Best Places to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Shanghai

Even though the popularly celebrated Chinese Lunar New Year is to herald only after January 23, the New Year’s Eve celebrations worldwide, particularly in western nations, is fast gaining popularity in China. This has become one of the most important events for the Chinese people. There are many cities in China where New Year’s Eve is celebrated with pomp and show, but the celebrations in Shanghai is simply fabulous.

The New Year’s Eve is also considered as an opportunity to warm up and brace for the bigger celebration ahead – the Spring Festival – when the locals simply indulge in partying, drinking and having a gala time. So, why not book your flights to Shanghai now and enjoy New Year’s Eve in the city. Here are some of the best places to herald in the New Year 2015.

Visit Longhua Temple to ring the bell
The New Year’s Eve in Shanghai has been given a local traditional twist by the residents of the city. People flock at the Longhua Temple for the annual bell ringing ceremony. This oldest temple welcomes only 108 people for ringing the giant bell. The number 108 is considered auspicious in Buddhism. Getting a chance to be among those 108 lucky ones is a matter of great privilege and honor. The bell ringing ceremony is held to bring good luck for the next 12 months ahead. The Longhua Temple is situated in southwest Shanghai and is the oldest in the city with a history of 1,800 years and more. The bell ringing ceremony is being held here ever since 1988 on New Year’s Eve as well as Chinese Lunar New Year’s Eve. The ceremony is marked by Lion dances, folk performances and dazzling fireworks display. If you want to be the first among the 108 people then make your reservations at the earliest in order to get a fascinating experience to ring the 3,000-kg bell. Each person is offered opportunity for one “dong” only around midnight.

Come and enjoy at the banks of Taiping Lake
The fashionable Xintiandi pedestrian neighborhood is the best to visit in the city for the New Year’s Eve revelry. It closely resembles the iconic Times Square in New York. The New Year’s Eve bash taking place here is quite enticing indeed. The banks of Taiping Lake are crowded with the revelers. A temporary stage is put up to host the who’s who of Chinese pop music performers. The pyrotechnics add glamor to live music performances. Last year, American-Chinese singer Leehom Wang thrilled the spectators with stunning performance. You can expect to see some more big names taking part in the annual Xintiandi New Year’s Countdown Concert in 2014. Music celebrities from Singapore, Taiwan and Hong Kong such as Tanya Chua, Mavis Fan, William Pan and Harlem Yu are due to perform at this great musical event.  Reach there early and grab the vantage spot along the Huangpu River. You many also visit one of the several rooftop bars along the Bund for watching the amazing fireworks show illuminating Shanghai’s skyline.
 
See stunning fireworks and 3D laser show along Huangpu River
Chinese are pretty serious about their firework shows and this has been promptly displayed at the Beijing Olympics Games. The New Year’s Eve festivities will once again be special as Shanghai’s Dragon TV will be hosting a midnight firework and 3D laser show. The Bund and Binjiang Avenue, situated on Huangpu River’s either bank, will be illuminated with fireworks and laser show starting one hour before midnight. The spectacle will reach its climax 15 minutes before the midnight countdown. It will simply be fascinating to see the laser lights being simultaneously turned on along the Bund, while four boats will set off fireworks on the Huangpu River one after another. The spectacle doesn’t stop here. The baton after midnight will be picked up by the Oriental Pearl Tower from where fireworks show will be launched for nearly five minutes. Apart from this, a temporary stage will be set up on the Bund in Puxi during the same night where popular celebrities such as Shangahinese comedian Zhou Libo, Australian singer Kylie Minogue and Chinese rock star Cui Jian will give their performances.