9
89	Toledo, OH	44.49	90	71	32
90	Fort Wayne, IN	44.17	86	52	31
91	Stockton, CA	43.87	82	63	85
92	Anchorage, AK	43.09	84	73	60
93	Garland, TX	42.55	96	84	12
94	Chula Vista, CA	42.14	98	57	13
95	Lubbock, TX	42.10	93	64	66
96	Irving, TX	42.06	95	85	15
97	Hialeah, FL	41.42	92	94	20
98	Newark, NJ	39.98	85	98	50
99	Fremont, CA	38.37	99	92	25
100	North Las Vegas, NV	34.96	94	96	80

Ask the Experts

New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest holidays in the U.S. — with 180 million people tuning in to the ball drop in Times Square and 83 percent of consumers spending up to $200 on the occasion. Planning and budgeting are therefore a must. We asked a panel of experts to share their travel and spending wisdom particularly for this holiday. Click on the experts’ profiles to read their bios and thoughts on the following key questions:

1. What factors should people consider when choosing whether and where to travel for New Year's Eve?
2. What money-saving tips do you have for people planning to travel for New Year's?
3. What are the biggest New Year's Eve money wasters?
4. New Year's Eve falls on a Sunday this year. How does holiday timing affect people’s spending and travel plans?

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• Willy A. Aroca Lecturer in the International School of Hospitality and Tourism at Fairleigh Dickinson University
• Jason Draper Assistant Professor in the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at University of Houston
• Joel Feigenheimer Instructor in Restaurant Management at Florida International University, Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management
• Deborah Popely Associate Professor in the School of Hospitality Management at Kendall College
• Karthikeyan Namasivayam Chair of the Hospitality & Tourism Management Department at Rochester Institute of Technology
• Alanna Olah Clinical Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at University of Illinois

