Searching for the perfect place to celebrate the New Year? Whether you’re looking for some family-friendly activities or the best go-to places for midnight revelries and Champagne toasts, our list of New Year’s events has a little something for everyone.
Annual Celebrations
Delray’s First Night celebration will return to the Old School Square Park on Saturday, December 31 from 5-9 p.m. This yearly celebration has been scaled down this year to be free and open to the public, and will feature activities including a DJ and band playing at the Old School Square Pavilion, a food truck celebration, craft activities, a resolution wall, a gaming tent and photo booth, and more, all of which will culminate in a fireworks finale at 9 p.m.
In West Palm Beach, City Place’s annual celebration kicks off at 7 p.m. with live music from Quick Fix and snowfalls on the plaza at 6 p.m., 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and midnight. If you’re looking for a lively place to grab a bite to eat, pick out some Champagne to toast with your friends, and ring in the New Year, City Place is the place for you.
Family-Friendly Festivities
Three special, kid-friendly “Noon Year’s Eve” celebrations will take place around town from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Perfect for taking the kiddies to if they’re too young to stay up until midnight, these events are great if you’re looking for something to do during the daytime.
Downtown at the Gardens will host a family-friendly celebration in its Carousel Courtyard featuring carousel rides, face painting, balloons, party swag, a kid-friendly toast at noon, and more.
The Palm Beach Zoo’s fourth annual celebration is perfect if your child’s an animal lover. There will be a children’s dance party in the Fountain Plaza where the kids can get their faces painted leading up to noon where the New Year will be celebrated with an apple juice toast and “alligator ball” drop fit for children of all ages. (This event is included with regular zoo admission.)
The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium’s countdown to 2017 kicks off with science demos, firework painting crafts, music and dancing by Phatsounds Music Group, and design-your-own celebration crackers. Families can toast to the New Year with dry ice cider when the clock strikes 12 at noon.
For some elegant, upper-crust soirees, continue to page 2.
Posh Parties
And if you’re looking for some swank, there are several upper-crust celebrations around town as well.
Ring in the New Year at the Boca Raton Resort’s annual Rock the Block carnival party, which features accommodations and two adult party tickets to a deluxe open bar, live music, and fireworks (two night minimum stay required). The party includes access to entertainment such as live performances by Jay Sean, Nico & Vinz, and Taylor Dayne as well as an open bar, while dinner tickets also provide access to delicious food options including seafood, meat lovers’ specials, carnival fare, and sweets. Ticket options range from entry-level to exclusive VIP.
At The Breakers, the hotel’s glamorous, black-tie New Year’s Eve Fantasy Ball ($500 per person for hotel guests and club members, $600 for outside guests) will take place in the hotel’s Ponce de Leon Ballroom. Family and friends can enjoy an evening of entertainment and culinary delights including cocktails from the hotel’s premium open bar, hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, and extensive raw bar and specialty stations followed by a four-course dinner complete with wine pairings. Dinner will be followed by live music performances, dancing, a Champagne toast at midnight, and a delicious buffet of breakfast favorites half an hour into the New Year.
And if you’d prefer to celebrate the New Year in the daytime, The Breakers is also hosting a special brunch at The Circle from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on January 1 where guests can indulge in an elaborate buffet. ($145 per person, $50 for children ages 11 and younger).
- To reserve a table to either New Year’s event, call (877) 724-3188.
Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa is also offering a New Year’s Eve night of festivities starting with a ‘Toes in the Sand’ welcome party on the beach with endless Champagne, followed by a sumptuous dinner and rock-n-roll favorites in the Grand Ballroom with entertainer Philip Myers. Guests can either end the evening with the ‘First Bites’ of 2017 in Flagler Hall or take the elevator home and stay the night with a New Year’s Eve special which includes two tickets to the evening’s festivities plus a room for the evening ($999). Bringing kids? No problem – they’ll have their own party from 7:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. in Aquanuts, Eau’s club for kids ($100 per child includes dinner, entertainment, balloon artistry, snow cones, and a sparkling apple juice toast at midnight).
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