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Holidays & festivals · Category overview

New Year & winter light

Six trips shaped by the turn of the year and winter festivals. Some 2026/27 dates and access plans are published; others remain customary or unannounced, and each guide separates a confirmed date from a previous-edition precedent.

6events in this guide
Current editionsstatus shown per event
Practical guidesone page for each event

Where the events take place

6 mapped locations
Approximate city or region locations for orientation only—not venue entrances, course routes or travel directions. Nearby markers may be grouped; the linked event list and cards provide the accessible text alternative.

Compare the events

Names link to individual guides
Event & locationEdition timingAccess route
Harbin Ice and Snow Festival 2026–27Harbin, China · 2026–27 city season; attraction dates vary 2026–27 city season · early November 2026–March 2027; individual attraction dates varyAttraction-specific dates and ticket terms pending
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2026/27Edinburgh, United Kingdom 29 December 2026–1 January 2027 · Street Party on 31 DecemberPaid event tickets; First Footin’ is free
Rio New Year’s Eve (Réveillon)Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · 2026/27 citywide program pending Typical New Year’s Eve window · 31 December 2026–1 January 2027 citywide programme not announced2026/27 citywide access and ticket terms unannounced
Sapporo Snow Festival 2027Sapporo, Japan · 77th edition 4–11 February 2027 · 77th festival at Odori, Tsudome and SusukinoFree admission to the three main venues
Sydney New Year’s Eve 2026Sydney, Australia · Harbour Foreshore 31 December 2026 · Sydney Harbour Foreshore; midnight display enters 1 January 2027Mixed access; verify each 2026/27 viewing site
Times Square Ball Drop · NYE 2027New York City, United States · 2026/27 public-viewing details pending 31 December 2026–1 January 2027 calendar rollover · public-event details pending2026/27 public viewing and entry rules not confirmed

01 · Event guides

Choose a trip to explore

A tall, faceted ice tower glows purple, pink, gold and green against a black sky, flanked by two shorter illuminated towers.

Harbin, China · 2026–27 city season; attraction dates vary

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival 2026–27

Harbin’s reported 2026–27 city ice-and-snow season runs from early November 2026 to March 2027, with the 43rd festival opening ceremony named for 5 January. That ceremony date is not the visitor opening date of the 28th Harbin Ice-Snow World park; attraction calendars and ticket terms remain incomplete.

2026–27 city season · early November 2026–March 2027; individual attraction dates vary · Attraction-specific dates and ticket terms pending

Read the visitor guide →
A crowd of torchbearers moves through Calton Hill at night, with their flames glowing against the dark.

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2026/27

Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is published for 29 December 2026–1 January 2027. Its 31 December Street Party on Princes Street is a separate ticketed event within a wider festival that also includes events at The Meadows, West Princes Street Gardens and venues around the city.

29 December 2026–1 January 2027 · Street Party on 31 December · Paid event tickets; First Footin’ is free

Read the visitor guide →
Fireworks flare over a curved shoreline; spectators gather around a pool terrace in the foreground, with a crowded beach and illuminated waterfront buildings along the bay.

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil · 2026/27 citywide program pending

Rio New Year’s Eve (Réveillon)

The target night is 31 December 2026 into 1 January 2027, but the official municipal Réveillon portal reviewed still shows the previous edition. Copacabana is a customary and historically documented anchor, not a confirmed 2026/27 citywide venue; one separately ticketed venue event does not establish the city’s beach programme.

Typical New Year’s Eve window · 31 December 2026–1 January 2027 citywide programme not announced · 2026/27 citywide access and ticket terms unannounced

Read the visitor guide →
Visitors queue below a broad, multi-lane snow-tube slide while riders wait at the top under a clear winter sky.

Sapporo, Japan · 77th edition

Sapporo Snow Festival 2027

The 77th Sapporo Snow Festival is scheduled for 4–11 February 2027 at Odori, Tsudome and Susukino. The organizer says admission to the three main venues is free; detailed 2027 programming on some venue pages is still pending.

