FANCY that! Weymouth’s dressed-up New Year’s Eve has been rated among the best in Europe.

The resort’s New Year’s Eve celebrations have been ranked in the top 10 in the continent has to offer alongside the likes of Rome, Brussels and Rotterdam by a European travel website.

Weymouth’s ‘stunning’ location and the fancy dress donned by revellers were cited as the main reasons to enjoy the town in a list of Europe’s best New Year’s Eve destinations compiled by goeuro.co.uk

Other top 10 entries include Haparanda and Tornio on the Sweden-Finland border, Rugen in Germany, the Canary Islands, Lyon in France, Kitzbuhel in Austria and Madeira.

The description for New Year’s Eve in Weymouth states: “A harbour town on the stunning Dorset coast, Weymouth is host to the largest fancy dress New Year’s Eve celebration in the UK.

“Absolutely everyone dresses up on NYE in costumes and the town celebrates together along the waterfront with The Front Live event, where many of the pubs and restaurants coordinate to host an all-night party of live music, drinks and food.

“Revellers gather in Hope Square or near the Jubilee Clock before midnight to ring in the New Year together before continuing the celebrations all night long on the Esplanade.”

The site also mentions the New Year’s Eve Dinner Show at the Weymouth Pavilion featuring jazz quartet The Lemongrove and local artist Darron Garnett, and recommends Enzo’s Italian restaurant as an eating venue.

It also suggests the annual Lyme Lung New Year’s Day swim in Lyme Regis for the ‘after party’.

Amy Burton, manager at The Nook on the Esplanade, said the reputation of the nightlife in Weymouth on New Year’s Eve draws people to the area.

She said: “New Year’s Eve in Weymouth is so good it draws people from Poole, Bournemouth and the surrounding areas.”

Jan O’Brien from The Party Shop fancy dress store in Abbotsbury Road said she had firsthand experience of people coming from far and wide to sample New Year’s Eve in Weymouth.

She said: “It’s the best night of the year.

“People come from miles around from Weymouth for it and if you don’t get dressed up you get ridiculed.

“You go into the streets and it’s like going out into somewhere that’s not real; we just love it.”

Jan added: “Weymouth has certainly got it right with New Year’s Eve, that’s for sure.”

To view the full list of destinations click here