New Year’s Eve is right around the corner, which means now is the time to start planning your day (and night and the next morning). From oddball classes to inspirational concerts, splashy parties to silent hikes, here are a few ways to ring in 2025 around New York City.
The Ball Drop
If Times Square is your destination, visit the Times Square Alliance website for a primer on how to make the most of the chaos. If the couch is where you’ll hang, the Alliance offers a free live webcast starting at 6 p.m.; you can also stream the festivities at TimesSquareBall.net.
Old-school television works too. Choose from “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest,” with performances by Carrie Underwood and Lenny Kravitz (8 p.m. on ABC), or CNN’s New Year’s Eve show hosted by Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, featuring music by 50 Cent, Sting, Meghan Trainor and others.
This month Mayor Eric Adams lifted the temporary citywide ban on fireworks following recent rainfall in the five boroughs, but it still won’t be fireworks as usual. Organizers of annual festivities at Prospect Park in Brooklyn are planning a light show that includes illuminated drones. New York Road Runners still plans to hold its annual Midnight Run in Central Park with a small drone show instead of fireworks, pending a permit.
Song and Dance
For its 40th anniversary, the New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan will feature a 7 p.m. performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony by the Cathedral Choirs and Orchestra, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the piece’s premiere. The soprano Angel Blue takes on Verdi’s “Aida” at 6:30 p.m. at the Metropolitan Opera.
Other music options: Billy Joel performs at UBS Arena on Long Island. The Meadows in Brooklyn hosts a reggaeton and Latin music party. The Grammy-nominated D.J. Zhu takes over the dance floor at Terminal 5 in Manhattan. Gov’t Mule returns for its annual New Year’s Eve show at the Beacon Theater, and the English reggae band Steel Pulse plays at Brooklyn Bowl.
Disco classics are on tap at Bar Bonobo in Manhattan. Early birds can be home by midnight at a black tie disco party from 5-10 p.m. at Joyface. D.J. John John Acevedo spins Latin music at Empire Mambo Dance Studio. A live samba band headlines a Brazilian Carnival party at Beija Flor in Long Island City.
Cabaret, Drag and Comedy
For cabaret fans, Peter Cincotti and his four-piece band are at Café Carlyle in Manhattan. The Tony Award nominee Jenn Colella does an 11 p.m. show at 54 Below. Mariln Maye performs an 11 p.m. concert at Birdland.
Drag lovers can join the “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars Alaska and Milk at a “Glitz & Glamour” party at Three Dollar Bill in Brooklyn. Pick a neighborhood, and chances are there’s a drag party: Jasmine Rice LaBeija and Chicky Gorgina at Hardware in Hell’s Kitchen, Coma White at Rockbar in the West Village and Suddenly Audrey at the Sultan Room in Bushwick.
Forget your troubles at a comedy show. Dave Attell, Roy Wood Jr., and Yamaneika Saunders are doing a 10 p.m. show at the Comedy Cellar’s Village Underground location. Sarah Cooper does a 5:30 p.m. show at New York Comedy Club on the Upper West Side, and Ashley Austin Morris, Eric Neumann, Mike Britt and Kaneez Surka are on at 10 p.m. at the Club’s Midtown location.
Cozy Vibes
Snuggle up with five of your besties inside an igloo at the annual Frost Fest at Luna Park in Coney Island. Each session in a private heated dome lasts 120 minutes, and comes with a selection of food and drinks. For $499, the Winter Solstice package provides unlimited turns on some rides, a holiday photo and wine or champagne.
Good for tourists and locals alike, the Summit One Vanderbilt offers wowza views of New York City from 1,100 feet above. Tickets include access to three sky-high floors plus music from D.J. Kristaval, a dessert bar and champagne for a midnight toast.
Daytime Dramas
Put 2024 to bed by spending the day being entertained. Check out matinees of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater; “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” from New York City Ballet; or “Blue Man Group” before the show closes in February after more than 30 years in New York.
At Film Forum, movie buffs can take in a Frank Capra double feature of “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town,” starring Jimmy Stewart, and a newly restored “Platinum Blonde,” with Jean Harlow. The Museum of the Moving Image in Queens is showing the restored director’s cut of Richard Donner’s “Superman II.”
Jump start on your resolutions by learning something new. Make a 2025 vision board and get a tarot reading at the Brooklyn Brainery in Prospect Heights. The Brooklyn workshop Craftsman Ave offers a knife-smithing class for individuals or couples. Or go home with a portrait of the rapper Notorious B.I.G. when you make it yourself during a special class at the Painting Lounge in Williamsburg.
For Kids
City parks offer many and mostly free ways to keep kids busy before bed. There’s a wreath exhibition at the Arsenal gallery in Central Park; craft making and a hike at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx; ice skating from 2 p.m. until 9 p.m. at Roebling Plaza in Brooklyn Bridge Park; and nature-themed puppet shows at Fort Totten Park in Queens.
Hanukkah comes late this year, which means menorahs will be lighted across the city on New Year’s Eve, including at public events in Central Park and at Hudson Yards. For a different kind of light show, explore an after-dark, illuminated trail at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Kids can enjoy their own mini ball drop with afternoon parties. At the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, they can make their own time capsules. The Long Island Children’s Museum hosts three afternoon events that include dancing and hat making.
If you’re determined to take the kids to Times Square, the Theater District location of the restaurant chain Schnipper’s is offering a family-friendly party with burgers and chicken fries for the little ones and a beer-and-wine open bar for the big ones.
The Serenity Yacht is doing a family-friendly cruise around the city with views of the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge. There will be a full dinner buffet and open bar, plus a dessert station. Tickets start at $339.
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