Hello Donny, although it has been a few years since we were there at a new year, the time we were there was the year the Euro came in. Some of the restaurants close along with some of the bars, but there are lots that will still be open I would say that about half of both will be shut but this still leaves a lot open.
New years eve is all ways a good night with a free concert in the Square I think it was UB40 last year and firework down by the beach at midnight, so on the hole you should have a good time there

Dave.

There were an estimated 80,000 visitors here in Albufeira over last New Year. The vast majority were Portuguese. The UB40 concert and fireworks were a big success. There's usually a lot of other stuff for a couple of days before. Almost all the bars and restaurants are open, but the crowds are so immense that it is more or less impossible to get a drink after about 10pm unless you are favoured with a 'lock-in'. It is even more difficult to find a toilet! We were being offered 5 Euros by desperate people, as the public ones were 'overwhelmed' to put it politely.

There is hardly any trouble. The police stay very much in the background and let people get on with it.

A lot depends on the weather. It was a little cool last NYE and there were a couple of showers but generally the past few years have been good. We won't know the headline act for a while yet but they always try to get someone 'international'.

You should come here. You will find it so nice to be able to spend some time celebrating outside without freezing them off.

The last bars close around 4am then you can either head for a club or have a nice walk to your hotel, so try to get somewhere that isn't miles out in the countryside, as you will of course not have a snowball's chance in hell of a taxi at 4am on January 1st any more than you would have in the UK!