Santiago New Years Eve 2012 Fireworks Live Stream, Chile NYE Party, Events Webcam

Santiago New Year's Eve 2012 Fireworks Live Stream, Chile NYE Party, Events Webcam

To celebrate New Year's Eve in Chile, special dishes, usually including lentils and twelve grapes to symbolise each month of the year, are prepared in every home and family celebrations usually last until midnight, then some may disperse to continue partying with friends until dawn. In Chile's capital Santiago, thousands of people gather at the Entel Tower hours before to watch the countdown to midnight and a fireworks display.

There are several fireworks shows, most notably the "Año Nuevo en el Mar" in Valparaiso, Chile's second city, which is generally the most popular, with 1,000,000 viewers. However, from the year 2000, the sale of fireworks to individuals has been illegal, meaning fireworks can now only be observed at major displays. Santiago is the industrial and financial center of Chile, and generates 45% of the country's GDP. Some international institutions, such as ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean), have their offices in Santiago. Currently under construction is the Costanera Center, a mega project in Santiago's Financial District.

Santiago is Chile's retail capital. Falabella, Paris, Mega Johnsons, Ripley, La Polar and several other department stores dot the mall landscape of Chile. The east side neighborhoods like Vitacura, La Dehesa, and Las Condes are home to Santiago's swanky Alonso de Cordova street and malls like Parque Arauco and Alto Las Condes, all known for their luxurious shopping scene. Alonso de Cordova is Santiago's equivalent to Rodeo Drive or Rua Oscar Freire in São Paulo, with exclusive stores like Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Emporio Armani, Salvatore Ferragamo, Ermenegildo Zegna, MaxMara, Longchamp, and many more stores that carry exclusive brands. Alonso de Cordova also houses some of Santiago's most famous restaurants, art galleries, wine showrooms and furniture stores. There are also plans for a Saks Fifth Avenue in Santiago. For a more bohemian scene there are several mercados in the city that sell local goods and Bellavista where some of the most exclusive night clubs and chic cafes are located.