Willy A. Aroca Lecturer in the International School of Hospitality and Tourism at Fairleigh Dickinson University What factors should people consider when choosing whether and where to travel for New Year's Eve? Quite a few factors are becoming important on how travelers choose a destination. One of the things to consider today is the new development of the sharing economy. Does the destination have an Uber or a Car2go or an Airbnb product that can alleviate high cost of accommodations? Another consideration is looking at travel destinations that may have been passed over this year over more popular places. I spent a New Years’ Eve a few years back in Buenos Aires. The economy was not at its best and airlines, hotels and restaurants were offering incredible deals in order to meet end-of-year revenue needs. Consider arriving a few days earlier as hotels want to close the year (fiscally) at a much higher occupancy. Kayak and Hopper are great tools to find last minute New Year’s destinations that may not have the New York crowds but can provide a special memory at a value price. Travelers today should also consider flight schedules from smaller airports. Search TripAdvisor, Expedia and Orbitz as many airlines are moving to secondary airports to compete with Southwest Airlines, Jet Blue and WestJet. Airlines are maximizing revenue by providing last-minute deals for travelers choosing to stay a few days more and after the New Year’s celebration. What money saving tips do you have for people planning to travel for New Year's? Airbnb and Airbnb Mobile’s new Concierge app can be a great tool for those travelers that may want to share a rental place and have a guide that provides you with the “insider” tips on cost savings: from where to buy the best value Sparkling wine to where to go for spectacular views for New Year’s. San Francisco is a great place for New Year’s but also the most expensive after New York. However, the most romantic idea for that city is going to Alta Plaza Park and toasting the New Year with a view of the city and the fireworks (pending fog) without the exorbitant prices. What are the biggest New Year's Eve money-wasters? Expensive hotels and expensive packages. I find that New Year ’s Eve packages force the traveler to do the things that they do not want to do. Some hotels in Vancouver are offering adjustable travel packages that are tailored to the customer. However, they fall short of giving options that could be tantalizing to the global travelers. Palm Springs rental pool increases as many second-home owners travel back home for the holidays and are willing to rent their houses for a week at a much more affordable price. Champagne is great but so are products such as Prosecco (from Italy) and Cava (from Spain). Both products have always been passed over by the likes of Dom Perignon and Veuve Clicquot. I find Prosecco and Cava to be great options at affordable prices. New Year's Eve falls on a Saturday this year. How does holiday timing affect people’s spending and travel plans? A Saturday New Year’s Eve will strategically be used by hotels to charge an outrageous amount of money for one-night-stays. Travelers would be better off looking at making a weekend out of their experience. Look for Boutique hotels that may have last-minute room availability due to last minute cancellations but be prepared to work within their two-night minimum requirements. Airbnb is still a much better choice and it is always good to look at Flipkey, VRBO, Homeaway or Roomorama. Jason Draper Assistant Professor in the Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management at University of Houston What factors should people consider when choosing whether and where to travel for New Year's Eve? When considering whether to travel for New Year’s Eve people should consider how much time they have, their budget, and if they have the desire to travel for the holiday. All three (i.e., time, money, and desire) are necessary. What money saving tips do you have for people planning to travel for New Year's? Look for package deals. Might also be able to find last minute deals as the holiday gets closer. In addition, try to avoid unnecessary extra fees such as checking luggage. New Year's Eve falls on a Saturday this year. How does holiday timing affect people’s spending and travel plans? New Year’s Eve falling on a Saturday potentially gives more people time to travel without having to take as many days off work. Some companies may offer the day off for the holiday on Friday or Monday, giving a three day weekend. If people have been staying at home in recent years because of the holiday being during the week travel, they will have to spend more this year than in previous years when celebrating New Year’s Eve. Joel Feigenheimer Instructor in Restaurant Management at Florida International University, Chaplin School of Hospitality & Tourism Management What factors should people consider when choosing whether and where to travel for New Year's Eve? People should go wherever they want to go. They need to consider their safety whatever venue they choose but they should go to their most memorable spot. What money saving tips do you have for people planning to travel for New Year's? Too late now. Book early. Watch the weather, and don't stress when things go wrong. There are always last minute deals but one must be flexible. What are the biggest New Year's Eve money-wasters? Bottle service! How much for a bottle of anything? New Year's Eve falls on a Saturday this year. How does holiday timing affect people’s spending and travel plans? It allows some extra time on each side of the holiday. This is a great opportunity for the consumer to enjoy the full holiday weekend. It also offers industry the opportunity to benefit from a full weekend w/o destroying any weekday business. Deborah Popely Associate Professor in the School of Hospitality Management at Kendall College What factors should people consider when choosing whether and where to travel for New Year's Eve? Traveling around the holidays has its plusses and minuses. Deals abound, especially to warm destinations. But with nearly 25% of Americans expected to be traveling around New Year’s, the crowds and inconvenience can also be off-putting. The big question is what kind of experience you want to have. If you want to be in the thick of it, Las Vegas might be right up your alley. A Travel & Leisure reader survey ranked Las Vegas number 5 U.S. city for New Year’s festivities. Other more low-key warm weather destinations ranking highly include: New Orleans, San Juan, Honolulu and Savannah, Georgia. These locations offer a blend of fine dining, music and entertainment (some of it free!), convenience and friendliness that holiday travelers seem to appreciate. What money saving tips do you have for people planning to travel for New Year's? Airlines anticipate the influx of holiday travelers and raise prices as demand rises. So the earlier you book holiday travel, the more likely you are to save money on flights. Hotel rates follow the same pattern, but may have last minute deals on unsold rooms. However, you can’t count on these occurring in the hotel on which you may have set your sights – so flexibility and the willingness to take a chance on the unknown is key. Good deals can be found in typical resort areas in Mexico (Puerta Vallarta, Cancun, Cozumel), the Caribbean (Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Belize), Central and South America (Panama, Dominican Republic, Colombia) and popular international resort areas in the Middle East (Dubai) and Asia (Thailand, Vietnam). Economy travelers can also look to Airbnb, HomeAway or other forms of private rental available in these and many other smaller resort communities. What are the biggest New Year's Eve money-wasters? Everyone is different. For some people, an inclusive New Year’s dinner-drinks-dancing package is the easiest way to go, while others prefer to pay a la carte for exactly what they want. Either way, it is important to choose something unique and memorable that you won’t regret spending money on, because you will inevitably pay more (you will even face surge pricing to take an Uber). Kiplinger recommends keeping an eye on airline prices and requesting a rebate if the price falls below what you paid (yes, you can do that!). Book hotels through Tingo and it will automatically rebook the room and issue a refund if the price drops. New Year's Eve falls on a Saturday this year. How does holiday timing affect people’s spending and travel plans? The fact that New Year’s Eve is on Saturday means that more people will be able to celebrate and still have two days to recuperate (the official holiday will be Monday, January 2). The extra day may also act as a buffer for weather-related travel delays and crowded conditions. Typically, weekend New Year’s celebrations tend to be more extensive than weekdays because they coincide with people’s regular travel and entertainment patterns. Karthikeyan Namasivayam Chair of the Hospitality & Tourism Management Department at Rochester Institute of Technology What factors should people consider when choosing whether and where to travel for New Year's Eve? The most important factor should be personal safety. Most venues are very safe but it will be best to avoid party and travel locations that are obviously unsafe. The cost-benefit analysis should include the price of safety in making choices of travel and travel destinations. It is okay to spend a bit more for peace of mind and personal safety. What are the biggest New Year's Eve money-wasters? Consider the cost of a headache the next day when spending on New Year’s Eve. Of course, one should have a wonderful celebration but if all of that amounts to a terrific and enduring hangover, perhaps that money can be saved! New Year's Eve falls on a Saturday this year. How does holiday timing affect people’s spending and travel plans? Psychologically, the weekend occurrence of the holiday may almost provide a license to overdo celebrations. It is likely that people will spend more than they had planned or travel further than they had wanted. Alanna Olah Clinical Assistant Professor of Hospitality Management in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at University of Illinois What factors should people consider when choosing whether and where to travel for New Year's Eve? New Year’s Eve is a fantastic day for going to celebrate with your loved ones. When making plans for the evening it is important to consider a few points. I would consider the style and feel of the night you are looking for first. Next, I would consider your budget. If you love to go upscale, check out some of the great events held at your local hotels like Ritz Carlton and Marriott. They have some amazing events that are well-planned and safe to attend because they feature lodging on site. It is especially nice to “watch” the ball drop on New Year’s Eve with a bottle of Champagne and be able to head up to your room after celebrating, instead of out on the roads. I am a huge fan of going to a nice hotel to enjoy the festivities. It can be a fun reason to take a trip to a larger city as well. The hotels I have enjoyed featured Champagne toasts included in the price of the evening. If you want to go out and not stay anywhere, try enjoying dinner at an upscale restaurant in your area. Many of them feature a “prix fixe” menu with wine pairings already done for you by the Chef and Sommelier for a set price. It is so nice to enjoy a carefully selected meal with pairings. In my opinion, it is one of the best ways to enjoy a restaurant. Other restaurants have regular menu options available for those who may enjoy more control over their experience. Chicago has such a great restaurant scene, with some amazing options to enjoy like Boka and Wildfire. Always remember to take a cab home if you indulge in alcohol; stay safe! If staying home is more your speed, I recommend planning ahead some festive cuisine and spirits to bring the New Year in. It is nice to have your Champagne, Cava, or Prosecco chilled and ready to enjoy for the New Year. A favorite in my house is making ceviche to accompany the glorious sparkling wine. What money saving tips do you have for people planning to travel for New Year's? There are a few pointers I recommend with planning to travel. Regarding flights, book early, or take advantage of deals that come up, like Black Friday specials. I picked up flights for my trip for 40% below the normal price. If timing isn’t a huge concern, include a day or two in front and behind the holiday, because these tend to save money over flights right around the holiday. For hotels, many of the hotel websites now guarantee pricing booked through them to be at their best rate. Personally, I book through the hotel directly rather than using a third-party booking company. My reason for doing this is that if I need to change plans, hotels are much more flexible and reasonable when you have booked through them. New Year's Eve falls on a Saturday this year. How does holiday timing affect people’s spending and travel plans? New Year’s Eve falling on a Saturday will increase the amount of people who choose to go out to enjoy the evening. People will also have a bit of time to include travel time since the event is Saturday night. In the industry, we love when it is on a Saturday because people will come out and be more relaxed because they may have Sunday off as well.