4–11 February 2027 · 77th festival at Odori, Tsudome and Susukino · Free admission to the three main venues

Read the visitor guide →
White fireworks and pink-gray smoke fill the night sky above Sydney Harbour; the Opera House is at lower left, the Harbour Bridge is partly visible behind it, and boat masts are silhouetted across the foreground water.

Sydney, Australia · Harbour Foreshore

Sydney New Year’s Eve 2026

Transport for NSW lists Sydney New Year’s Eve 2026 for Thursday 31 December on the Sydney Harbour Foreshore, crossing midnight into 1 January 2027. The City’s viewing pages describe a mix of free, ticketed and balloted sites, but some page copy still refers to “Welcome in 2026”; recheck the dated event page before relying on a specific site rule or availability.

31 December 2026 · Sydney Harbour Foreshore; midnight display enters 1 January 2027 · Mixed access; verify each 2026/27 viewing site

Read the visitor guide →
Fireworks and confetti fill the sky above an illuminated countdown clock on a Times Square tower during the 2011/12 New Year’s Eve celebration.

New York City, United States · 2026/27 public-viewing details pending

Times Square Ball Drop · NYE 2027

The target rollover is 31 December 2026 into 1 January 2027. Times Square’s 2027 directory lists paid venue parties, while its public-event FAQ and access pages still contain older-edition material; the 2026/27 outdoor viewing footprint, admission policy and entry plan were not confirmed in the pages reviewed.

31 December 2026–1 January 2027 calendar rollover · public-event details pending · 2026/27 public viewing and entry rules not confirmed

Read the visitor guide →

02 · Planning notes

What to verify before booking

Edition status

Check the event-specific date, ticket route and venue plan before booking. A city’s prior fireworks layout, a festival-season announcement and a park’s opening calendar are different things; the map is for city-level orientation, not a site plan or travel route.

Travel details

Use the organiser’s current access, ticket, transport and accessibility instructions. A recurring host or typical month is not confirmation of next year’s programme or exact site layout.

Research & credits

Sources and photo credits

Research reviewed 2026-10-31. Published dates, customary windows and unconfirmed editions are labelled separately; details can change.

Category sources

  1. Transport for NSW — Sydney New Year’s Eve 2026 date and Harbour Foreshore listing
  2. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay — official 2026/27 programme
  3. Sapporo Snow Festival — official 2027 (77th) announcement
  4. Heilongjiang Culture and Tourism — 28th Harbin Ice-Snow World announcement

Photo credits

  1. Harbin Ice and Snow Festival 2026–27 — Shanghai killer whale · Tower at Harbin Ice and Snow Festival 2012.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · archival year 2013 · CSS-cropped to 16:10 cards and a 4:3 guide image
  2. Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2026/27 — photojenni · Procession Calton Hill.jpg · CC BY 2.0 · archival year 2007 · CSS-cropped to 16:10 cards and a 4:3 guide image
  3. Rio New Year’s Eve (Réveillon) — Porto Bay Hotels & Resorts · Rio New Year Fireworks.jpg · CC BY 2.0 · archival year 2004 · CSS-cropped to 16:10 cards and a 4:3 guide image
  4. Sapporo Snow Festival 2027 — 禁樹なずな · 71th Sapporo Snow Festival Tube Sliders.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · archival year 2020 · CSS-cropped to 16:10 cards and a 4:3 guide image
  5. Sydney New Year’s Eve 2026 — Dicklyon · Sydney Harbour fireworks and smoke 2023.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · archival year 2023 · CSS-cropped to 16:10 cards and a 4:3 guide image
  6. Times Square Ball Drop · NYE 2027 — Replytojain · New Year Ball Drop Event for 2012 at Times Square.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · archival year 2012 · CSS-cropped to 16:10 cards and a 4:3 guide image

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