PHUKET is set to explode on New Year’s Eve.

Fireworks will light up the skies right across the island, the beaches will be full of revellers, and people will be out partying hard everywhere.

As the clock strikes midnight on Wednesday night, the boys will be kissing the girls, the girls will be kissing them back, and shouts of ‘Happy New Year’ will echo across the island.There will be action everywhere you go.

Most of the bigger hotels will be hosting New Years Eve parties, the glitter strip in Patong will be pumping, there will be beach parties all along the west coast, and fireworks will light up the sky everywhere you look.

The Vijit Resort in Rawai is putting on a New Year celebration with a Thai twist.

The night will feature a spectacular international buffet, a Thai show, a jazz band and a fireworks display. Cost is 3500 baht per person, and children under 12 are half price.

The swanky White Box restaurant on Kalim Bay is going all out this New Year’s Eve, kicking off its party at 6pm and going through until 5am in the restaurant’s roof top bar, with live bands and disc jockeys.

Guests will welcome in the New Year with Moet Chandon champagne and a choice of caviar or smoked salmon to start a night of culinary treats. Cost is 7500 baht which includes a spectacular fireworks display over Kalim Bay.

There will be a champagne countdown, starting at 11.30pm, and if you buy two bottles you will get another one free until 12.30am.

The Green Man Pub in Chalong is planning to have ‘fun all night’, accordingto proprietor, Howard Digby-Johns.

Guests will be asked to ‘glam up’ for a chance to win prizes for the best dressed Glossy Red Lipped Queen, Smoky Eyed Vixen, the Winter White Witch, and Victoria’s Secret Angel.

The pub’s legendary food will be available all night, with pates, terrines, antipasto, a variety of mains for the grown-ups and hamburgers, hotdogs, and chocolate fountains with fresh fruit and cream for the kids.

The Hilton Phuket Arcadia in Karon, will welcome in the New Year with a ‘Thai-fun fair’ and a gala dinner.

The Da Maurizio Bar Ristorante just north of Patong will cost 4900 baht and kicks off with Bellini cocktails, and a choice of six courses.Price is 4900 baht per person. For further information, call 076 344 079.

This year’s festivities will last longer than in previous years.

The Thai Government has declared January 2 a public holiday, so people working in Thailand will have a five-day long weekend, starting on December 31 and finishing on January 4.

You can kick off your New Year celebrations at the Royal Phuket Marina with dinner at one of the five restaurants dotted along the boardwalk, then dance the night away in the town square.Prices range from 3500 to 5000 baht a ticket.

And of course, there will be the obligatory fireworks over the water at midnight.
Reservations are a must, so book early at royalphuketmarina.com and click on boardwalk dining.

The Verandah at the Phuket Pavilions on Bang Tao Beach is putting on a four-course banquet in one of the best vantage points from which to watch the fireworks.Price is 4500 baht and the kids are half price. To book, call 076 317 600 or email fb@phuketpavillions.com

The Mangosteen Resort in Rawai is having a New Years Eve party on the pool deck and a ‘hangover brunch’ by the pool on New Years Day.Price is 2999 baht per person for the New Year’s Eve party and 799 baht for the hangover party. To book, call 076 289 399.

The west coast is sure to be pumping and scores of beach parties are planned for just about every beach.

At the Kata Night Bazaar, across the road from Club Med, all the bars are planning a joint party which will feature a midnight ‘splash down’ at Ricky Zen’s Flamingo Splash Lounge.The party will include swimming pool games, prizes and giveaways, the sizzling Coyote Dancers, Mermaids and a Music under the Stars concert.

For those people who prefer a street party, there will be countdowns to the New Year at the clock in the centre of the roundabout next to the Metropole Hotel in Phuket Town and at Surin Circle, on the north end of the island.

If you’re heading off to a BYO restaurant or a private party, don’t forget the booze.

The EnVision wine bar and bottle shop in Surin Beach will be open late for last minute bottle shopping, and there are some great specials on offer.They will even gift wrap your bottle to help you make a grand entrance at whichever party you go to.

But wherever you go and whatever you do, the Phuket Post wishes you all a happy and safe New Year.