Dallas ranked among the ‘Top 20 Best Cities for New Year’s’ celebrations, partly because of the legality of fireworks, according to a new study.
WalletHub placed Dallas at No. 19 in the 2021 Best Cities for New Year’s.
“It ranks first for legality of fireworks because it allows some or all types of consumer fireworks permitted by federal regulations,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Other things that make it ideal for New Year’s Eve are the availability of affordable fine dining, and the large number of beer, wine and spirits shops, party supply stores and music venues per capita.”
WalletHub further found that at No. 10 and 14, respectively, Houston and Austin outrank Dallas.
“Austin and Houston outrank Dallas for the number of New Year’s Eve events per capita, the Google search interest for New Year’s Eve celebrations, the number of restaurants per capita, the average ranking of restaurants on Yelp, and the number of nightlife options per capita,” Gonzalez told The Dallas Express.
Houston and Austin also have a lower average price for alcoholic beverages and restaurant meals. The cost for a 3-course mid-range restaurant meal for two people is $62.5 in Dallas, $55 in Houston, and $60 in Austin.
“Dallas ranked first for the availability of affordable fine dining because all the restaurants on the first two pages on Yelp were rated 4.5+ stars and affordable,” Gonzalez said in an interview.
The average price per New Year’s Eve party ticket is $74.44 in Dallas compared to Houston’s average New Year’s Eve party ticket price of $51.75 and Austin’s $88.17.
Austin and Houston also rank better than Dallas for the percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated, traffic congestion, the share of delayed flights, the car theft rate, the number of DUI-related fatalities per capita, the pedestrian fatality rate, and the forecasted precipitation for Dec. 31.
The vaccination rate is currently 62.09% as of Dec. 13, according to Dallas County’s COVID-19 dashboard.
“The percentage of residents who are fully vaccinated is important because it contributes to the safety of those who will be attending New Year’s Eve parties and events,” Gonzalez added.
Walkability is also important, particularly on New Year’s Eve, and Dallas ranked 39th with a walk score of 46 out of 100.
“These scores are taken from Walk Score and not created by us,” Gonzalez said. “The metric measures the walkable distance in neighborhoods and cities. The higher the score, the less people need a car to get around. Walkability makes a city more accessible for those who are planning to go out on New Year’s Eve.”
At No. 34, only Houston ranked higher than Dallas for walkability, with a walk score of 48 out of 100. Austin ranked 55th with a score of 41 out of 100. “This simply means that Houston’s neighborhoods have more walkable distances than Dallas and Austin,” Gonzalez said.
New York City, home of the Times Square Ball Drop, landed in the top spot on this year’s list, but a New Year’s Eve party ticket in New York City is costly at $110.01.
“To catch up with New York, Dallas would need to have more New Year’s Eve events per capita, a longer fireworks display, a higher Google search interest for New Year’s Eve celebrations, more and better-rated restaurants and more party supply stores, nightlife options and music venues per capita,” Gonzalez said. “Dallas would also need to have lower hotel costs, more vaccinated residents, more walkability, a lower crime rate, a lower car theft rate, a smaller number of DUI related fatalities, and a lower pedestrian fatality rate.”
Out of 100 cities, Plano ranked No. 59, Arlington No. 65, Fort Worth No. 67, Irving No. 80, and Garland No. 91.
“They ranked in the bottom half because they have a low number of restaurants and party supply stores per capita, and less availability for luxury shopping and gourmet foods,” Gonzalez said. “They also have higher grooming costs than Dallas does.”
