Overview
- Punta del Este hosted 12 simultaneous New Year’s Eve events within a season totaling 78 parties, with about six drawing more than 6,000 attendees, according to Maldonado’s hygiene office.
- The city replaced its municipal fireworks gala with a 500‑drone show by Lumasky promoted for neurodiversity and animal sensitivity, while private and hotel fireworks still ran for more than 30 minutes along the coast.
- Uruguay’s migration service reported 102,229 entries over the holiday period, including 56,807 Argentines, many headed to Maldonado, with heavy flight activity at Laguna del Sauce airport.
- Authorities intensified enforcement with alcohol and drug checks and photo-fines for foreign plates, and they denied permits for some outdoor mass events to safeguard areas such as José Ignacio.
- Traffic and ride-hailing were heavily strained, with hour‑plus delays near key corridors and reported fares around US$200 for a La Punta–José Ignacio trip.