My last-minute guide to New Year’s Eve in New York City, when 2023 turns into 2024, features information on:

Times Square.
Dining Out,
Theater: Plays as parties, Broadway show schedule, family shows, movies
parties.
concerts.
cabaret.
cruises.
fireworks.
quiet or healthy alternatives.
TV (and other platforms 

New Year’s Eve in New York means the dropping of the ball in Times Square, the fireworks in Prospect Park, the annual concert at St. John the Divine, the midnight run with fireworks in Central Park, the annual Time’s Up Bike Ride  — all of these FREE, and almost all of them events you can decide to attend at the last minute…and by yourself.

It also can mean obscenely expensive shows and extremely loud parties, an annual arena concert featuring Phish and new cabaret acts, a cruise in the harbor, or a dinner for two in your favorite eatery — not all of which are sold out weeks in advance.

Only eight percent of Americans reportedly plan to go out at all on any given New Year’s Eve, which this year falls on a Sunday, not your usual party day. I know I’m happier when I adjust the timeframe for this particular holiday as not just the night that the ball drops, but the week leading up to it, and the day after. With that in mind, here are some ideas for those New Yorkers (and New York visitors) who haven’t made any plans yet.

TIMES SQUARE 

You can watch the festivities live online, right here:

If you decide to stand in person at the Crossroads of the World on December 31st, you’ll be joining a celebration that began in 1907,  when people stood in (the recently named) Times Square to watch the lowering of a ball made of iron and wood, weighing 700 pounds, and covered with 100 light bulbs. Now the ball is a geodesic dome weighing 11,875 pounds, covered with 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles and 32,256 LEDs (light emitting diodes) , which a computer lowers 70 feet in 6o seconds. 

If you’re reading this before Wednesday December 27 you might consider going to Times Square that day to attend “Good Riddance Day” from noon to 1 p.m., in which participants shed bad memories of 2022 (an old bill, an ex-love note, a bad report card, a Playbill of a show you’d rather forget?) in a ceremonial shredding on the Broadway Plaza between 45th & 46th Streets

On Sunday — New Year’s Eve — revelers will start arriving at Times Square in the afternoon. By approximately 3:00 PM., the Bowtie of Times Square (42nd to 47th Sts. between Broadway & 7th Ave.) is fully closed to traffic. The crowd, which in the past has reached in the millions, could go as far uptown as Central Park, 17 blocks away.

Another way of saying this: If you want to be within naked-eyesight of the Times Square ball, arrive in the afternoon, and be prepared to stand immobile until the ball drops at midnight. Wear warm clothing,  and huddle with friends and loved ones for warmth – or make new friends. 

 Times Square offers an outdoor evening of entertainment,  beginning at 6 p.m. with the lighting and raising of the Times Square ball and culminating six hours later in confetti, the “2024” sign in lights, lots of (masked!) hugging and wishing for a Happy New Year

Should you go? I’ve spent three New Year’s Eves in Times Square, which is probably two more than necessary, but found each memorable.  One tip: Look at the weather report. The average temperature on New Year’s Eve in Times Square has been just above freezing, 33 degrees; too cold. As of this writing, the forecast for this New Year’s Eve suggests it will be a bit warmer.

DINING OUT ON NEW YEAR’S EVE

Open Table lists more than 100 restaurants  with “New Year’s Eve offers” Most of them offer a choice of seatings – either earlier in the evening, so that you can make it in time elsewhere for the stroke of midnight, or party-hat-equipped seatings that lead up to midnight, where you can often turn on a TV so that you can watch the ball drop in Times Square. Open Table provides all sorts of filters — you can look for a table for 2 at a “charming” French restaurant at 7 pm in your specific neighborhood.

Have a favorite neighborhood eatery that’s not listed on Open Table? Go to the place NOW, and ask them whether they will take reservations.

THEATER 

The most attention-grabbing theatrical event on New Year’s Eve is likely to be “Sleep No More,” the immersive version of “Macbeth” (Here is my long-ago review.) This is both because  the McKittrick Hotel (the converted five-story disco that houses the play) becomes the site of a luxury party — artistic performances, live bands, celebrated DJs — and because “Sleep No More” will soon be no more, closing February after thirteen years. The cost to attend is high, but by the time you read this, it surely will be sold out anyway. (You might have luck getting in earlier in the week, and of course next month.)

