Fireworks, fancy dress and a carnival style street party
New Years Eve in St Ives is famous for it’s carnival style street party, wild fancy dress and stunning midnight fireworks in the Harbour. Whilst it sounds like a raucous affair this long-standing tradition is also family-friendly and is great fun for all ages.
If you are planning to spend New Year’s Eve in St Ives we have a few hints and tips to see you through the party:
Fancy-dress
An absolute must I’m afraid if you wish to avoid the friendly chants of ‘Where’s your costume’ from the slightly merry locals. Anything goes, some go all out on their creations, others simply pop on a wig and they are good to go. The local charity shops are a great source of inspiration and my favourite part of New Year is making a costume from scratch. My personal favourite was my husband and I dressed as Woody & Jesse from Toy Story…
Restaurant Reservations
Again an absolute must. Some eateries, especially the popular Harbour front venues are booked up months (and I mean months!) in advance. Most will offer a limited or set menu on New Years Eve and there’s usually two or three sittings; an early, a late and a very late! Very late tables can usually be kept all evening so if you want a table to see in the New Year, book the latest sitting you can. Most restaurants will give staff a break to see in the New Year so service may be suspended for a time. Make sure the wine is ordered early to ensure supplies don’t run dry!
Pubs
As you’d expect, the pubs on New Years Eve are extremely busy. Some charge for entry but most do not. There are a few child friendly venues, but once the party is in full swing you might find the evening more enjoyable simply wandering the streets and spotting your favourite characters. Drinks early doors tend to be favoured by families, as the pubs are less busy early on. If you’re childless then it’s traditional to embark on a pub-crawl through the town, ending up on the Harbour Front at midnight to see in the New Year.
Taxi’s
Two word’s – Gold dust. If you haven’t booked one you’re in for a long wait. Despite having lived here for over 30 years, booking a taxi is something I quite frequently forget and come 12.30am a two-mile walk home never seems appealing. Of course, if you book one of our luxury self catering apartments in St Ives you won’t need to worry about cabs as the fun is just a short stroll away!
Accommodation
New Year in St Ives is extremely popular and accommodation gets booked up quickly. We are all but fully booked with just Surf, a one-bedroom property, still available over New Year but if you fancy joining the party next year, check-out our 2016 availability. Our 5 star self-catering in St Ives is perfectly located in a quiet area tucked away from the heart of it but within easy walking distance.
Whatever your New Year plans, we wish you a happy one.
