Forget Times Square, These 9 Destinations Are The Best Places To Be On New Year's Eve

Times Square's New Year's Eve ball drop is the belle of the ball when it comes to ringing in the New Year — even though Times Square is rated as America's worst tourist trap. A star-studded concert, confetti falling from the sky, and a glitzy ball draw more than a million visitors, making it the world's most famous New Year's Eve celebration. Millions of Americans watch the event on TV, and more than a billion viewers tune in around the world. But the famous ball drop is not without its drawbacks.

After the events of 9/11, security measures at the event became more stringent (via The Straits Times). The area surrounding the ball drop is cordoned off, with partiers only allowed to stay within the defined parameters. Visitors need to get to this area early to get a good spot. That means partiers are standing in freezing weather from as early as 8 a.m. to wait for the ball to drop at midnight. That wouldn't be so bad if leaving to eat or use the bathroom were allowed. But since visitors who leave are not allowed reentry, most attendees devise ways to stay sane while standing in one position until midnight. The most embarrassing is the common practice of wearing adult diapers, as portable toilets aren't available.

If that doesn't sound enticing, there are many alternative destinations to party in the new year. With fewer crowds, more excitement, and better weather in most cases, these places major on fun while being comfortable. We searched through travel blogs, Tripadvisor, and Reddit to find the most highly reviewed U.S. destinations to celebrate the New Year. Our list has fireworks and glamour, but some destinations have quirky celebrations involving objects like pineapples and cheese. 

If ever there was an antidote to New York City's frigid New Year's Eve ball drop, Hawaii's celebrations may be it. Warm weather, with temperatures hovering around 76 degrees Fahrenheit in December, and beachy locales set the stage for balmy New Year's Eve festivities where bathing suit cover-ups are just as appropriate as dressy party outfits. Smaller crowds and a tradition of dropping pineapples add a coziness hard to duplicate in big cities like New York. No wonder visitors recommended Honolulu and other destinations on Oahu on Reddit.

The island-style fun starts during the day, when, instead of a glamorous ball, locations around Oahu start dropping colorful pineapples from the sky. For families, the best celebration is in central Oahu, where Mililani, a suburb of Honolulu, holds a cozy midday celebration dripping with fun. A 12-foot-tall pineapple drops at noon with an exciting calendar that usually involves selfie stations, live music, and traditional Polynesian and Japanese dances. After ringing in the New Year, Mililani is a popular suburban base to explore Oahu's volcanoes and beaches.

Come evening, Waikiki Beach in Honolulu is where partiers want to be for fireworks and all-night parties. The fireworks explode from a barge off the beach, making it possible to see the display from anywhere along the 2-mile-long coastline. Visitors can don casual wear, grab a picnic blanket, and have their own cozy party with friends on the beach. Those wanting more excitement can dress fancy and head to any of the glamorous resort-style parties along Waikiki Beach. International Marketplace also has a midnight pineapple drop that is quite popular. One Reddit visitor recommended Honolulu highly: "Honolulu is quite amazing. Tons of people setting off stuff all over the island, plus fireworks show over the beach."

MoonPie Over Mobile may be the sweetest New Year's Eve celebration on this list. The city of Mobile in Alabama hands out hundreds of slices of MoonPie, sweetening the night for visitors to the event. Before the marshmallow-filled pies are handed out, there is a whole roster of fun events that elevate the celebration into something more akin to a daylong festival than a party.

The festivities kick off at 11 a.m. with a day party exclusively for the kids. There are bounce houses, crafts, and MoonPie treats before a kid-sized version of the MoonPie drops at midday. At around 6:30 p.m., a DJ takes the stage to get the party started. With party music on the turntable, visitors who get to the park early will find themselves primed and ready for the night ahead. Festivities of a different sort take place in the nearby Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel at 7:30 p.m. There, partygoers are invited to enter a decorated umbrella into the Decorated Umbrella Contest.

The winner gets to lead the Mardi Gras-style parade that happens later, so creative visitors will want to try their hand at the craft for a chance to win. The parade happens at 8:10 p.m., but before that, a huge MoonPie is cut at the hotel. Slices are handed out to visitors before the fun parade from the hotel to the main stage, where a lineup of performers awaits. Close to midnight, the countdown begins: The night explodes with fireworks, and the world's largest electronic MoonPie is lowered to the stage. All this happens in warm temperatures. No wonder the MoonPie drop is featured as a contestant for best New Year's Eve drops on USA Today's 10Best 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.

