9 New Year’s Eve Ball Drops You Have to See to Believe
More than a billion people tune in to watch the ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve every year, and hundreds of thousands more bundle up to witness the spectacle live and in person. The crystal-studded geodesic sphere is, most certainly, a sight to marvel at, but across the United States, several small to mid-size towns have come up with their own quirky spins on New Year’s Eve ball drops. From a moonpie to a Taco Bell taco, here are some of the most interesting things bound to fall from the sky at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.
1. Spice Things Up in Las Cruces, NM
Where: Las Cruces, New Mexico
What Drops: 19-foot green chile
Cost: Free!
Alexa, play Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” because there’s a spicy pepper falling from the sky in Las Cruces, NM, on New Year’s Eve. To celebrate New Mexico’s homegrown hotties, a 19-foot chrome green chile pepper sparkling with LED lights descends on downtown Las Cruces.
New Mexicans are proud of their peppers, and from July to October, visitors can get schooled on all things chile peppers at New Mexico State University, home to The Chile Pepper Institute teaching garden. Open to the public, the garden showcases more than 150 varieties of chile peppers, ranging from mild bells to spicy hot habaneros. Throughout the year, you’ll find red and green chile on restaurant menus – and if you can’t choose one or the other, make your order “Christmas style.”
2. Start the New Year Off Sweet in Bethlehem, PA
Where: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
What Drops: 400-pound lit Peeps Chick
Cost: $7/person
Nicknamed the “Christmas City,” Bethlehem displayed a tree in 1747 decorated with apples, candles, and Bible verses, likely making it the first place in America to adopt the Christmas tree tradition. To this day, the city goes all out for the holiday season, with businesses in historic Bethlehem competing in a holiday window-decorating contest and a cute Christkindl market at SteelStacks, an arts and culture hub that took over the site of a former steel plant.
The Christmas City is also a fantastic New Year’s Eve City, especially for those with young families (and bedtimes) who can watch the annual Peep drop during Peepsfest at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 30 and Dec. 31. The 400-pound lit Peeps Chick is a nod to Just Born Holiday Confections, the maker of the sugary marshmallow treat, that moved into a former printing factory in Bethlehem in 1932.
3. A Two-for-One Treat in Eastport, ME
Where: Eastport, Maine
What Drops: A sardine and a maple leaf
Cost: Free!
The residents of Eastport, ME, embrace two celebratory curiosities on New Year’s Eve with the drop of an eight-foot sardine as well as a giant maple leaf at the Tides Institute and Museum of Art. So, how did these unlikely companions come to be? The sardine drop began in 2005, when a local artist came up with the idea of dropping a blue fish statue adorned with lights to pay homage to Eastport as the home of the first sardine cannery in the United States. Then, the maple leaf was added as a tribute to the town’s Canadian neighbors. The maple leaf goes first, dropping at 11 p.m. when it’s midnight across the bay in New Brunswick. All the while, a brass band plays “Auld Lang Syne.”
4. Giddy Up in Prescott, AZ
Where: Prescott, Arizona
What Drops: 6-foot cowboy boot
Cost: Free admission with vendors for food & drinks
Iconic saloons line Whiskey Row in Prescott, including The Palace, Arizona’s oldest frontier saloon and where Wild West legends Doc Holliday and Wyatt Earp once bellied up to the bar. To celebrate the Western roots and kick off a new year, a glowing 6-foot cowboy boot is lowered from The Palace building’s flagpole, once at 10 p.m. and then again at midnight. The Northern Arizona city also has live music, carnival games, a Ferris wheel and food vendors.
5. SPLASH into the New Year in Eureka Springs, AR
Where: Eureka Springs, Arkansas
What Drops: An LED water droplet.
Cost: Free admission with vendors for food & drinks
Some start the New Year with a bang; those in Eureka Springs begin it with a splash. Nestled in the heart of Arkansas’ Ozark Mountains, Eureka Springs earned the nickname “The City That Water Built” because of its mineral-rich, therapeutic hot springs that put it on the map as a wellness destination.
When the clock strikes midnight in downtown Eureka Springs, the LED water droplet will follow a guidewire from the top of the historic Basin Park Hotel, 61 feet down to a “bucket” on the ground. When the water droplet reaches the bucket, it will create an LED splash that will then light a Christmas tree display emblazoned with 2026 to ring in 2026. Live music, drumming shows and a Carnival-style New Year’s Eve parade will be part of the celebration, too.
While in town, book a mineral soak at Palace Bath House, established in 1901 and remains the last remaining bath house in Eureka Springs.
6. Over the Moon in Mobile, AL
Where: Mobile, Alabama
What Drops: A 600-pound MoonPie
Cost: Free admission with vendors for food & drinks
While you may associate Mardi Gras with plastic beads tossed into crowds, the MoonPie is Mobile’s preferred throw. A graham cracker-and-marshmallow treat dunked and coated in chocolate, MoonPies are soft but have some heft, making them great party projectiles. Upwards of 500,000 MoonPies are thrown into parade crowds during Mobile Mardi Gras celebrations each year.
Mobile, which stakes its claim as Mardi Gras’ birthplace, foreshadows the Carnival season with a MoonPie Over Mobile celebration on New Year’s Eve, during which a 600-pound electric MoonPie glides down the side of RSA Tower at midnight.
7. Fresh Fish in Fernandina, FL
Where: Amelia Island, Florida
What Drops: A shrimp
Cost: Free admission with vendors for food & drinks
Amelia Island’s New Year’s Eve tradition is a “shrimp-sized” take on the Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop. To witness the crustacean sensation, locals and visitors gather along the riverfront in downtown Fernandina Beach and watch a shrimp statue covered in lights fall from the sky, a salutation to Amelia Island’s reputation as the birthplace of the modern shrimping industry. The island hosts the annual “Isle of Eight Flags Shrimp Festival” each spring and is also known for its fresh-caught local shrimp that can be enjoyed at the beach town’s local restaurants. As part of a family-friendly celebration, the drop happens at 7 p.m.
8. Have a GRAPE Time in Temecula, CA
Where: Temecula, California
What Drops: A glowing grape bunch
Cost: Free admission with vendors for food & drinks
Located in Southern California between Los Angeles and San Diego, Temecula’s Mediterranean-like climate lends itself to great grape growing. With morning mists, warm mid-day sunshine and Pacific breezes that turn into cool nights, more than two dozen grape varieties thrive in this region, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Malbec and more. To celebrate the region’s winemaking history (and more than 40 wineries that call Temecula Valley home), Temecula lowers a glowing grape bunch from its Old Town Civic Center building at 9 p.m.
9. Tucson, AZ, has the Ultimate Taco Tuesday
Where: Tucson, Arizona
What Drops: A Taco Bell taco
Cost: Free!
Taco Bell’s fandom is truly like no other. (See: Benny Blanco’s recent Taco Bell picnic proposal to Selena Gomez). To get in on the taco craze, join “The Taco Drop” in Tucson, which is part of the Downtown Arizona Bowl Bash. The Taco Bell logo looks to be seared on the giant taco prop that’s lowered at midnight. The Arizona Bowl will also feature live music and a silent disco throughout the night.
Of course, it’d be a shame not to try some authentic Mexican food while visiting this UNESCO City of Gastronomy. You can check out the city’s Mexican food field guide to find iconic spots like the century-old El Charro Café, known for inventing the chimichanga, and El Taco Rusco, a delicious spot for birria.