Best and Worst Texas Cities for New Year's Eve 2026

Seven-foot-tall numerals for "2026" are displayed during an illumination ceremony on Dec. 26, 2025 at One Times Square in New York City, ahead of the this year's New Year's Eve celebration.

You may think spending New Year's in Times Square is the ultimate experience, but your wallet likely disagree. Even if you could make a trip any other time of the year, businesses in New York and other New Year's hotspots are known for hiking up prices for such big events. Then there's the scarcity of open hotel rooms, which also tend to be exponentially costly for the holiday.

But there’s good news — you don’t have to break the bank or cross state lines to start 2026 with a bang. To help you choose a more cost-effective way of celebrating without sacrificing fun, WalletHub compared the 100 biggest U.S. cities across 26 key measures. From the legality of fireworks and nightlife options per capita to food affordability and forecasted precipitation, the analysis gathered data on all aspects that make New Year’s celebrations memorable in the best way.

"Celebrating New Year’s Eve in the right city can turn the holiday into a truly magical experience," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. "The best cities for New Year’s celebrations have clear skies and some of the best fireworks displays around. The top cities also offer an abundance of highly-rated, affordable dining options, along with a vibrant nightlife and plenty of activities to make your transition into the new year a memorable one."

While one Central Texas city ranked among the top 30 in the nation, other Lone Star State cities also stood out in subcategories. Where does your city stand? Here's a breakdown.

Just four Texas cities appeared in the top half of WalletHub's rankings. San Antonio leads the state at No. 28 overall, ranking No. 16 in the food and entertainment category.

Overall, the Lone Star State demonstrated the desirability of affordable New Year's celebrations. Houston tied with four other cities — Las Vegas; Miami; Orlando, Fla.; and San Francisco — with the most restaurants per capita in the U.S. Also, not one but two Texas cities had among the country’s cheapest prices for a three-star hotel room on New Year’s Eve: El Paso tied with Atlanta for No. 2, followed by San Antonio. El Paso also ranked No. 8 in the overall costs category.

More Texas cities struggled in other areas. Garland had the fewest nightlife options per capita among all 100 cities in the analysis. Some of the lowest-ranking cities for entertainment and food included fourth-worst Laredo, fifth-worst Garland, eighth-worst Irving and 10th-worst Lubbock. In the safety and accessibility category, Dallas ranked third-worst followed by Houston (10th-worst), San Antonio (11th-worst) and Fort Worth (14th-worst).

No. 28: San Antonio

• Total score: 58.25
• Entertainment & food rank: 16
• Costs rank: 37
• Safety & accessibility rank: 90

No. 32: Plano

• Total score: 57.76
• Entertainment & food rank: 58
• Costs rank: 27
• Safety & accessibility rank: 17

No. 37: Austin

• Total score: 56.90
• Entertainment & food rank: 22
• Costs rank: 62
• Safety & accessibility rank: 82

No. 46: Houston

• Total score: 56.07
• Entertainment & food rank: 23
• Costs rank: 43
• Safety & accessibility rank: 91

No. 53: Dallas

• Total score: 54.86
• Entertainment & food rank: 17
• Costs rank: 48
• Safety & accessibility rank: 98

No. 62: El Paso

• Total score: 52.96
• Entertainment & food rank: 74
• Costs rank: 8
• Safety & accessibility rank: 55

No. 65: Arlington

• Total score: 52.57
• Entertainment & food rank: 70
• Costs rank: 53
• Safety & accessibility rank: 44

No. 67: Fort Worth

• Total score: 51.18
• Entertainment & food rank: 52
• Costs rank: 22
• Safety & accessibility rank: 87

No. 74: Irving

• Total score: 49.60
• Entertainment & food rank: 93
• Costs rank: 40
• Safety & accessibility rank: 19

No. 75: Corpus Christi

• Total score: 49.20
• Entertainment & food rank: 75
• Costs rank: 20
• Safety & accessibility rank: 78

No. 80: Garland

• Total score: 48.92
• Entertainment & food rank: 96
• Costs rank: 23
• Safety & accessibility rank: 26

No. 91: Laredo

• Total score: 47.06
• Entertainment & food rank: 91
• Costs rank: 30
• Safety & accessibility rank: 33

No. 94: Lubbock

• Total score: 46.47
• Entertainment & food rank: 91
• Costs rank: 16
• Safety & accessibility rank: 77

10 best US cities for New Year's Eve

1. Orlando, Fla.
2. Las Vegas
3. New York
4. Seattle
5. Los Angeles
6. San Diego
7. Chicago
8. Washington
9. San Francisco
10. Miami

10 worst US cities for New Year's Eve

1. Glendale, Ariz.
2. Baton Rouge, La.
3. Memphis, Tenn.
4. Gilbert, Ariz.
5. San Bernardino, Calif.
6. North Las Vegas, Nev.
7. Lubbock
8. Fresno, Calif.
9. Jersey City, N.J.
10. Laredo

8 interesting New Year's Eve facts

In a separate data analysis, WalletHub gathered some general statistics about the New Year's holiday. Here are some of the most notable numbers:

• 142 million Americans plan to travel for this year's holiday, and 64% of those are driving to their destination.
• 63% of Americans spend at least $50 on New Year's Eve food and drinks.
• Over 360 million glasses of sparkling wine are drunk every New Year's Eve.
• 0.095% is the average Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) on New Year's Eve, making it the most drunken night of the year. For reference, the legal BAC limit for is 0.08% for most Texan drivers.
• 35% of Americans don't plan on celebrating New Year's Eve.
• 68% of Americans say New Year's Eve is their favorite holiday.
• 48% of parents count down the last 10 seconds of the year by 9 p.m.
• 12% of Americans fall asleep before midnight on New Year's Eve.