The consensus on Reddit is that the New Year's Eve festivities on the Vegas Strip are as glamorous as Times Square's — but more comfortable. In fact, Las Vegas is the world's best city for nightlife. The city sits at a pleasant 57 degrees Fahrenheit between December and January, making it easy to remain outdoors for the festivities. Up to 400,000 visitors party on the Strip for New Year's Eve, but with the ability to move freely, the experience is more pleasant than Times Square's. One Reddit visitor explained Sin City's advantages over Times Square's ball drop: "Vegas is easily better than New York's as it isn't freezing cold and confined to a small section."

The Strip closes to cars and transforms into a giant walkway for partiers to enjoy the night. Unlike New York City, drinking alcohol in public is allowed, so visitors can sip and walk, stopping at will to see the sights: Bellagio's iconic fountain show, the lighted Eiffel Tower at Paris Hotel, and the showgirls never disappoint. At midnight, a dazzling fireworks show set to music and coordinated across some of the major casinos illuminates the sky as the crowds count down.

One visitor who partied on the Strip left this review on Reddit: "We just kicked it on the strip, drinking cocktails out of yard glasses and watching the fireworks, everyone was down to party ... We also did Times Square last year and it sucked balls! Hours standing in a pen with no food or drinks to watch a ball drop and see a couple of fireworks." There are also other ways to enjoy Vegas on New Year's Eve. Those with the budget can party in any of the nightlife spots, throwing extravagant celebrations. The iconic Fremont Street Experience, which is usually free, also has a glitzy, paid event called Countdown Under the Canopy.

When a state is one of the leading producers of cheese in the nation, it can be forgiven for having a cheesy New Year's Eve party that is also one of the most unforgettable winter celebrations in the U.S. The celebration is actually centered around cheese, with a giant slice of cheese falling from the sky on December 31 every year. Before the cheese drop, there's a slew of activities that perfectly blend excitement and family-friendly goodness.

The party vibes come courtesy of live music, with past events having a live band belting out covers of songs by American greats like Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley. Heightening the excitement, a bar provides drinks and cocktails for those who want to imbibe while waiting for the cheese to drop. Visitors are also encouraged to wear party hats and make their own music with noisemakers, further adding to the fun.

At its core, the Sartori Cheese Drop is a community event, so cozy festivities like a bonfire, where kids and the young at heart can enjoy hot cocoa and cheese from a tasting table, add to the warm communal atmosphere. Some visitors also get gift bags filled with cheese. Keeping with its family-friendly reputation, the cheese drops at 10 p.m., making it ideal for those who want the night to end early.

The fact that Mardi Gras starts six days after New Year's Eve doesn't dampen New Orleans' celebrations to ring in the new year. Although the city is preparing for its greatest party season of the year, it goes all out. The festivities start with the elaborate Allstate Sugar Bowl New Year's Eve Parade at 2 p.m. on New Year's Eve.

The parade is a spectacle of street dancers, marching bands, and extravagant floats celebrating both the Sugar Bowl college football competition and New Year's Eve. The parade ends at 5 p.m. in the famous French Quarter (intersection of N. Peters Street and Canal Street). While waiting for the main event, visitors can bar hop, grab a bite to eat, or simply see the hypnotic sights around New Orleans from the Vue Orleans Observatory just a few steps away.

That main event is the Crescent City Countdown, starting at 9 p.m. on the stage in Woldenberg Park, just a five-minute walk from where the parade ended. To ring in 2026, a DJ will be spinning tunes, and two bands are scheduled to perform. Close to midnight, magic happens. The countdown to the New Year begins as a show of light and color pierces the sky, illuminating the Mississippi River next to Woldenberg Park. The lighted fleur-de-lis is also lowered while everyone rings in the New Year. After the fleur-de-lis drops, visitors who don't want the party to end have all of the French Quarter's amazing nightlife at their fingertips.

Countdown Miami continues the tradition of food-themed centerpieces. The city brings Big Orange, a sunglasses-wearing orange, to ring in the New Year at Bayfront Park, where it holds its biggest New Year's Eve celebration. Instead of a traditional drop, the 2,000-pound orange makes its way to the top of the InterContinental Miami during the celebration.

Some of the most famous Latino and American singers perform on stage while around 100,000 partiers dance or sing along. Food vendors, bars serving cocktails, and champagne keep visitors in the mood until the main event at midnight. That's when Florida's biggest fireworks show explodes over Biscayne Bay with palm trees and a warm breeze in the air. With live music on stage, dazzling fireworks, and a stylish centerpiece, Countdown Miami is Florida's answer to New York City's famous ball drop — but with better weather.

