Beirut New Year fiesta
ranked top 10 worldwide

Selected by National Geographic

National Geographic has ranked the Nejmeh Square festivities among the top ten New Year’s Eve parties round the world.

More than 100,000 people attended the event that started at 4:30 pm till 1:30 am, according to Beirut Mayor Jamal Itani.

The Municipality of Beirut had appointed Beirut Events and Street Shows (BEASTS), an NGO, to organize the party for the second consecutive year. BEASTS contracted with ITS., an event management company, to organize the New Year’s Eve party.

The celebration has featured a 360-degree stage that enables everyone to enjoy the performances.

National Geographic wrote on its website that "each New Year brings a promise of peace in the capital of formerly war-torn Lebanon. Thousands gather to watch the light show on the city’s 1933 art deco clock tower in Nejmeh Square, the heart of central Beirut."

The municipality budgeted $250,000 for the festival, according to Itani.

Aside from Beirut in the top ten celebrations, National Geographic also selected New York City, Las Vegas, Rio de Janeiro, London, Paris, Madrid, Tokyo, Christmas Island, and Sydney.