Two Valley cities crack top 50 for best places to celebrate New Year’s Eve

PHOENIX — The new year is almost here.

But before 2019 officially hits, there’s still a party to be had.

With good times in mind, WalletHub went to work, ranking 100 of the best places for people to ring in the new year.

“In terms of the best cities for New Year’s Eve, we were looking at entertainment and food rankings, costs — hopefully you can have good a New Year’s on a budget — and safety and accessibility, things like traffic congestion and delayed flights,” Jill Gonzales, WalletHub analyst, told KTAR News 92.3 FM.

Two cities in the Valley, Scottsdale (31st) and Phoenix (47th), cracked the top half of the cities ranked, while Chandler (58), Gilbert (63), Mesa (74) and Glendale (91) also made the list.

Scottsdale got the edge over Phoenix due to having more opportunity to go out and more things being done to celebrate the holiday, according to Gonzales.

“Overall costs are pretty low in terms of New Year’s Eve shopping and New Year’s Eve celebrating,” Gonzales added of the area. “The average price per New Year’s Eve party ticket in the Phoenix area is below $50. Many other cities cannot say the same.”

Looking at specific details, Phoenix, Gilbert, Mesa and Chandler tied for third in lowest average wine price and Gilbert had some of the fewest nightlife options per capita. In addition, Glendale was one of the cities with the fewest restaurant options on the list.

Head down south, however, and you’ll find the top city to ring in the new year in the state.

Tucson led the way for the Arizona cities on the list, coming in at No. 29.

Looking at the rest of the nation, New York came in as the best spot to celebrate New Year’s Eve, while Garland, Texas rounded out the rankings at No. 100.

KTAR News’ Ashley Flood contributed to this report.

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