Methodology

In order to determine the best spots for celebrating New Year’s Eve, WalletHub compared the 100 most populated U.S. cities across three key dimensions: 1) Entertainment & Food, 2) Costs and 3) Safety & Accessibility.

We evaluated those dimensions using 25 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most favorable conditions for New Year’s Eve partiers. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we determined each city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its total score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample. In determining our sample, we considered only the city proper in each case, excluding cities in the surrounding metro area.

Entertainment & Food – Total Points: 50

• New Year’s Eve Popularity: Double Weight (~7.14 Points)
• Legality of Fireworks: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• New Year’s Eve Events per Capita*: Double Weight (~7.14 Points)Note: “Events” include festivals, performances and galas.
• Duration of 2017 Fireworks Show: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)Note: “Duration” was measured in minutes.
• Google Search Interest for “New Year’s Eve Celebration”: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)Note: This metric measures the real intent of the population to find information about “New Year’s Eve events,” “New Year’s Eve concerts,” “New Year’s Eve performances,” “New Year’s Eve party,” and “New Year’s Eve dinner.” “Real intent” is measured using the average monthly search volumes for those specific terms.
• Restaurants per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Availability of Luxury Shopping & Gourmet Food: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)Note: This metric measures the number of jewelry shops per capita and the number of gourmet specialty-food stores per capita.
• Nightlife Options per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Music Venues per Capita*: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• General Fun: Triple Weight (~10.71 Points)Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Most Fun Cities in America” ranking.

Costs – Total Points: 30

• Average Price per New Year’s Eve Party Ticket: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Availability of Affordable Fine Dining: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)Note: “Fine Dining” includes restaurants rated 4.5 stars or higher.
• Average Alcoholic Beverage Price: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)Note: “Beverage” refers to wine and cocktails.
• Taxi-Fare Cost: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Presence of Uber Transportation: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Restaurant-Meal Costs: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Lowest Price per Three-Star Hotel Room on New Year’s Eve: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)
• Grooming Costs: Full Weight (~3.57 Points)Note: This metric measures beauty-salon and haircut costs.

Safety & Accessibility – Total Points: 20

• Walkability: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Traffic Congestion: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Car Theft Rate: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Neighborhood Security: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)Note: This metric measures the crime rate.
• DUI-Related Fatalities per Capita: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)Note: This metric considers incidents recorded in December.
• Pedestrian Fatality Rate: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)
• Forecasted Precipitation for Dec. 31: Full Weight (~2.86 Points)

 

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, Council for Community and Economic Research, Priceline, American Pyrotechnics Association, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Walk Score, Eventbrite, AccuWeather, Kayak, Expatistan, Yelp, Numbeo, Uber, TomTom International and WalletHub research.

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