The year 2021 is finally here. And you can watch a live stream of New Year's Eve.

The celebrations are more subdued than in previous years - don't expect huge crowds to gather in New York's Times Square for COVID-19 considerations - but the New Year's Eve special continues.

We help you find the best New Year's Eve live stream options to welcome 2021, as well as good VPNs to unlock other celebrations in other parts of the world.

Here is an overview of how to watch New Year's Eve celebrations for 2021.

New Year's Eve celebrations have already begun in other parts of the world, and if you want to join in the fun, a virtual private network, or VPN, can help; a VPN will allow you to access programming that may be geolocked in your area.

We tested many different options and our choice for the best VPN overall is ExpressVPN. According to our tests, ExpressVPN offers great speed and excellent customer service.

For 2020-2021, you can choose programs featuring live music. These are your best bet for New Year's Eve viewing, including live streaming options.

With the exception of CNN's specials, all of the above New Year's Eve programming will air on free-to-air television. (The YouTube specials will, of course, be streamed online, but can also be viewed through the YouTube app on a smartphone, tablet, or set-top box.) To watch CNN programming without a cable subscription, you will need to subscribe to a streaming TV service; Sling TV or YouTube TV are recommended. [BBC One begins with "The Big New Year's In" at 9 p.m. EDT, followed by "The Graham Norton Show" and "Alicia Keys Rocks New Year's Eve"; BBC Two airs "Jools' Annual Hootenanny" at 11:15 p.m. CET.

In addition, the UK version of YouTube's "Hello 2021" will be streamed at 10:30 PM JST. Performers include Behzinga, Big Narstie, Katherine Ryan, Michaela Coel, Kurupt FM, Yammy, WillNE, Holly H, and Natasia Demetriou.

The CBC broadcasts Canadian New Year's Eve: Countdown to 2021. Host Rick Mercer will be joined by performers from across Canada, and the program will be streamed on YouTube starting at 11 pm ET. Canadians should check their local CBC channel for broadcast times.