Going out for New Year's Eve? Not me - nobody even knows the words to Auld Lang Syne

Overpriced, overhyped and at the start of the worst time of the year - here's why I won't be partying this New Year's Eve.
Poppy McBeath
By Poppy McBeath
29th Dec 2023, 7:45am
As we approach the New Year's Eve celebrations, many of us in the UK are looking forward to the spectacular fireworks displays that light up the night sky.As we approach the New Year's Eve celebrations, many of us in the UK are looking forward to the spectacular fireworks displays that light up the night sky.
As we approach the New Year's Eve celebrations, many of us in the UK are looking forward to the spectacular fireworks displays that light up the night sky.

To me, nothing is more anticlimactic and overhyped than New Year’s Eve celebrations. I said it. Often, plans are discussed, and after hearing everybody else’s, you feel pressured to do something exciting because of FOMO - but you immediately regret it.

After settling down and recharging social batteries in the eerily quiet week running up to the New Year, the last thing you’ll want to do is go right back out again. I must admit, the ‘dressing up’ before part is the highlight (even though you’ll never wear that sequin silver dress again).

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It is quite the antithesis of the warm, cosy, and magical Christmas week with its crazy parties and confetti bombs. In fact, you can hardly compare the two. A study from 2017 showed that only 3% know the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne, and 60%, when shown lyrics, thought it was part of an ABBA song. Would this ever happen with Mariah Carey or Wham? I don’t think so.

New Year’s Eve is also wildly expensive, with many paying triple money. I got charged £50 for a 10-minute taxi ride last year… and that’s after completing the challenge of finding one, and not being stranded. Going to the iconic Thameside New Year’s Eve fireworks display this year will cost 33% more than last year.

This means it just costs £20 but given that there aren’t enough Portaloo’s within the vicinity, despite the 100,000 ticketholders, it doesn’t seem worth it - especially when it can be watched from the comfort of your own home.

The display was free in 2013, which clearly shows how NYE prices have been insidiously increasing over the years – who knows what they’ll be like in another 10 years?

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Even if you are one of those people who loves ending the year with a bang, to me, it makes no logical sense. Why are we celebrating the start of January? It is undoubtedly the bleakest month of the year…. Christmas (the best celebration) is over, you spent way too much, break your New Year’s resolution within two days and go back to working. This doesn’t seem like something to celebrate. It comes at the worst time of the year when it’s perpetually dark, cold and wet. I think the Romans had it right celebrating it on March 1 instead when it’s not quite as dark.

Sometimes a cosy night in with friends is all you need to hail the end of the year, reminiscing over the highlights and getting ready to start afresh in the new year… no parties, no exorbitant prices and no ridiculous excess.

Related topics:New YearChristmasMoney

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