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While 2020 was undeniably not quite the year we all hoped for, let’s say sayonara and celebrate its closure with live music, great food, tropical cocktails or if it is more your style, some quiet reflection. These are our best New Year’s Eve celebrations to welcome in the long-awaited 2K21!
Nautilus Degustation Dinner
Surely there isn’t a more fitting way to herald a new era than to indulgence in the enchanting Nautilus Restaurants’ (earlier seating) four-course or (later seating) six-course degustation menu under a starlit night sky and a full moon before you meander down for the midnight fireworks?
Instagram @nautilusportdouglas
Instagram @nautilusportdouglas
New Year’s Eve Degustation dinner at Sea Temple
If your idea of gastronomic adventure includes oysters, beef cheek croquette, grilled tiger prawns, tuna sashimi, black Angus sirloin topped off by chocolate sponge, white chocolate cremeux, cherries and salted caramel ice cream…the place to be is at Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort and Spa for their lavish seven course New Year’s Eve degustation dinner.
Sunset Dinner at Barbados
Eat, cocktail and chill-luxe on the waterfront as you catch the final sunset for twenty bloody twenty, and the full (of promise) moon rises. Barbados oozes decadent tropical glamour and luxury-the perfect fit for celebrating all that glitters in Port Douglas!
Jazz Lunch at Zinc Restaurant
Kick off celebrations early with a swinging Jazz lunch fuelled by Bernie’s Jazz, friends, frivolity and fabulous seafood specials this #NYE. Previous jazz gatherings at Zinc have been an absolute blast and this one promises to be no different!
NYE at the Yachtie
In true P-Diddy style, DJ Soljah and Joe Brown will whip up a frenzy of live beats and high vibes on deck by the water and under the stars at the Yachty as we slam the door on 2020!
Midnight Fireworks in Port Douglas
What’s a New Year’s Eve without pyrotechnics! If you’re still quivering at midnight, perfect vantage points for our annual fireworks fiesta include include Salsa, Sassi, Seabean, Melalueca, Court House Hotel, or sneak out from the IronBar, Paddys and the Central Hotel and look skyward.
Super-sized celebrations at the IronBar
Those looking to party big won’t be disappointed by the super-sized party passport at the IronBar kicking off at 9.30pm with DJ Will cranking out epic beats, free-flowing cocktails, and shiny happy faces through till 2am.
Drag out your glad rags, buff up those socially-distanced dancin’ shoes and party like it’s no longer 2020 at the hottest ticket in town!
Hootenanny in your Hazmats at the Lions Den Hotel (all weekend!)
If you think the ‘rona tried to take live music away from us, think again…pack up, set up camp and enjoy a smorgasbord of live music all weekend with performances by Dave Cooke, Hoolia, Whiskey Boat, Shannon Hunter, Timber and Wood, Lady Valiant and any wicked combination of the above. Appropriately, the theme is HAZMAT, so grab your boiler suit, mask, Glen20..and keep it sanitary!
Full Moon Beach Party at Turtle Cove
Give the year the send-off it rightly deserves! Hop on the free bus to Turtle Cove and party in style barefoot and beach style, under a full moon. Headlined by DJ Dolly Llama and Becky Beaver, this guaranteed goodness comes complete with free transfers from Port Douglas (Palm Cove, Smithfield and Cairns too!) and a Recovery Pool Party on New Years Day,
Back to back acts include Tastey, Debrey, Electronic Isolation, Glenn W (both playing vinyl sets around the pool on NYD.)
Get down at the Mount Molloy National Hotel
Get down country style- just up the road at the National Hotel in Mount Molloy. Enjoy a truly fun shindig with great pub style food, ice cold bevvys and live music by the Carinda Christie Trio. Pack your swag, as there is free camping two minutes away with a courtesy bus supplied.
What Else is On ?
If you are looking for earlier family friendly fireworks, Cairns shows will be held at 8:30pm and midnight at the Cairns Esplanade, with another show at 8:30pm at Palm Cove Jetty.
You can also find live music at a range of venues around the Shire:
Port Douglas / Court House Hotel by The Rockmans.
Cape Tribulation / It’s a jungle out there! Let’s jive! Ferntrees Rainforest Lodge is celebrating with a NYE Party, brimming with live music by SeaChange and friends, and great food, drinks and atmosphere, with special room rates now available.
Mossman / The Bowling Club have live music with Mark Burton playing.
If you are in Cairns for the night, the choice amongst the usual suspects of party venues is unsurprisingly diverse, but we’ve found something really quite unique-with the family friendly (and healthiest choice we’ve found!) 4K Cairns Fun Run along the Esplanade. There are surprises and live entertainment scattered throughout the running course, and participants are encouraged to dress aglow in fluoro! The Cairns Fun Run is free to participate and welcomes all ages, making it an exciting way to motivate friends and family to kickstart 2021 by achieving personal goals and focusing on a healthy start.
Skypark Cairns is also hosting a huge extravaganza, Let’s Dance, featuring special guest DJs Jordan Brando, Nøt Telling, Adiel Mora, BIGMOO, and Jimmy Thunda.
Basketball buffs can see Cairns Taipans play off against Melbourne United from 6 pm.
If partying isn’t really your thing, there is a wonderful alternative being held up near Mareeba, with the New Years Eve Overnight Gong Bath Campout offering a sacred and transformative evening of Sound Meditation, Vibrational Healing, Ceremony and Connection with 5 Gongs and over 30 Tibetan Singing Bowls.
Weather Forecast / Cloudy, with a high (80%) chance of showers, most likely in the afternoon and evening. Chance of a thunderstorm. Light winds. Overnight temperatures falling to low to mid 20s with daytime temperatures from 27 to 33.
