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The 28th annual City NYE 2013 (#City2013) bash starts at 10 pm on December 31 in Nathan Phillips Square with headliners Johnny Reid, The Tenors, Kardinal Offishall and hosts Dina Pugliese, Kevin Frankish, Gord Martineau, Tracy Moore and other celebrities.
Also included in the lineup are Serena Ryder, Bridgit Mendler, Victoria Duffield, Shawn Desman,
Massari and Jully Black.

"With Canada’s most diverse lineup of musical talent, City New Year’s countdown show invites viewers to ring in 2013 with millions of their closest friends during the 28th annual City New Year’s Bash, beginning at 10 p.m. ET/CT and 8 p.m. MT/PT. Hosted by Citytv and Rogers Radio on-air personalities City New Year’s Bash 2013 will usher in the New Year live with exciting musical performances, and loads of family entertainment in front of tens of thousands of revelers from Citytv’s three party centrals: Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, Olympic Plaza in Calgary, and Churchill Square in Edmonton."

Champagne and fireworks are the stuff of New Years Eve and if you are adventurous you can always take to the airways and hit one or all of Expedia's top five destinations for Canadians to ring in the new year; 1) New York - $329, 2) Las Vegas - $646, 3) Fort Lauderdale - $637, 4) Orlando - $629 and 5) Miami - $631. The prices shown are average round trip ticket prices for stand-alone bookings on Expedia with departures between December 27-31, 2012.

"Regionally, New Year’s Eve destination preferences varied. Las Vegas was the only city that made the top five list for each market studied – Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton. Consistent for all departure cities was the prevalence of warmer southern destinations such as Orlando for East Coast departures and Los Angeles for those out West. New York, world-famous for its countdown in Times Square, appeared only as a top destination for travellers flying out of Toronto."

Expedia also offers a Boxing Week Sale where you can even find savings up to 50% on their hotel bookings.

The 47th edition of the evening festival starts at 7pm in Nathan Phillips Square. Visitors can enjoy some free concerts, fireworks and party music during the Saturday, November 17, 2012 event that kicks off the Holiday Season. The City's official Christmas Tree has been decorated with loving care, especially after the Hurricane Sandy damages.

On Saturday night the annual @DowntownYonge tree lighting ceremony kicks off Illuminite 2012 with fire and music in Yonge-Dundas Square. Beginning at 6pm on November 10 the Winter Magic Festival will feature Circus Oranges' fire and pyrotechnics routine, the SPLASH show choir from the Etobicoke School of Arts and probably more lights than Vegas with an illuminated polar bear installation, illuminated banners crossing Yonge Street and a 40 foot holiday tree covered in over 50,000 LED lights.

Historic Lewiston in New York called out the big guns for the Bicentennial commemoration and a reenactment of  the first major battle of the War of 1812. The night came alive with flashes of gunpowder and the bang of artillery for the reenactment of the Battle of Queenston Heights in Academy Park in the United States of America on October 12-14, 2012.
On Friday October 13 the Town of Lewiston celebrated their brave troops as they prepared for the invasion of Canada - their purpose to "drive the British out of North America once and for all!"  Later that night they had fireworks and began a bombardment of Canada from the river front along Water Street. The reenactment was promoted as the largest assembled period cannon bombardment for the commemoration of the War of 1812. Makes you think of the Star-Spangled Banner's "rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air" which was written after a bombardment witnessed in the War of 1812.

Posted by Joe Hamilton. Thanks to HistoricLewiston.org and Lisa Ohanessian for their help! See more photos after the jump.