 XIV Company similarly gussies up its  “Nutcracker Rouge,”   for the New Year’s Eve performance of this “baroque, burlesque” not-for-children take on Nutcracker Suite at its theater in Bushwick, where “opulence dances with decadence.” 

Broadway Performance Times for New Year’s Week

New Year’s Eve is not the best day for Broadway, but the week leading up to it is. Only three Broadway shows have performances on New Year’s Eve (“Aladdin,” “A Beautiful  Noise,” “Harmony”), and one (“Chicago”) on New Year’s Day. But there are extra performances throughout the rest of the week,  especially Friday, and this week is the last chance to see “I Need That” and “Some Like It Hot”

The titles are linked to my reviews (and my reviews include a link to the shows’ websites)

Bold faced dates = added performance

Italic dates = different curtain time

crossed out dates = this is when the show usually plays, but will not this week.

Family Shows Not on Broadway

Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular  has multiple performances each day this week, with two performances on New Year’s Eve, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m, and four on New Year’s Day.

Big Apple Circus> has two performances on New Year’s Eve and two on New Year’s Day (both days at noon and 4 pm.)

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker at NYC Ballet has one final performance for the season on New Year’s Eve at 1 p.m.

For more check out my Holiday Shows in NYC 2023

Movies

You could certainly see a movie — just not in any cinema in Times Square. Here is of my roundup of 10 Movies in New York Cinemas This Week, ranked Best to Worst

NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTIES

There’s a New York for almost any taste, so why would it be surprising that Eventbrite lists some 1,000 New Year’s Eve parties? .

You can dance at parties set up in Times Square venues. Most promote a great view of the ball dropping.
Then there are the super-hip parties in Brooklyn and Queens. And, if you can’t decide on just one, there’s always “Crawl Til The Ball Falls,” a pub crawl through ten bars in the East Village.

Many suggest throwing your own New Year’s Eve party, and offer vaguely insulting step-by-step tips on how to do so. The most memorable advice for throwing a party came from Joan Crawford, who was quite a partier in her day (That’s her at the very top of this post, in the party hat). Her advice (see below)  can be summed up as:

1. Have a mix of people as your guests, but nobody with dirty feet.
2. Secretly drug them.

CONCERTS

St. John the Divine Concert for Peace

This annual event was founded in 1984 by Leonard Bernstein (one of the many things not mentioned in the new movie about him, “Maestro.”) The program this year , from 7 to 9 pm, features Mozart’s Divertimento in D Major, the world premiere of Voices of Afghanistan by Stanley Grill, and a montage of music from Jewish, Muslim and Christian traditions centered on the shared longing for peace, all framed by music of J.S. Bach and culminating in This Little Light of Mine.
Reserve your tickets online as soon as possible. (When doing so, you’ll see a choice of ticket prices; these are optional donations.)

Phish at Madison Square Garden

Yes, as usual, Phish will perform at Madison Square Garden for its usual four-day New Year’s run, including on December 31st. And, yes, as usual, the New Year’s Eve concert long ago sold out. BUT, you can see it live online. 

Gogol Bordello at Brooklyn Bowl once again.(“Since 1999, Eastern European punk band Gogol Bordello, led by Ukrainian frontman Eugene Hütz, has been filling up rooms with an energy that could run a whole city – “

Ship Wrek, KC Lights, Win & Woo at Webster Hall. (Under artist info, it’s blank. Elsewhere, Ship Week is described as Dance/Electronic, Hip-Hop/Rap)

Gov’t Mule at Beacon Theater. (an American Southern rock jam band, formed in 1994 as a side project of the Allman Brothers Band.) Of interest: On Friday, December 29th at the Beacon Randy Rainbow for President

CABARET

With the repeal in 2017 of the hated 91-year-old Cabaret Law, which banned dancing at all but a handful of licensed venues (fewer than 100), you could argue that life is a cabaret (or at least could be) at all 25,000 eating and drinking establishments in New York City. But “cabaret” has come to define specific genres of intimate entertainment at just a few, relatively small venues, such as those below.

