The best places to spend New Year's Eve

In Madrid the anniversary of the Gran Vía will be celebrated

The best places to spend New Year's Eve

The InterContinental Hotels (IHG) group has published a selection of the best places to celebrate the arrival of the new year reviewing its particular traditions. Thus, South Africa has two new years, in Italy an ox is raffled, in Holland and Belgium they bathe in ice water and in Germany they predict the fate of the new year by seeing how melted steel solidifies in water.

In Italy they call it Capodanno ('the head of the year'), in Holland and Belgium it is called Oud en Nieuw ('old and new'), in English it is called New Year's Eve('new year's eve'), in Germany Sylvesterabend ('Wild's Eve') and in France they call it La Saint-Sylvestre (Saint Sylvestre). Each country also has its own traditions for the last night of the year. IHG has made a tour of several countries and their respective celebrations, highlighting the events that will take place in the hotels of the chain with the arrival of the new year.

In the case of Spain, this year the Gran Vía, Madrid's shopping street famous throughout the world, celebrates its 100th anniversary. One of its most famous architectural symbols is the Carrión building, built by Alberto Feduchi, who also built the InterContinental Madrid in 1953. To celebrate that anniversary, the InterContinental Madrid hotel will celebrate a Special Anniversary Gala of gran Vía with live music and New Year's surprises. The chefs have prepared a six-course menu for hotel guests, which includes delicacies such as foie gras, sea bass and sirloin.

News added on 23-11-2010