Georgians count New Year's Eve as the biggest night of their year, bigger than Christmas. At midnight in Tbilisi, thousands of private fireworks go up from balconies, courtyards and hillsides across the city, and families sit down to a supra, the long Georgian feast of food, wine and toasts that runs well past dawn. For visitors, the night combines a free, noisy street spectacle with some of the warmest hospitality in the region, and the season does not end on 1 January: Orthodox Christmas follows on 7 January and the "Old New Year" on 14 January.
You will find the bigger picture in our guide to the best places to celebrate New Year 2027 around the world.
This guide covers where to watch the midnight fireworks in Tbilisi, the customs that shape the night (gozinaki, the chichilaki tree and the mekvle, the first guest), how the season runs through January, and how to plan a trip. For the country overview, see our Georgia page.
Thousands of private displays light up Tbilisi at midnight, under themed lights on Rustaveli Avenue and the main city tree. Indoors, the night belongs to the supra, a family feast steered by a toastmaster (tamada), and the sweet everyone eats is gozinaki, walnuts set in honey. The holidays run in stages: New Year on 1 January, Bedoba on the 2nd, Christmas on the 7th and the Old New Year on the 14th. Tbilisi is cold and the mountains are snowy. The currency is the Georgian lari (GEL), and many nationalities enter visa-free, though the official Georgian foreign ministry list is the one to check.
Where to watch the New Year's Eve fireworks in Tbilisi
Watch from Tbilisi's hills, Mtatsminda and Narikala Fortress, which look over the whole city, or Rustaveli Avenue for the street scene. Tbilisi's midnight fireworks are mostly private, launched by residents from all over the city, and the effect is a 360-degree display that lasts far longer than a planned show. Accounts of whether the city stages an official display differ from year to year, so treat any municipal show as a bonus and pick a viewpoint that takes in the whole city.
Mtatsminda and the hills above the city
Mtatsminda, the mountain that rises behind the city centre, looks down over the whole Tbilisi basin. From up here, midnight looks like the entire city is on fire with sparks. The funicular and the park at the top draw crowds, so go early and check the operating hours for 31 December, which can change for the holiday.
Narikala Fortress, above the Old Town and reachable by cable car from Rike Park, gives a closer view over the old quarter, the Kura river and Sololaki. Both viewpoints are cold and windy at night, and photographers after a panorama should be in place well before midnight.
Rustaveli Avenue and the city centre
Each year Tbilisi decorates Rustaveli Avenue, the city's main boulevard, with a festive theme, and the main Christmas tree and illuminations go up in the centre in December. On the night, crowds gather around the central squares. Fireworks are fired at street level all around you, which is exciting and occasionally alarming, so keep a safe distance from anyone lighting rockets.
Rustaveli Avenue runs for about 1.5 km from Freedom Square to Republic Square, past the Parliament building, the Opera House and the Rustaveli Theatre, and two metro stations (Liberty Square and Rustaveli) sit along it. Shops along the avenue sell gozinaki and churchkhela in the last days of December, and the cafés in the side streets of Sololaki stay open late. After midnight the avenue fills with families who come out to wish each other a happy new year, "Gilotsavt akhal tsels". Smoke from fireworks hangs low on still nights, so people with asthma may prefer a hill or a terrace. For atmosphere and people-watching, though, the free street scene is hard to beat.
A supra at a Georgian home or restaurant
Georgian New Year is first a family occasion. The supra fills the table with dishes such as khachapuri, satsivi (poultry in walnut sauce), pkhali and roast meats, and a tamada, or toastmaster, leads a long sequence of toasts. Many restaurants in Tbilisi run New Year's Eve supras with set menus and live music, and some guesthouses host their guests at the family table.
Book a restaurant weeks ahead; prices for the night are set per person and usually include unlimited food and wine. Pace yourself, since toasts are drunk in full.
A few customs help guests feel at ease. Toasts follow an order set by the tamada, and it is polite to listen before drinking, since each toast honours a person or idea such as peace, family or the departed. Wine is poured generously, and you can ask for water between toasts. Leaving food on your plate is fine, as the hosts keep refilling it.
Georgian New Year traditions: gozinaki, chichilaki and the mekvle
Gozinaki is the sweet of the season: walnuts, or sometimes hazelnuts, set in boiled honey and cut into diamonds. Many families make it at home, and it is traditionally among the first things eaten after midnight so that the year starts sweet.
The chichilaki is a small Christmas tree made by shaving hazelnut branches into curled white strands, decorated with dried fruit. It stands in the home through the holidays and is burned around Georgian Orthodox Epiphany on 19 January, taking the troubles of the past year with it. Markets in Tbilisi sell them in late December, and they make a light, distinctive souvenir.
The mekvle is the first guest to cross the threshold in the new year. Families believe the mekvle sets the household's luck for the year, so they choose who arrives first with care. The custom is linked to both 1 January and the Old New Year on 14 January.
The Georgian festive season
| Date | Occasion | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 31 Dec to 1 Jan | New Year | midnight fireworks, family supra, gozinaki |
| 2 Jan | Bedoba | the "day of luck"; a good day sets the tone for the year |
| 7 Jan | Orthodox Christmas | church services and the Alilo processions |
| 14 Jan | Old New Year | Julian-calendar new year, a second, smaller celebration |
| 19 Jan | Epiphany | chichilaki burned the day before |
Where else in Georgia to spend New Year: Batumi, Gudauri and Kakheti
Batumi, Georgia's seaside city, holds its own New Year festivities on the boulevard and has milder winter weather than the mountains, so it makes a good coastal alternative. Skiers and snowboarders head for Gudauri, a resort on the Georgian Military Road and a popular base for New Year in the snow, though the road can close in heavy weather. Food and wine lovers will prefer Sighnaghi and Telavi in the wine country east of Tbilisi, where guesthouses and family wineries host quieter New Year feasts.