Tip: Most cabarets offer two seatings on New Year’s Eve. The one earlier in the evening is far less expensive. Many of these performers return to these venues every New Year’s — a wonderful tradition that makes last-minute tickets chancy, but worth trying.

Sandra Bernhard: Easy Listening at Joe’s Pub
She’s toning down her annual six-night gig, judging from the title, the photo and the description: She promises to take her audience on a tour of her musical influences, from the first time she heard the Supremes on AM radio on a snowy night in Flint, Michigan to her first concert, Simon and Garfunkel. (Web sales and phone sales end when doors open, and tickets may be vailable for in-person, walk-up sale right before the show begins.)

A Very Natalie New Year, an annual event for decades, this year finds Natalie Douglas in a brand new location, Chelsea Table + Stage. Important to point out: It’s also being live-streamed.

Lorna Luft at 7 p.m. and Aaron Tveit at 11, at 54 Below.

Marilyn Maye at Birdland, still wowing in her 90s, 7 p.m. and 11 pm show.

FIREWORKS

There will be fireworks all over the city — in Times Square of course, in Central Park (south of 72nd Street), in front of Liberty Island, and in Prospect Park at Grand Army Plaza, where. Quintessential Playlist will perform live music at 10 pm before the fireworks begin. They request an RSVP for this free event.

HARBOR CRUISES

Big selling point of all these cruises — a close-up of the New Years Eve fireworks over the water. Most include a buffet, open bar, and dancing with a dj. Drawbacks: These cost hundreds of dollars  and many are already sold out.

Circle Line offers a three-hour party cruise, leaving from Pier 83 (42nd Street) in Manhattan. Liberty Cruise, a three and a half hour cruise, leaves from Pier 36 (299 South St) Skyline Cruises offers a five-hour cruise leaving from The World’s Fair Marina in Flushing Queens

HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES

A MEDITATIVE ALTERNATIVE

The Kadampa Meditation Center in Chelsea, $60 for non-members, offers its 29th annual New Year’s Eve meditation and celebration for “Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike” with vegetarian hot d’oevres and no alcohol. Pre-registration is recommended. Members can attend online.

WALKING, SKATING, RUNNING AND BIKING

New York Road Runners’   Midnight Run in Central Park

New Year’s Eve Celebration Skate, by a skating group called Skate Crates. The event space in Midwood turns for the night into a roller rink disco, but with a vegan/vegetarian menu.

Adventure Untamed New Year’s Eve Day Hike —  a 7.5 mile hike in Harriman State Park (with transportion provided for the hour-long trip to and from New York City), starting at 6:30 a.m. and ending 5:30 p.m.

Shorewalkers Happy New Years Day Hike — Hiking the shores and parks of upper Manhattan for seven miles starting at noon on New Year’s Day, which gives you a good excuse to go to bed early.

 Time’s Up environmental action organization returns with its almost annual (it skipped last year) bike ride and afterparty

WHAT’S ON TV (and other home devices)

ABC:

“Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest,”  his 19th year as host, direct from Times Square with Jelly Roll and Megan The Stallion among others, but in the big count down to midnight, Post Malone will perform his hit “Chemical” from Las Vegas. There will also be performances by Ludacris and Green Day in L.A., Ivy Queen from Puerto Rico and, for the first time, several performers performing from South Korea

CNN:

New Year’s Eve show, with hosts Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen in Times Square for their seventh year together. They will be reporting from celebrations across North America, while Richard Quest will report from the crowds in NYC.  Performers will include Enrique Iglesis and Rod Stewart, and Neil Patrick Harris will make an appearance. I can’t help quoting what Anderson Cooper said a decade ago: “I don’t know anybody who has a fun time at a party at New Year’s Eve. That’s why I work on New Year’s Eve.”

CBS:

Nashville’s Big Bash, with country music stars

NBC:
Sunday Night Football

PBS

7 PM: Meredith Willson: America’s Music Man
8 PM: Next at the Kennedy Center: Cynthia Erivo and Friends, a New Year’s Celebration
9 PM: Barbra Streisand: Back to Brooklyn
11 PM: Steve & Eydie: Memories of My Mom and Dad