10 Outrageous New Year's Celebrations

It's perhaps the one night a year when every city around the world decides to throw an all-out party: New Year's Eve. But while some revelers pop the bubbly in front of the TV and wait for the ball to drop over Times Square (and, we hope, score a smooch at midnight), others are set to splurge, and they are pulling out all the stops.

Click here for 10 Outrageous New Year's Celebrations (Slideshow)

From serious gourmets who think nothing of burning $10,000 for an over-the-top New Year's Eve dinner in Manhattan (one that includes a pound of caviar per person, not to mention 24/7 Frank Sinatra impersonators to set the mood) to royal wannabe's (or actual royals) ringing in 2014 from a Tower Suite in a palace set high in the Swiss alps, we scoured the globe for the world's hottest, most outlandish (not to mention expensive) New Year's Eve parties. 

Just imagine that money is no object: So, where in the world would you decide to fête New Year's Eve? Some of the celebrations we dug up may surprise you. At the Hotel Modern in Honolulu, an ultra luxurious end-of-year package includes a chartered jet for a group of eight, sky diving over Oahu and a private chartered Waikiki catamaran sail (not to mention boatloads of booze at an exclusive beachside party). The price tag? Oh, just $114,000.

But there are steals, too: For those who happen to be near "Millionaire Mile" in Phuket, Thailand for New Year's, partygoers can spend the last night of 2013 at a secluded tropical resort surrounded by circus freaks (think fire breathers, burlesque dancers, magicians, acrobats, clowns and more) for less than $300 a pop. Whether you're ready to blow that year-end bonus or just take in the world's wildest New Year's Eve parties via armchair, let everyone's favorite countdown begin: