Sydney, Australia, is the first major city to celebrate the new year at midnight. Sydney Harbour's Opera House and Harbour Bridge frame the main fireworks display.
Taipei, Taiwan's capital, hosts a spectacular New Year's Eve. Tiger Mountain (for distance viewing), National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, and the busy Xinyi Commercial District are good places to see the event.
New Year's Eve has sound. The Three Tenors concert at Caravita, an international English-speaking Catholic church, on New Year's Eve and Night.
Rio de Janeiro is the place to celebrate the new year with 3 million others on a warm beach. The major Copacabana Beach event begins before dusk with music and fireworks.
The Strip is closed to cars and pedestrians for a Vegas-worthy celebration. At midnight, casinos' rooftops explode with pyrotechnics. From the Stratosphere Tower, you can see the show.