New Year’s Eve is just a few days away, with numerous special activities and events available across New York City for people to enjoy as they ring in 2025, including dinner in a heated igloo, drag shows and cabaret, live concerts, and much more.
At Coney Island’s Luna Park, people can get cozy with a group of friends inside a heated igloo at the annual Frost Fest. For $499, the Winter Solstice package includes a 120-minute session in a private dome, which comes with a selection of food and drinks, along with unlimited turns on some rides, a holiday photo and wine or champagne.
For those looking to see a cabaret show, Peter Cincotti and his four-piece band will be at Café Carlyle in Manhattan, Tony award nominee Jenn Colella will be doing an 11 p.m. show at 54 Below, and Mariln Maye will perform an 11 p.m. concert at Birdland.
Drag lovers can go to Brooklyn’s Three Dollar Bill to see “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stars Alaska and Milk at a “Glitz & Glamour” party, with a variety of more options around the city, such as Jasmine Rice LaBeija and Chicky Gorgina at Hardware in Hell’s Kitchen, Coma White at Rockbar in the West Village and Suddenly Audrey at the Sultan Room in Bushwick, The New York Times reported.
Despite Mayor Eric Adams lifting the temporary citywide ban on fireworks due to increased rainfall and reduced fire risks, some of the city’s typical firework festivities are going to be taking a different route. Organizers at Prospect Park are planning a light show that includes illuminated drones, while New York Road Runners still plans to hold its annual Midnight Run in Central Park with a small drone show instead of fireworks, pending a permit.
If you’re looking for a classic New Year’s Eve celebration in NYC, the Times Square Alliance website offers guidelines on how to make the most of the crowded ball drop event. For those staying at home, the Alliance offers a free live webcast starting at 6 p.m., and you can also stream the festivities at TimesSquareBall.net.
For other broadcast options, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest,” with performances by Carrie Underwood and Lenny Kravitz will be live on ABC starting at 8 p.m. ET, and CNN’s New Year’s Eve show hosted by Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen, featuring music by 50 Cent, Sting, Meghan Trainor and others, will be live on CNN and streamed from HBO’s Max starting at 8 p.m. ET.
If you’re looking for some live music, the 40th anniversary of the New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan will feature a 7 p.m. performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony by the Cathedral Choirs and Orchestra, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the piece’s premiere.
Other options include going to see Billy Joel perform at the UBS Arena on Long Island, going to The Meadows in Brooklyn for a reggaeton and Latin music party, or going to see Grammy-nominated D.J. Zhu take over the dance floor at Terminal 5 in Manhattan.
