THOUSANDS of partygoers are set to welcome the new year in tonight.

Across Dorset, revellers will be getting dressed up to the nines in their glad rags and celebrating.

In Weymouth, people are gearing up for the biggest party night of the year.

Fancy dress shops in the town have seen huge crowds in the past week as people pick their perfect costume. But the big question is: What is everyone wearing this year?

Jan O’Brien from The Party Shop in Abbotsbury Road said they had been very busy as people came in to pick out their costumes.

She said they had seen a growing trend of people getting costumes to go to house parties.

Cartoon characters and superheroes were popular choices for fancy dress this year Mrs O’Brien said, including The Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, and Pirates of the Caribbean.

TV characters like Andy Pandy, Care Bears and Teletubbies are also popular. She added that she didn’t think revellers would be put off if the weather wasn’t good. She said: “New year only comes once a year and Weymouth is a party town and Weymouth likes to party.”

Owner of Tom and Erin’s Gift Shop on the Esplanade, Tom Steadman, said they had also been very busy.

He said that costumes like cowboys and indians, nurses and police officers had been popular, but added that every costume had done well.

He said: There’s not anything that’s more popular than the others.”

Parties in Weymouth include the collaborative effort by seafront bars known as The Front and a masquerade ball at the Pavilion. And there will live music in Dorchester’s Brewery Square from 8.45pm until 9.45pm, a hog roast and hot chesnut stall and live screening of Jools Holland and the Big Ben fireworks at midnight.

In Dorchester, people will gather at the Town Pump to see in 2014, while in Bridport the traditional meeting point is Bucky Doo Square.

Our Echo photographers will be out an about on the night.

Look out for the photographs in Friday’s Echo and online at dorsetecho.co.uk