New Years Eve at home
Along with so many things, the pandemic has destroyed many Go to New Years traditions – no mad clubs, no personal ball drops, no kissing strangers at midnight, not even the annual party that you reluctantly went to year after year.
Before you let the night fade away and climb to bed at 11 a.m., here are a number of ways to ring in the new year.
You can still see the ball fall.
This year the crystal ball will still fall from One Times Square, the confetti will still fall, and "Auld Lang Syne" will still play – it's just that Times Square itself won't be crowded with people.
"Many of the popular New Year's Eve trademarks will be in Times Square," said TJ Witham, a spokesman for the Times Square Alliance, a neighborhood nonprofit that helps orchestrate the night's celebrations. "That said, the event will be specifically for the television and online audiences, and public revelers won't be in Times Square."
A live stream of the event will begin at 6 p.m. Eastern on timessquarenyc.org, or you can watch it on most broadcast networks. The planned special performances and musical performances include Gloria Gaynor performing her signature song "I Will Survive".
According to the organizers, the celebrations of the night will recognize the Americans who are getting us through the pandemic – Essential, frontline and rescue workers. Some of these staff will be the event's official "special guests" – an honor given each year to those who represent "public service, resilience and the human spirit."
The honor usually involves joining the New York City Mayor on stage to count down the last 60 seconds of the year. This time, the guests see the ball fall from a private, physically distant viewing area.
Do you have a New Years wish? Send yours to the Times Square Alliance virtual wall at timessquarenyc.org or on social media with #ConfettiWish. Around 100,000 of these hopes and dreams are printed on colored confetti that falls over Times Square around midnight.
You can still go to Times Square.
Just because you can't personally see the ball fall doesn't mean that your personalized avatar can't take your place.
The Times Square Alliance and its partners have organized a free, virtual Times Square experience. Once you've created your avatar, take a selfie with the crystal ball, view digital art along Times Square, take the elevator to the One Times Square observation deck, and play games like dancing or weightlessness. You can also collect celebratory confetti to amaze your avatar and an augmented reality fireworks show will appear on your screen at midnight.
To join the party, visit nye2021.com on your phone or tablet, or download the free NYE app.
You can still go.
Just because you're stuck at home doesn't mean you can't travel the world and celebrate the New Year in different time zones.
Kick off at 6am New Zealand on Wednesday December 30th with fireworks from the Sky Tower in Auckland Then Visit Seoul, South Korea where the Weverse Entertainment app is broadcasting a live New Year's Eve 2021 concert featuring BTS, GFRIEND and other K-pop bands. The show starts at 7:30 a.m. Eastern, and ticket prices range from $ 48 to $ 72 Singapore, or $ 36 to $ 54.
If you want fireworks again, a midnight light show in Rio de Janeiro starts at 10pm on Copacabana Beach. East. If you haven't had enough virtual travel yet, Make your way to Vienna on Friday, January 1st with a broadcast of the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert at 9 p.m. Eastern on PBS.
