New Years Eve celebrations seem to be getting bigger and bigger every year. London now stages a major public fireworks display, centred on the London Eye on the Thames, while TV news broadcasts always show the New Year being welcomed in different parts of the world. These reports usually show fireworks displays in Edinburgh, Paris, Sydney, Copacabana beach, Hong Kong and or the million or so revelers who converge on Times Square in New York. The New York celebrations are interesting as they first started in 1904 to commemorate the opening of the New York Times' new offices, when 200,000 people came to enjoy an all-day party put on by the newspaper. It is now estimated that 1 billion people worldwide watch the Times Square celebrations.

The Portuguese are also some of the most ardent celebrators of the New Year and the Portuguese island of Madeira is said to have one of the world's largest fireworks displays every New Years Eve. Anyone on holiday in the city of Funchal at New Year will start to sense the atmosphere of expectation as large cruise ships start to arrive in the city's harbour and firework firing stations are set up all over the area. Once things kick off at midnight the whole area is the scene of one of the most amazing displays you can imagine.

On mainland Portugal, New Year celebrations are also important events. On the Algarve, the towns of Portimao, Faro and Albufeira each host large fireworks displays. In Portimao the party starts at 10pm in the Waterfront area with the 15 minute fireworks display starting at midnight of course. Concerts by bands performing Brazilian and Cuban music are promised afterwards.

In Faro the fireworks are preceded by a Rock Musical as part of a programme that includes a concert by the La Selva Sur Grup from Seville and DJ music into the early hours. In Albufeira, Fishermen's Beach is the focus of events where concerts will take place before and after the fireworks display.

Flythomascook.com has flights to Faro from Manchester and Glasgow during the winter and from a further 8 UK airports during the summer.