New Year’s Eve is a distinctly popular day in New York City as throngs of visitors choose to celebrate in Midtown Manhattan and beyond. As the holiday season quickly approaches, New York City is inviting the world to join the exceptional celebrations that will ring in 2019.
“The ball drop on New Year’s Eve in Times Square is one of the world’s most iconic annual celebrations and we invite visitors and residents alike to enjoy this incredible spectacle,” said NYC & Company President and CEO Fred Dixon. “New York City is poised to welcome travellers with signature style at several key events that will ensure a memorable start to 2019.”
In iconic Times Square, 70-foot tall numbers ‘1’ and ‘9’ will be delivered on December 13 and available for proactive Instagrammers to grab their celebratory NYE shot at the various Times Square plazas through December 22.
On December 28 from noon till 1pm locals and travellers are invited to enjoy Good Riddance Day at the Broadway Plaza in Times Square where bad memories are eliminated with the help of Shred-it, a document shredding company.
From December 1 to 29 visit the Wishing Wall in Times Square Plaza to share your hopes and dreams for 2019. At midnight all wishes will be dropped as confetti and sent into the universe for consideration as the New Year begins.
The nearly six-ton ball, covered with 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles, is capable of lighting up the night with more than 16 million different colors from One Times Square. As the final seconds of 2018 expire, a host of nearby venues will offer new years’ cheer with a view of the ball drop.
Dick Clark’s New Year Rocking Even with Ryan Seacrest will broadcast the Times Square festivities globally with the help of performances by superstar performers and hosts Ryan Seacrest & Jenny McCarthy.
New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show, the annual exhibition of classical model trains moving through a hand-crafted display of New York City’s built environment will be open until 6 pm on New Year’s Eve. More than 175 miniature iconic city structures, including new additions such as the Oculus, One World Trade Center and the Battery Maritime Building, are made entirely out of plant parts.
Coney Island USA will host their annual NYE celebration in Steeplechase Plaza for the fifth time, complete with a fireworks display from the storied Parachute Jump. Boardwalk restaurants and attractions such as B&B Carousell, Deno’s Wonder Wheel, and Thunderbolt roller coaster will be open and ready for the New Year’s festivities. A digital burst ball drop will ring in 2019, followed by a Circus Sideshow Fire Spectacular at 1am.
Visitors are invited to ring in the New Year with Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams for the 39th edition or The New Year’s Even Fireworks Celebration at the historic Grand Army Plaza in Prospect Park. The family-friendly event is a free, authentic way to celebrate with tens of thousands of locals and travellers with live entertainment.
For a beautiful, unobstructed, view of the NYC Skyline coupled with an extravagant fireworks display over the Hudson River, take a ride on Circle Lines New Year’s Even Cruise in New York Harbor from 9 pm to 1 am. A DJ and midnight toast complete an event that is 21+ to drink, 18+ to enter.
The Empire State Building will celebrate the end of 2018 with festive LED confetti lighting until five minutes before midnight on Dec 31, 2018, when it will switch to its signature sparkling white lights through sunrise on January 1, 2019.
An official NYC & Company guide to the New Year’s Eve Festivities is available on the nycgo website.
