Old Year's Night festivities are among the major highlights of the Yuletide season for people all over the world and the celebration takes various forms.

Stabroek News checked out a number of the party spots and discovered that things are going to be steaming hot in some places and refreshingly cool in others.

To start the day off, the Ariantze Hotel and Sidewalk Cafe has an after-lunch `lime' beginning at 2 pm. Steel pan music will be the accompaniment.

Hotel Tower offers something different. From around 9 pm there will be live performances to English and Latin music by Brian `Straighty' Nobrega and the Salsa dancers on a stage spanning the pool. Afterwards the rock band Brutus will take over and this could be enjoyed for a mere $2,500 per person.

Partygoers could win a half-carat diamond if their ticket to 'A Night with the Stars' in the Grand Savannah Suite at Le Meridien Pegasus Hotel has the right number. US$100 or $19,000 buys a buffet dinner from a South American and Italian menu together with a fine French wine plus Tott's Champagne served at midnight to toast the second year of the New Millennium. De Original's Band will keep everyone on their feet until breakfast is served at 4 am when the precious stone will be given away.

Persons who prefer outdoor pleasure could enjoy a grand "Jump up in 2002" with the Sheriff's Deputies belting out Indian and English hits at Le Meridien poolside. A barbecue dinner followed by a delicious desert is part of the $5,000 per person package.

And speaking of the Sheriff's Deputies, the Sheriff Night Club will host a grand Old Year's Night Ball and for an affordable $1,500 per person. The Sheriff's stereo system and Dexter's One Man Band will be in attendance.

A short distance away at Buddy's Pool Hall and Disco the entrance fee for New Year's Eve is just $3,000.

Leaving Georgetown? The Ocean View International Hotel at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara offers a New Year's Eve dinner and dance plus complimentary wine at midnight for $5,000 per person. Karan, winner of the Mix Master 2001 title will be on hand to serve exciting cocktails.

At the Grand Coastal Inn, Lot 2 Area M, Le Ressouvenir, $10,000 per person will buy you Creole and Western-style prepared meals, drinks from a local and international bar and breakfast. The inn also promises adequate parking space and the assurance of traffic policemen on duty.

The Palm Court Restaurant and Bar will break with tradition and host a private party exclusively for select patrons in good old Country Western fashion. Entrance is by invitation only.

Beverage makers, Banks DIH Ltd has catered for the revellers as well as the individuals who prefer an evening of quietude with their special someone. For $1,000 choose the `Open Air Fest' on the lawns of the company's Sports Club at Thirst Park or enjoy the seclusion of the inner courts with a grand fireworks display at midnight.

At the Baganara Island Resort, patrons can enjoy the splendour of nature's beauty. Couples can pay $30,000 for the Old Year's Night affair with champagne at midnight and breakfast at 6 am. For $40,000, they can have the added comfort of their own room. Parties will leave Georgetown from the lobby of Le Meridien Pegasus at 2 pm on New Year's Eve. Tickets and copies of the menu can be uplifted and those who pay $40,000 will leave the resort at 2 pm on New Year's day.

And as normal, hundreds of Guyanese will spend the night at masses and services in the nation's many churches, preparing for a tranquil 2002! (Edlyn Benfield)