Spending your New Year's Eve 2017 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 to triple at least), overcrowded even by Jakarta standards, and worst of all: Rainy. I spent 2 NYE there in 2012 and 2014 and they were each disappointing. The only thing that I liked was the fireworks on the beach.
In 2016, I decided to stay in Jakarta for the holiday season, including Christmas. The city was 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.
Where to Watch the Fireworks on New Year Eve?
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| Fireworks in Ancol on 31st December 2015 |
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).
Last year, I watched the one in Bunderan HI which is near Plaza Indonesia and Grand Indonesia. It is the most convenient location for those who plan on going to a nightclub afterwards. You should get there early though as the main roads are blocked starting 7pm.
The atmosphere was messy but it was fun. 99.99% of the people were Indonesians, many of them young and from a working class background. It was frightening at times because fireworks were shot from everywhere, sometimes just a couple meters from us. Avoid it if you are with kids and in any case, make sure you have a good travel insurance.
After the fireworks, our plan was to walk to the nightclub Immigrant (Plaza Indonesia Mall) which was literally 200 meters away. It turned out to be an impossible feat as the normal entrance of the mall was blocked and the crowd was too dense to be penetrated. We ended up stuck in Pullman Hotel for over an hour. My conclusion is that if you choose to watch the fireworks from the streets, you won't be able to go anywhere else until at least 2AM.
To avoid this problem, you can spend your evening in one of the restaurants and bars that have a nice view on the city.
My first choice would be the rooftop lounge Cloud because it is in the same building as Immigrant club. The entrance fee for Cloud last year was Rp250,000 and Rp750,000 for the dinner.
The other venues I would recommend for watching the fireworks are SKYE, Paulaner Brauhaus, Social House, Burgundy or MO Bar.
Where to Eat, Drink and Party in Jakarta for New Year's Eve 2017?
I will update this section later as most venues haven't released their program yet for the 31st December 2016. If you want to get an idea of what to expect in terms of events and prices, you can check my review of last year: 20 Best New Year Eve Parties in Jakarta 2016.
There will be several fun areas with a good atmosphere. Personally, I would recommend checking Basque, Loewy, Potato Head Garage and Jack Sparrows. For a more formal dinner, most 5-star hotel restaurants will have a special offer for a NYE dinner.
Where to Sleep in Jakarta for New Year's Eve?
You have to realize that 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.
The best hotels for New Year's Eve in Jakarta are without any doubts the ones located around Bunderan HI. Hurry up to make your reservation as they will be quickly fully-booked. Most of them have a required minimum stay of 2 nights during the festive season. If you search for them on Agoda or Booking.com, they will not appear if you only select 1 night.
Here are the best deals I could find for luxury hotels that have a view on the Bunderan HI fireworks:
Price for a 3-night stay from 30 December to 2 January: Rp9,400,000 on HotelsCombined.com.
Price for a 3-night stay from 30 December to 2 January: Rp11,600,000 on HotelsCombined.com
Price for a 3-night stay from 30 December to 2 January: Rp13,000,000 on HotelsCombined.com
Price for a 3-night stay from 30 December to 2 January: Rp17,600,000 on HotelsCombined.com
Other Recommended Hotels
If your budget is more limited, there are still plenty of options but you should not wait the last minute to make your booking.
These are centrally-located hotels that will cost you between Rp500,000 and Rp1,500,000 per night (listed from cheapest to most expensive):
You can explore more hotels by searching for the following locations on Agoda: Hotels near Grand Indonesia and Hotels near Sarinah.
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| The Grand Hyatt offers one of the best views to enjoy the NYE fireworks |