How to Celebrate New Year's Eve in Jakarta?

Celebrating your New Year's Eve in Jakarta is actually not a bad idea, especially if you compare it with the alternative of going to Bali.

Bali during New Year is crazy expensive (expect hotel prices in Kuta to triple at least), overcrowded even by Jakarta standards, and worst of all: Rainy.

In the past few years, for all the reasons above, I've decided to stay in Jakarta for the holiday season, including Christmas and New Year. I find the city to be much more livable than usual during the day (much less traffic) and there were great parties almost every night before and after New Year. The city also organizes several fireworks that you can watch from your hotel room, from the street, or from a rooftop restaurant.

If you are in Jakarta for New Year, voluntarily or not, these are the best ways to celebrate:

The official locations for the NYE fireworks are Ancol, Taman Mini, the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout (Bunderan HI), the Monas (National Monument), and Kota Tua (Taman Fatahillah).

For those who plan on going to a bar or nightclub after the fireworks, it is best to go to the one in Bunderan HI which is closed to Plaza Indonesian and Grand Indonesia. You have to get there early though as the main roads are blocked starting at 7pm. Expect crazy traffic jams before and after.

The atmosphere is always messy but it can be fun, especially in the few minutes before the countdown. It is an event popular with Indonesian families, mostly from a middle-class background. As a foreigner, it is likely that some of them will wave at you or ask to take a picture with you.

It can be a bit frightening at times because people will light their own fireworks, sometimes just a few meters away from you. If you are with kids, be extra careful and, in any case, make sure you have good travel insurance.

This is probably the best thing to do in Jakarta to celebrate the New Year. You will get the best of everything: A (partial) view of the fireworks, a special dinner, and a party.

All the famous rooftops in the city will organize an event on NYE. The best ones for this occasion are those located near Bunderan HI as you shall be able to see the fireworks from there: SKYE or Cloud.

Paulaner Brauhaus, Social House, Burgundy, or MO Bar are not on rooftops but they also offer a view of Bundaran HI.

It is essential to book in advance as these places will be more crowded than usual. Expect to pay at least IDR1,000,000 for dinner.

Other rooftops that can be nice are Henshin, the highest in the city, and Chao Chao, which is near the nightclubs/bars of SCBD.

There are some great events on New Year's Eve in Jakarta, either in restaurants, bars, or clubs.

For an updated list of the best venues in Jakarta to party, you can read:

- Best Nightclubs in Jakarta

- Best Bars in Jakarta

You should realize it might be more difficult than usual to get around in Jakarta before and after the countdown. My advice would be to choose a party spot that is near to your hotel. Ideally, it should be so near that you could just walk if something happened. 

As I mentioned above, from 9pm to 2am on New Year, it will be difficult to circulate in the city center. Some major streets like Sudirman/Thamrin may be closed and smaller ones will be clogged by traffic jams. Read carefully my reviews Where to Stay in Jakarta and Jakarta Hotel Guide to make sure you are in the right neighborhood.

- Oakwood Mega Kuningan is near Basque, Loewy, and Flow

- Westin has the rooftop bar Henshin

- Kempinski: Near Social House, Skye, Paulaner Brauhause

- Hyatt: Near Cloud, Cork & Screw

- Alila SCBD: Near Chao Chao, Lucy in The Sky, Fable, Hard Rock Café, Swillhouse

Don't wait too long to make your reservation as these hotels will be quickly fully booked. During the festive season, they may have a required minimum stay of 2 nights. If you search for them on Agoda or Booking.com, they will not appear if you only select 1 night.