All around the world people have their own way of celebrating New Year’s Eve. The same can be said about the local community of Curaçao. Whether it’s a laid-back night with close family, dancing the night away with friends, or throwing the biggest bash at home, every family, every person has their own way of embracing the new year. We asked 5 locals how they celebrate New Years in Curaçao. Who knows, it might spark some nice inspiration for your New Years here on the island.

“Every year my husband and I, and sometimes visiting family members or friends, take our folding chairs and champagne to Brionplein. We started going to Brionplein about 10 years ago and it’s because of the atmosphere that it became our New Year’s tradition. I love seeing all the people gathering together and if we have more people in our group we bring food and drinks and make a whole happing out of it. To me, that is what the holidays are really all about.” – Chela

“I ring the New Year at home with my close family. We have an intimate low-key gathering and after that, I always go to a New Year’s party with my friends. I find that New Year’s parties are always extra fun just because of the occasion. On Curaçao, we have several (popular) parties that start after midnight. If someone liked a good party then you’ll certainly find one that suits your taste.” – Carlos

“We have a pretty big family. On New Year’s Eve, we rent a big bus where we all hop on to and visit the different ‘pagara’ parties around Curaçao. We load the bus with food and drinks and have a ton of fun. At night we all gather at my grandparents home where we have a nice dinner together, share some laughs and toast to the New Year at midnight. The party at home has been a longstanding tradition and the youngsters of the family were the ones that introduced the ‘pagara tour’, but now young and old all join together and share the fun.” – Ella

“My mom and I love fancy dinners and concerts. The combination of the two is even better. For New Year’s Eve, we always look for a place that offers dinner with live entertainment. We put on our shimmery dresses, take out the high heels, and get our hair and makeup done, and join the festivities. We always feel like we’re in some old-school movie, but we can’t think of a better way of celebrating the New Year.” – Sandra