Keeping with its reputation, the city of Nashville drops a musical note to ring in the New Year. But the party, called Nashville's Big Bash, starts long before that. And it's big on music, given that Nashville's official moniker is "Music City." Some of the best singers perform yearly at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park, where the New Year's festivities are held. In December 2025, country greats like Lainey Wilson and Jason Aldean are scheduled to perform. But since Nashville's history is linked to a variety of music genres, longtime gospel favorite Cece Winans also performs.

After the performances, the countdown begins as a sparkling 16-foot music note drops with fireworks in the background and confetti falling on screaming visitors. The music note may not be as iconic as Times Square's ball, but with it being in the running to be named one of the best New Year's Eve drops on USA Today's 10Best 2025 Readers' Choice Awards, it is growing in popularity. Whether it wins or not, one thing is for sure — visitors will enjoy all the excitement of New York City but with more dignity, given that the event has on-site restrooms, making adult diapers unnecessary.

Visitors consistently recommended San Francisco's New Year's Eve on the Waterfront celebration for its picturesque setting and amazing pyrotechnic displays. A boat sailing on San Francisco Bay launches fireworks starting at midnight until 12:15 a.m. while visitors enjoy from the shore. Since the crowds aren't as maddening as New York City's, the area still has space for visitors who get there by 9 or 10 p.m. But the most memorable way to see the fireworks is by boat.

Sailing under the colorfully illuminated sky, with the San Francisco Bay Bridge in the background, the popular fireworks cruises deliver the most amazing views. The cruises come with dinner, music, dancing, and countdowns to the New Year. Some are themed, with one popular option being a Speakeasy Cruise, where guests are invited to wear their glamorous best while enjoying music from the 1920s. With San Francisco's warmer weather and famous sights like the Golden Gate Bridge, Treasure Island, Alcatraz, and the Bay Bridge along the way, ringing in the New Year from a boat is a magical affair. It's an experience Times Square would be hard-pressed to beat.

Visitors who don't want to shell out for a cruise will also enjoy solid views of the fireworks if they choose a spot anywhere south of the Ferry Building along the water. In fact, visitors on Reddit did just that and had fun: "Watching the fireworks ... (specifically between the ferry building and bay bridge) is fun cuz there will be lotsa people out and it's festive." After the fireworks, San Francisco celebrates New Year's Day in a big way. Visitors who want to bring the fun into January head to the Breakfast of Champions and Fresh Start party. Those looking to enjoy nature can explore landscapes reminiscent of the British countryside around San Francisco Bay. 

It is true that Boise, Idaho, where the quirky Potato Drop celebration takes place, is frigid in December. But the organizers have considered that and provide a heated VIP section for visitors willing to shell out for the extra perk. Whether VIP or not, visitors who attend the storied celebration are in for a quirky treat.

The first and biggest sign that attendees are in for a celebration like no other is the hilarious potato that makes its way to position at around 6 p.m. The potato is a longtime symbol of Idaho, so it's not surprising that the state's official New Year's Eve party would feature it. But the actual potato used in the event is unforgettable. The "glow-tato" is molded and painted to look like an actual potato, except it glows. It also has wings, so as it gets lower, it looks like a giant flying potato!

Keeping up the fun, in addition to live music, the main stage has comedians riling up the crowd with their jokes. Spuddy Duddy, the state's potato mascot, is always around to greet visitors and pose for photos along with the Idaho Big Potato Truck. There are food vendors, kid-friendly activities like potato sack races and potato sculpting, and in 2026, snowboarding and skiing exhibits return. With quirky fun everywhere, visitors are in for the time of their lives at the event, which has also been nominated for the best New Year's Eve drop in USA Today's 10Best 2025 Readers' Choice Awards.

We searched through Reddit, Tripadvisor, travel forums, and established travel blogs to find the best New Year's Eve celebrations in the U.S. Since we were looking for celebrations that would avoid the pitfalls of Times Square's ball drop, we had to narrow our list. We looked for New Year's Eve destinations that came highly recommended and met as many of the following criteria as possible: manageable crowds, the ability to move freely in and out of the event, minimal police restrictions, exciting activities, and decent weather. Our final list has only the best New Year's Eve celebrations that are also comfortable to attend.