New Year's Eve in Budva

Budva throws the biggest open-air New Year's Eve party on the Montenegrin coast: from 30 December to 1 January, the square before the Old Town walls becomes a multi-night concert arena drawing tens of thousands of celebrants.

The programme runs across several nights of free concerts by major regional stars — headliners of Dino Merlin's caliber have topped the bill — building to midnight on the 31st, when fireworks erupt over the walls and rooftops of the Old Town, one of the most photogenic midnight moments on the Adriatic.

The party does not end with the countdown: on the afternoon of 1 January, the traditional "Mediterranean Revue Orchestra" concert eases the town into the new year, a civilised encore for those emerging from the night before.

All concerts are free. Budva's winters are mild by any standard — sea air, rarely a frost — and hotels offer their best rates of the year, making the NYE programme one of the coast's smartest off-season trips. Arrive early on the 31st; the square fills fast.