West Valley city ranked one of worst places to celebrate New Year's Eve

Looking for some fun on Dec. 31? Maybe don't go to this part of town.

December 19, 2024

Image: A new study says Glendale is one of the worst places to party on New Year's Eve.

A new study says Glendale is one of the worst places to party on New Year's Eve. Shari's Berries/CC BY 2.0/Flickr

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If you're looking for a place in the Valley to celebrate New Year's Eve, you may not want to go to Glendale.

That's according to a new study by financial website WalletHub, who recently ranked U.S. cities based on where it's the most fun to ring in the new year.

Researchers compared 100 of the biggest U.S. cities based on 26 key indicators of an epic, affordable New Year’s Eve celebration. The data set ranged from the legality of fireworks and the nightlife options per capita to the affordability of food and lodging.

Damn near the bottom of the list is Glendale, which ranked 98th out of 100. Breaking out individual factors, the West Valley city ranked 85th for entertainment and food options, 78th for costs and 80th for safety and accessibility.

Other cities in metro Phoenix fared better: Scottsdale came in at 22, the highest ranking of anywhere in Arizona. Other rankings include: Chandler, 67; Mesa, 72; Phoenix, 78; and Gilbert, 88.

The top five stories for celebrating New Year's Eve, according to the study, are New York City, Orlando, San Diego, Las Vegas and Chicago.

The cities that fared worse than Glendale are Anchorage, Alaska, and the bottom ranking, San Bernardino, Calif.

See the complete study on the WalletHub website.

Jennifer Goldberg is the Senior Editor of Culture at Phoenix New Times. She joined the New Times staff in February 2016. In her role, Jennifer writes and publishes profiles of both local and regional musicians, previews upcoming performances and provides guides on the best of Phoenix’s entertainment scene. She also oversees the Best of Phoenix. Jennifer previously worked for Jewish News of Greater Phoenix. During her career, Jennifer has received awards from the Arizona Press Club, the Arizona Newspaper Association and the American Jewish Press Association. She holds a bachelor’s of arts in English from Arizona State University.

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