5 of the Best New Year’s Eve Festivals in Southern Africa in 2024

New Year’s Eve is one of the highlights of every festive season, and it’s no different here in southern Africa. If you’re visiting during December and January, congratulations! You’re here at the best possible time, when you can experience all that South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and Mozambique have to offer.

Some people use New Year’s Eve as an opportunity to get together, enjoy a braai, and reflect on the past year. However, if you’d rather spend the last night of the year out and about, there are tonnes of festivals, parties, and gatherings to experience. We’ve put together a list of the top five New Year’s Eve outdoor festivals in southern Africa in 2024. Read on to find your ideal celebration!

There’s plenty to do at the V&A Waterfront. Photo: Unsplash

New Year’s Eve Celebration – V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

For Capetonians, the V&A Waterfront is synonymous with New Year’s Eve. The annual fireworks display lights up the Cape Town Harbour, ringing in the new year with spectacular pops and bangs that can be seen from all across the city.

This year, the V&A Waterfront New Year’s Eve Celebration will feature an incredible lineup of musical artists, all set to take the stage at the iconic V&A Amphitheatre: Blackbyrd, Dr Victor, Matthew Mole, and Mi Casa! Visitors can also enjoy superb food at any of the Waterfront’s restaurants and hotels.

The best part? Entrance is free! Just make sure you get there early enough to secure a seat – and a parking spot for your rental car. If you want to make a restaurant reservation, do it as soon as possible to avoid missing out.

The illuminated entrance to the Joburg Zoo. Photo: Joburg City Parks

Festival of Lights – Joburg Zoo, Johannesburg

The Joburg Zoo Festival of Lights is Johannesburg’s equivalent of the V&A Waterfront fireworks. Each year, the Joburg Theatre teams up with Joburg City Parks & Zoo and City Power to put on an enchanting light show at the Joburg Zoo, one of the city’s most famous attractions.

After dark, the zoo transforms into a sparkling wonderland, with all kinds of lights illuminating the tree-lined walkways. Don’t worry – the lights won’t keep the animals up at night. Instead, they’re set up away from the animal exhibits so as not to disturb them, and life-sized animal artworks light up to keep things zoo-themed.

Visitors can also enjoy live entertainment, delicious food, and a night market. It’s an incredible opportunity to see the Joburg Zoo after dark and runs from 28 November to 5 January. Children under three get in for free, making this an exciting activity for your December family road trip.

The Durban beachfront at sunset. Photo: Unsplash

Hunters Paradise Beach Club – uShaka Beach, Durban

If you’re looking for something a little more adult-orientated on New Year’s Eve, check out the Hunters Paradise Beach Club at Durban’s uShaka Beach. The beach is set to buzz with awesome music, great food, and refreshing drinks from 23 December, culminating in a final bash on New Year’s Eve – with a Christmas party squeezed in between for good measure.

With over 1,500 square metres of tenting, dining areas, lounges, beach activations, and a dedicated VIP section, this party promises to be the highlight of the Durban social calendar. Confirmed artists include Major League DJs and Dlala Thukzin, with more set to be announced closer to the time.

Note: no under 18s will be allowed in, making this the ideal adults-only New Year’s Eve celebration. Plus, while you’re in Durban, you can enjoy everything else “South Africa’s Playground” has to offer and explore nearby attractions like the Drakensberg Mountains, iSimangaliso Wetland Park, and the South Coast.

Setting up for the Chobe Carnival. Photo: Chobe Carnival

Chobe Carnival New Year’s Countdown Festival – Kasane, Botswana

South Africa isn’t the only place where you can celebrate the New Year. Botswana’s famous Chobe Carnival – hailed as the “event of the year” – will return to Kasane on 31 December for the first New Year’s Countdown Festival, featuring a private cocktail lunch, boat cruise, and special VIP access.

Naturally, there will be live music, drinks, and food, but you’ll also get to experience a celebration of Botswana’s culture and diversity. And, of course, you’ll be in Kasane, one of the major safari hubs in the country, with Chobe National Park and Victoria Falls just a short drive away. That means you’ll have access to plenty of accommodation, whether you’re camping or hopping from one luxury lodge to another. It’s the perfect excuse to spend your December holiday on a self-drive safari adventure in Botswana!

People gather with their lanterns in Nieu Bethesda. Photo: Nieu Bethesda Tourism

Nieu Bethesda Festival of Lights – Nieu Bethesda, Eastern Cape

Rounding off our list, we have a calmer alternative to the typical New Year’s Eve parties. If you’ve never heard of Nieu Bethesda, it’s one of the most enigmatic and interesting villages in South Africa, with a history that captures imaginations to this day.

Perhaps its most famous resident was Helen Martins, a reclusive artist who transformed her home into the Owl House, a spectacular art gallery filled with her concrete and glass sculptures. Her tragic story has become a parable for the importance of mental health, whereas for artists, writers, and poets, it’s a monument to the creative mind. In fact, her story inspired the play The Road to Mecca by Athol Fugard, one of South Africa’s most celebrated plays. Today, the Owl House is a museum – and a national heritage site – and the focal point of the sleepy Eastern Cape village.

The Festival of Lights is the perfect excuse to visit Nieu Bethesda on a self-drive road trip. Weeks before New Year’s Eve, the community gathers at the Bethesda Arts Centre to start making paper lanterns in all shapes and sizes. The climax is the festival itself, where locals parade through the village with their lanterns, illuminating the dimly-lit streets to symbolise a fresh start.

The community also gathers for an alcohol-free feast beforehand, drilling home the point that “he money wasted on alcohol could be so much better spent on other things, and the abuse, misery, and neglect that often result from excessive drinking can be avoided”.

Light some sparklers this New Year’s Eve! Photo: Unsplash