The Best Cities For New Year's Eve Celebrations

To help New Year's Eve celebrants find the most fun and affordable spots for counting down to 2018, WalletHub's analysts compared the 100 most populated cities across 25 key metrics.The data set ranges from the legality of fireworks to the average price of a New Year's Eve party ticket to the forecasted precipitation on December 31.

Who wouldn't want to celebrate in Austin? There are at least 25 reasons why we love the city the motto of which is "Keeping it weird."

As the Cajun French say, "Laissez les bons temps rouler"—let the good times roll. It's always fun to be in NOLA, as long as you avoid a few typical tourist mistakes.

Head to the world's largest après ski town for some fun. Denver is among the cities that shine brightest at Christmastime and all of the good mood, cheer and awesome lights are not lost after everyone opens the presents.

Expect a lot of parties, balls, bars and clubs. You can find events that fit everyone's different style. If you are into elegant sit-down dinners or wild dancing parties, Dallas offers plenty of them. One somewhat odd way of celebrating is driving through Prairie Lights on its closing night.

Few cities are as tough to describe or as worthy of exploration as ever-changing Seattle. With each neighborhood carving out its own slice of culture, there is no shortage of things to do or see.

The Sin City doesn't need a lot of advertising when it comes to places to party and have a good time. It landed on this list because it has the fourth most number of restaurants per capita and it's tight for the first place for the most nightlife options per capita.

If you live in the neighboring states and have no plans for New Year's Eve, the nation's capital will not disappoint. Fun events range from a bustling night of partying to romantic dinners and family-friendly events.

Miami has always been one of the best cities to escape the snow, especially if you like to eat and go shopping. The Magic City has the second most number of luxury shops and gourmet-food stores per capita and the third most restaurants per capita.

The Second City is an ideal destination for vacations and parties. Chicago is also one of the best places to celebrate the Fourth of July, and it has some of the best bike paths in the country.

San Diego is fun not only for adults, but for kids as well. In fact, it's one of the best non-Disney places you can travel with children.  Bring the kids to roller coasters and other adventures in the Belmont amusement park in San Diego.

San Francisco is a city where you go to have one of the best weekends of your life. It made the Top 5 because it has the fifth most number of restaurants per capita and the fourth most number of luxury shops and gourmet-food stores. Bonus: The wonderful Carmel-by-the-Sea, the gorgeous sleepy coastal town, is just two hours south of San Francisco.

The City of Angels is one of the most fun cities to be in. It gets high marks clubs, music, concert venues, and theatre and cinema. Los Angeles is known for its amazing weather, sandy beaches, and picturesque piers. Do you need more for an awesome New Year's Eve party?

Atlanta made it so high on the list of best places to celebrate New Year's Eve because of its entertainment and food score. In terms of costs, it ranked near the middle – 41.

Between amusement parks, wonderful weather year-round and gorgeous beaches, there are many reasons to want to start the new year in Orlando. It's tied for the top spot in the most restaurants per capita category and is fourth when it comes to nightlife options to celebrate.

It's impossible to have a list about the best places for just about anything and not include The City That Never Sleeps (even though there are a few things you should avoid). In this case, New York tops this chart because it scored the highest in the food and entertainment category and it ranked sixth when it comes to safety and accessibility. The city also has the highest number of nightlife options per capita.