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New Year's Eve Weekend 2024 in NYC: Drone Show, Noon Year's Eve, and More Things To Do

The big ball drop in Times Square is an unforgettable New Year's Eve sight, if you can handle the crowds! Photo by Michael Hull
The big ball drop in Times Square is an unforgettable New Year's Eve sight, if you can handle the crowds! Photo by Michael Hull
12/25/24 - By Drew Kristofik

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this New Year's Eve weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this New Year's holiday weekend.

It's time to ring in 2025, and you don't have to stay up until midnight on Tuesday to get in on the fun. Count down to the New Year with Grammy-nominated music artist Fyütch at the NYPL, celebrate Kwanzaa at the Brooklyn Children's Museum, take a first day hike to start the year on the right foot, or watch the Coney Island Polar Bear Club members take their annual frigid dip in the Atlantic.

More Things To Do in New York City this Week with Kids

Top Things To Do in NYC New Year's Eve Weekend with Kids

Hanukkah Family Fest at the Jewish Children's Museum

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Daily through Sunday, December 29
The Jewish Children’s Museum celebrates Hanukkah with mouth-watering holiday donut decorating, a workshop to discover the art of olive oil making, and the opportunity to make your own Hanukkah bath bombs.  READ MORE

Elf on Broadway

Midtown West
Select dates through Saturday, January 4, 2025
Based on Will Farrell's holiday confection, Elf on Broadway sets the film to music, retelling the hilarious, heartwarming tale of Buddy (Tony Award-nominee Grey Henson), a young orphan whose life is changed forever when he mistakenly crawls into Santa’s sack of toys one Christmas Eve. READ MORE

Sesame Street Learn & Play at American Dream

East Rutherford, New Jersey
Ongoing
Sesame Street Learn & Play, the first-of-its kind educational play center in the United States, gives kids and their families a truly immersive experience right alongside their favorite furry friends. READ MORE

Kids' Holiday Baking Class at Self Up

Financial District
Thursday, December 26-Friday, December 27
Self Up hosts a 2 day Baking Camp Dec 26th and 27th, focusing on sweet AND savory Baking.  Everything from fruit and custard pies, to Chicken pot pie and quiche; Spanakopita and Baklava, sweet and savory breads, holiday cookies from around the world and more! READ MORE

Nocturnal Hike and Campfire for Kids in Forest Park

Forest Park, Queens – FREE
Friday, December 27
Join Urban Park Rangers for a short hike to discover the wonders of the natural world after dark. Then, gather around the campfire to learn more about some of your local nocturnal animals. READ MORE

Outdoor Skills: Animal Tracking in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, December 28
Head to Prospect Park and join the Urban Park Rangers to search for animal prints, scat, and shelters.   READ MORE

Cakesicle Decorating Workshop at the Museum of the City of New York

East Harlem
Saturday, December 28
Celebrate the winter season with a cakesicle decorating workshop with Petroula (Patty) Lambrou from Patty Pops. Hear directly from Patty about her gingerbread house featured in the museum's annual holiday show, Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off, and share your favorite holiday memories with one another while making a sweet treat you get to take home.   READ MORE

Chocolate Hanukkah at the Seaport

South Street Seaport – FREE
Sunday, December 29
Light the menorah and celebrate Hanukkah with crafts for kids and goodies for all. READ MORE

Hanukkah on Ice under the Brooklyn Bridge

Dumbo, Brooklyn
Monday, December 30
Chabad of Dumbo hosts a Hanukkah celebration under the Brooklyn Bridge, complete with ice skating and the lighting of the menorah. READ MORE

New Year's Countdown Party with Fyütch at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library

Midtown West – FREE
Monday, December 30
Grammy-nominated music artist Fyütch pops into the library to perform high-energy songs about social justice and environmental health with affirming chants and dances. READ MORE

Happy Noon Year at Highlawn Library

Bensonhurst, Brooklyn – FREE
Monday, December 30
Ring in 2025 with Highlawn Library...in the daylight! Listen to some New Year-themed stories, learn about different cultural New Year's celebrations, have a countdown to noon, do a balloon drop, and dance! READ MORE

Hanukkah Celebration at Atlantic Terminal Mall

Downtown Brooklyn – FREE
Monday, December 30
Experience the warmth of Hanukkah through a lively menorah lighting, traditional songs, and delicious treats, including sufganiyot and chocolate gelt. READ MORE

Celebrate Kwanzaa at BCM

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Through Monday, December 30
Brooklyn Children’s Museum's 17th annual Kwanzaa celebration invites families to explore the seven principles of Kwanzaa through interactive workshops, dynamic live performances, and engaging art projects that honor heritage, community, and culture. READ MORE

New Year's Eve Extravaganza at the Children's Museum of Manhattan

Upper West Side
Monday, December 30-Tuesday, December 31
New Year’s Eve is all day long at CMOM! Ring in 2025 in style by creating iridescent wearable art, make a memory time capsule, and dance along to a midday ball drop! READ MORE

Milk & Cookies Family-Friendly Comedy Show at the West Side Comedy Club

Upper West Side
Tuesday, December 31
Celebrate New Year's Eve early with this stand-up comedy show featuring some of the best clean comedians in New York who often invite children (and parents) on stage to try a joke or two!  READ MORE

Meet the Nature Center Critters in Inwood Hill Park

Inwood – FREE
Tuesday, December 31
From stick bugs to snakes, meet the animals that call the Inwood Hill Park Nature Center their home. READ MORE

Prospect Park's New Year's Eve Drone Show

Prospect Park, Brooklyn – FREE
Tuesday, December 31
Brooklyn's most spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks celebration morphs into a drone show this year, in deference to drought conditions. Expect a lot of sparkle and showstopping renditions of classic NYC landmarks, like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty up in the midnight sky. READ MORE

New Year's Rockin' Eve in Times Square

Midtown West – FREE
Tuesday, December 31
America’s go-to annual New Year’s tradition celebrates the year’s very best in music and rings in the new year with more than 5½ hours of dynamic performances. At midnight, the ball drops to welcome 2025. READ MORE

Noon Year's Eve at SlooMoo Institute

Soho
Tuesday, December 31-Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Sloomoo Institute—Soho's museum of slime—invites visitors to celebrate the new year at noon on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Slimetenders and guests gather around Sloomoo Lake, slimetenders fill everyone's hands with bingsu beads, and at 12pm (noon) everyone throws the bingsu beads into the air like confetti!  READ MORE

122nd Annual Coney Island Polar Bear Club Plunge

Coney Island, Brooklyn – FREE
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
The Coney Island Polar Bear Club hosts its annual New Year's Day swim in the frigid Atlantic. A $25 suggested donation benefits local Coney Island organizations, including the NY Aquarium and the Alliance for Coney Island. READ MORE

New Year's Day Super Hike in Central Park

Central Park – FREE
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Urban Park Ranger guides introduce hikers to the hidden gems of New York City. Explore nature, discover the city's urban forests, and unplug from the world to clear your head. READ MORE

MulchFest 2025

Multiple Locations – FREE
Through Sunday, January 12, 2025
Bring your holiday tree to Mulchfest to be recycled into mulch to nourish plantings in the parks all year long! You can watch your tree devolve and evolve in person! READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Museum of the City of New York
Under the Manhattan Bridge Archway
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library (SNFL)
Prospect Park (at Grand Army Plaza)
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