Brazil people top new year celebration wish list

The fun-loving reputation of Brazilian folk has secured them top spot in a global poll to find the nationality with which most people would like to celebrate on New Year's Eve.

Famed for its glorious beaches and colourful carnivals, Brazil came first by some distance, followed by the United States and then Spain, according to the online poll of 17,000 people by social network Badoo.

New Year's Eve falls in the middle of Brazil's summer, lending itself perfectly to the vast outdoor extravaganzas thrown across the whole of the South American nation to mark the start of a new year.

However, the mother of all New Year's Eve festivals is the gathering on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana beach, attended by approximately 2.5 million party-goers each year.

Brazil's largest city, Sao Paulo, also hosts a huge New Year's Eve party, held in Paulista Avenue and attended by more than a million thrill-seekers.

Badoo spokeswoman Louise Thompson said: "I can understand that most people would rather celebrate New Year's Eve in the warm night air of a beach in Brazil than by huddling against the cold in northern Europe."