New Year's Eve

If you have kids Stay home, or at least off major highways, lots of people drunk. Think of the kids.
Make a Pernil with baked Batatas, and some Coquito and Tembleque for desert. invite friends and family over that live close to you and have them bring a sleeping bag so they can sleep over.
San Juan has some nice activities and some other towns but parking is a pain, looting of vehicles likely, and not the best set of experience for kids.
Some restaurants will be open but not everywhere, if you have a large group that may be a better way to go, but expect someone drunk to try to spoil the fun.
A lot of people also go to church at night.
If you are Puerto Rican and no kids and not afraid of a nasty accident do a Parranda and visit family and friends for free boose and food, then get them to join you and visit the next place, repeat again untill too wasted. For a Parranda, 2 sticks, empty metal cans or pot, Guerro if you have one and a guitar or similar instrument. It does not matters how badly you sing, the best ones sound the same after a few drinks and singing badly and making a lot of noise is half the fun of a Parranda.

Rum and more rum!! With a little dominos game. 

adlin20 wrote:

Rum and more rum!! With a little dominos game. 

As long as you are not going anywhere, yes lots of rum, domino game, card games, lots of food and maybe a movie or two for the kids which will serve as background noice if the domino game is good and the rum is flowing.

Dont expect to be able to go to work the next day or two. The hangover and sour stomach will likely keep you down. Only the strongest ones go to work but likely will not get much done anyway.

ReyP is correct - stay off the roads. Also, stay under a nice concrete ceiling so bullets from celebratory gunfire don't rain down on your head (although I hear this isn't as big of a problem now as it was when I lived there).

Some things to do:
http://www.puertoricodaytrips.com/category/with-kids/

Also a little here about what to do: http://www.123newyear.com/newyears-eve/puerto-rico.htmlhttp://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g1 … _Rico.htmlhttp://www.world-guides.com/latin-ameri … vents.html

Hotels have festivities, there are beach parties, and all sorts of stuff to do. Keep an eye for the activities in the newspapers and check if you need reservations.

I am not in the island at the moment and prefer to stay home and invite friends instead.
Good luck
Rey

PS. If you can use a taxi or drive a bike if close to your house, parking can be a real pain.

The online papers (Spanish) have a entertainment section with what is upcoming for the week. Just keep checking as New Years approach. Mean time it will let you know about events that may interest you.
See: http://www.elnuevodia.com/entretenimien … a-2125283/

In my old neighborhood in Arroyo, some stayed up most of the night, playing music and singing.  Even those who ended up sleeping (like me) would wake up to gather on the beach before dawn for the first sunrise of the new year, share a bottle of champagne and/or  take a dip in the water, and wish each other a Happy New Year.

We are planing to have a big family celebration in our new house. Since it will be our first Christmas in PR in over 20years we are inviting all our brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. So we are expecting to have over 50 people in our house that evening and well into the next day.

As Rey said, lots of rum and dominos games. Not to mention food, lechon azado, arroz con gandulez and the traditional midnight asopao! (Pig in the sticks, rice with pigeon beans)

adlin20 wrote:

We are planing to have a big family celebration in our new house. Since it will be our first Christmas in PR in over 20years we are inviting all our brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles. So we are expecting to have over 50 people in our house that evening and well into the next day.

As Rey said, lots of rum and dominos games. Not to mention food, lechon azado, arroz con gandulez and the traditional midnight asopao! (Pig in the sticks, rice with pigeon beans)

That must be a big house to accomodate 50, LOL.

frogrock wrote:

In my old neighborhood in Arroyo, some stayed up most of the night, playing music and singing.  Even those who ended up sleeping (like me) would wake up to gather on the beach before dawn for the first sunrise of the new year, share a bottle of champagne and/or  take a dip in the water, and wish each other a Happy New Year.

New years eve head to Rincon for the last sunset of the year, then later head to Fajardo for the first sunrise of the year.

I can tell...bet you must have had a misspent youth.

I had a great time growing up in PR, we found any excuse to trow a party, go to the beach, river, pool, lake, fishing, etc. I was either in some body of water, dancing or chasing women.

ReyP wrote:

I had a great time growing up in PR, we found any excuse to trow a party, go to the beach, river, pool, lake, fishing, etc. I was either in some body of water, dancing or chasing women.

I will agree! No internet or video games, spend most of the day outside playing with friends, going to the river and fishing at the beach.

Rey, not a big house, just big backyard!

Well, to be fair ...... Internet and video games were not invented back then

ReyP wrote:

Well, to be fair ...... Internet and video games were not invented back then

I'm not that old......we had pac-man and tic tac to!!!

Sounds great!!! What is your address??? Only kidding. Last year, I made a Pernil and Arroz con Gandules and my grandson invited a friend over and we watched the dropping of the ball here- reaching midnight on the Spanish channels and then the dropping of the ball in times Square and so we had basically two New Years Eves.

Once the clock hit 12 here, we put on all the lights in the house and went outside to watch the many firecrackers going off in the neighborhood. It was a fabulous night. Hopefully this year will be even better!!!

We always stay home on New Year's eve. Sometimes we have visitors, sometimes we're alone.
After midnight we stay in for like 15 minutes  and hope that we can avoid any stray bullets. (Here in the country many people have guns and despite warnings and government campaigns many idiots fire their guns).
After that we visit family and friends here in the barrio and the party goes on.

No way I get in a car on that night.

I like the idea of Watching the last sunset of the year in the west of the island and the first one of the new year in the east of the island. Maybe I will organize that when I come permanently to the island.
Maybe hire 2 buses so we party each way and don't have to drive, LOL.