In Santo Domingo the year ends twice: once at a family table, late, and again on the Malecón at midnight with the whole city.
The night, in order#
Evening Dinner at home, the second big family meal of the week after Nochebuena. Visitors without a table join a hotel party or a restaurant set menu, booked weeks ahead. Toward midnight The Malecón fills, the Zona Colonial's plazas have music, the colmados are open. Midnight Fireworks along the seafront, twelve grapes, yellow underwear, a suitcase around the block, cider. After Music until dawn, on the Malecón, in the plazas, in the colmados.
Where to be#
The Malecón for the fireworks and the crowd. Plaza España and the Zona Colonial for music with the Alcázar lit behind you. The Malecón hotels for a ticketed party. Santo Domingo nightlife for the rest of the week.
The Dominican traditions#
Dominican New Year's Eve traditions explains the grapes, the colours, the suitcase and the water thrown out the door. Christmas itself is on Christmas in the Dominican Republic.
1 January#
Dead. Shops, museums and most restaurants closed, the city asleep until the afternoon. Plan a slow day and a hotel breakfast. The 2nd is normal.
Weather and prices#
Dry season: around 28°C by day, 21°C at night. The last ten days of December are the busiest of the year in the capital, as the diaspora comes home; rooms and flights are high and the city is loud. Santo Domingo in December and in January for the weeks either side.
With a Dominican#
A New Year's Eve dinner table is the thing a visitor cannot book. Santo Domingo has more Local Friends than any city on Roavi; post your dates on Roavi Community.
New Year's Eve in Santo Domingo? The Malecón at midnight with someone who lives here.
Meet a Local FriendFrequently Asked Questions
Where do people celebrate New Year's Eve in Santo Domingo?
At home for dinner, then on the Malecón and in the Zona Colonial's plazas, where there is music and the fireworks are visible. Hotels along the Malecón run parties, and restaurants in the Zona Colonial, Gazcue and Piantini sell set menus that book out well ahead.Is there a fireworks show in Santo Domingo on New Year's Eve?
Fireworks go up at midnight along the Malecón and from hotels and neighbourhoods across the city. The Malecón is where most people gather to see them.What is open in Santo Domingo on 1 January?
Very little. Shops, museums and most restaurants are closed, and the city sleeps until the afternoon. Hotel restaurants and a few places in the tourist areas of the Zona Colonial serve. The 2nd is normal.What do Dominicans do at midnight on New Year's Eve?
Twelve grapes for twelve wishes, yellow underwear for luck, a suitcase walked around the block for a year of travel, cider or champagne, hugs, fireworks, and then the street until dawn.