Fireworks and winter roads: Fireworks are launched by private individuals all over Tbilisi, often in crowded streets. Keep children close and stay away from anyone lighting them.
Mountain roads, including the route to Gudauri, can close in snow. Check road conditions before you travel and leave buffer days.
Distances and timings: Gudauri sits about 120 km north of Tbilisi, around two and a half hours by road in good conditions, and shared minibuses and taxis run from the capital. Batumi is about 370 km away on the Black Sea, reached by a five-hour train from Tbilisi or a short flight, and winter there is mild and wet, with little snow. Sighnaghi is roughly two hours east of Tbilisi. If you plan to split the holiday, many travellers spend 31 December in Tbilisi and move on to the mountains or Kakheti on 2 January, after the first quiet day.
Getting to Georgia and entry rules
Most visitors fly into Tbilisi International Airport, with Kutaisi and Batumi as alternatives for some low-cost and seasonal routes. Connections are good through Istanbul, Dubai, Doha and several European hubs. Many nationalities can enter Georgia visa-free for up to a year, but the list changes, so check the official Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs list for your passport, and confirm any insurance requirement before you fly. See our flights page and visa page.
Two rules to check before flying. First, the visa-free list covers roughly 95 to 98 nationalities as of 2026, allowing stays of up to a year, but some passports need an e-visa through the official portal or a consular visa. Second, since 1 January 2026, foreign visitors entering for tourism must carry health and accident insurance valid for the whole stay, with cover of at least 30,000 Georgian lari, and border officers can ask to see it. Buy a policy that names Georgia and keep a printed or digital copy.
Tbilisi International Airport is about 17 km from the city centre. Bus 337 runs to the centre and the main railway station, and a taxi or ride-hailing car takes about 25 minutes. Kutaisi, used by many low-cost flights from Europe, is around three and a half to four hours from Tbilisi by shuttle bus, so a late arrival there often means an extra night.
Where to stay for New Year's Eve in Tbilisi
Tbilisi has no single countdown square; the spectacle is thousands of private fireworks going off across the whole city at midnight. That makes height and view more important than distance to a stage. Hotels and guesthouses in Sololaki and on the slopes below Mtatsminda look across the city, and the funicular area is the classic place to watch. The Old Town (Kala) around Abanotubani is walkable to everything and has rooftop terraces with wide views.
Rustaveli Avenue and Vera are good central bases with easy access to the decorated main street, restaurants and the metro. Wherever you stay, ask whether the property hosts a New Year supra for guests: many family-run guesthouses do, and it is one of the best ways to experience the night. Expect noise and smoke from fireworks until the early hours in every district.
Heating varies a lot in older buildings, especially in the Old Town, so check reviews for comments on warm rooms, and ask whether the guesthouse has a backup for power cuts. Guesthouses on the steep lanes of Sololaki and Betlemi are reached on foot up stairs and cobbles, which are slippery on frosty nights, so pack shoes with grip and travel light. For families, the quieter streets of Vake, west of the centre, have modern apartments and are a short ride from Rustaveli Avenue.
What New Year's Eve in Georgia costs
How much to budget, October 2026
| Item | What to expect | How to keep it down |
|---|---|---|
| Watching the fireworks | Free from any hill, terrace or street | Find a viewpoint before 23:30; streets fill with smoke afterwards |
| Hotel nights | Central Tbilisi rooms rise over the holidays; ski resorts fill early | Book early, especially in Gudauri and Bakuriani |
| New Year supra or restaurant dinner | Fixed menus with music, often running past 2am | Ask whether wine is included; it usually is |
| Gozinaki and treats | Sold at markets and shops in late December at everyday prices | Markets are cheaper than tourist shops |
| Taxis | Busy after midnight; apps work in Tbilisi | Wait until the fireworks die down before booking |
Georgia is inexpensive for most visitors. The metro and city buses cost a small flat fare paid with a card, ride-hailing trips across the centre are cheap, and khachapuri from a bakery costs a couple of lari. The lari is the only legal tender; exchange offices are everywhere in Tbilisi and give fair rates, and cards are widely accepted in the centre. Restaurants usually add a service charge of around 10 to 18 percent, so check the bill before tipping. A bottle of good Georgian wine from a shop costs far less than abroad and makes an easy gift for hosts.
Practical tips for New Year's Eve in Georgia
- Learn toast etiquette. The tamada leads toasts; wait for him before drinking, and drink in full for important toasts.
- Bring a gift. If invited home, bring wine, sweets or a small gift and accept second helpings graciously.
- Book early. Old Town and Sololaki hotels fill for New Year; book a central stay to walk back after midnight.
- Use ride apps. Taxis are cheap but scarce right after midnight; walk or wait out the first hour.
- Dress warm. Hilltop viewpoints are cold and windy at midnight. Bring a hat and gloves.
- Shops on 1 to 2 January. Many shops and cafés keep short hours on 1 and 2 January; plan meals ahead.
Compare flights to Tbilisi and stays in the Old Town before the holiday rush. Find hotels
The festive season runs on: Orthodox Christmas falls on 7 January with church processions called Alilo, and the Old New Year on 14 January is a second, smaller celebration. Tbilisi winters are cool and fairly mild, with daytime temperatures a few degrees above freezing, but the wind on the hills is biting. Georgian is the main language; Russian and increasingly English are understood in the centre.
The customs you will see in Georgia are compared with those of other countries in our guide to New Year traditions around the world. This destination also appears in our list of budget New Year getaways, with other affordable places to celebrate.
Planning a trip to Georgia? Read our Georgia travel guide or search flights.
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