A recent ranking of the 100 best cities for New Year's Eve celebrations published by the finance website WalletHub ranked Aurora as the 94th-best city in the United States in which to welcome 2025. The ranking was put together with scores in 26 different categories, including the legality of fireworks, the cost of food and lodging, and the nightlife options per capita.
The top three cities were New York, Orlando and San Diego. Denver just barely missed out on the top ten, edged out by Seattle. Meanwhile, Colorado Springs came in 47th place, just .01 points behind New Orleans.
Aurora remains stuck in the shadow of the only two Colorado cities that are bigger, but at least it made the list — and it still beat out other cities such as Oakland, Memphis and Albuquerque.
Aurora residents might be surprised that their "World in a City" has one of the ten lowest scores for entertainment and food options among 100 cities across the country, but maybe WalletHub wasn't looking in the right places.
Here are suggestions for enjoying New Year's Eve and Day in Aurora that WalletHub apparently missed:
Food
Aurora's culinary treasures include a delicious array of Asian, Latin American and East African restaurants along South Havana Street from East Dartmouth Avenue to East Mississippi Avenue, also known as the Havana Street corridor.On New Year's Eve, many of the local favorites will be open so that you can fill up before the midnight countdown. Korean options like Seoul KBBQ & Hot Pot, Mr. Tang and Angry Chicken are savory options that showcase the flavor of Havana Street, and Japanese cuisine has a solid footprint on the corridor with Katsu Ramen as a good lunch choice and Sushi Katsu and Leezakaya as lively dinner possibilities.
The corridor also has a range of Latin American options, including Mariscos El Rey for Mexican seafood, Aroma do Brazil for a Brazilian buffet and La Cocina de Lucho, an Argentinian food truck that usually sets up outside Stampede, a popular bar with live music. Some of the best pastries in Aurora are on the corridor at Paris Baguette, 10601 East Garden Drive #105, and TOUS les Jours, 2892 South Havana Street.
Drinkers, sports fans and bikers can find New Year's drink deals at their favorite Aurora bar. JJ's Place, 2340 South Chambers Road, usually has drink specials. Noonan's Sports Bar & Grill, 13521 East Iliff Avenue, has drink specials on New Year's Eve and food specials the next day. And the Piper Inn, at 2251 South Parker Road, serves a New Year's Day brunch to ease the hangovers.
Fun
The Southlands mall, at 6155 South Main Street, offers a few Noon Year's Eve events from 10:30 a.m. to noon on December 31. The party is geared for kids, with face painters, balloon animals and games, but Southlands is an Aurora favorite any time of the year. Plus, you can always return Christmas gifts while you're at the mall.
Stampede, a live music club at 2430 South Havana Street, will have the norteña band Morro y Su Reunión playing on New Year's Eve from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Stampede is a great choice for Latin music lovers, and it also has a cool high patio that looks toward south Denver. Tickets are $50, but women can get in for free before 10 p.m.
State park systems around the country organize First Day Hikes; Cherry Creek State Park invites the public to mark the New Year and meet other outdoor enthusiasts from the area on New Year's Day at 4201 South Parker Road.
Fireworks
Growing up in Aurora, you can get jealous of Denver's skyline. But one of the best places to view the bigger city's fireworks (and those tall towers) is from the top of hills and buildings around the intersection of South Parker Road and South Havana Street, which buttresses one end of the Havana Street corridor. The area has a lot of open space, including parking lots and parts of the Cherry Creek Trail, that offer a clear view of downtown Denver.
Fireworks spectators looking for a fancy setup can spend $100 for a ticket to dine at the top of Aurora's Pavilion Towers at 2821 South Parker Road, a recognizable landmark for the city. The event is billed as "New Year's Eve From Aurora's Highest Point," but the City of Aurora reports its highest elevation is located elsewhere, at 6,229 feet.
More frugal locals know that Nine Mile Station, near the intersection of South Parker Road and Interstate 225, has a 360-degree view that looks into Denver and other neighboring jurisdictions. Sure, the station is smelly, but with its platform elevated above Interstate 225 and no other highrises around, it might be the best view in Aurora.
