The craziest New Year’s Eve events where revelers will ring in 2023
A change in the weather pattern across North America will mean a significant temperature shift, with those impacted by the Christmas arctic blast seeing incredible warmth to end 2022 and ring in the new year.
The FOX Forecast Center is not anticipating a record-breaking warm spell but expects high temperatures to be 10-20 degrees above average for areas of the Southeast, Northeast and Midwest.
The warmth in the East will not keep precipitation at bay but will ensure most of it falls from the sky in the form of rain versus snow or ice for this holiday weekend.
It will be a different story in areas of the West and the Rockies, as a large storm system produces rain and snow and will lead to cooler temperatures, especially in the Golden State.
“We went into Christmas with just catastrophic weather, and we’re ending the year with quite a bit of rain and snow out west,” FOX Weather meteorologist Marissa Torres said. “Good news if you’re trying to hit up the ski slopes for New Year’s Eve, especially in the Rockies.”
On New Year’s Eve, all eyes are usually on New York City to watch the nearly 12,000-pound ball with 2,668 Waterford crystals drop high above Times Square.
Like most of the East Coast, warm air and scattered showers will be the theme for when the clock strikes midnight.
Forecast models show temperatures could be around 50 degrees, which is well above average for a region that usually sees afternoon highs only reach the lower 40s.
“It could be a little soggy,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Brigit Mahoney. “Of course, you’re going to want to pack the poncho.”
The Big Apple won’t be the only city welcoming in the new year. Celebrations are planned in communities from coast to coast.
From PEEPS to conch shells and even a giant pierogi, towns across the country all provide a different spin on the holiday that is celebrated worldwide.
Here are a few of the craziest New Year’s Eve events where revelers will celebrate the arrival of 2023.
Great sardine & maple leaf drop in Eastport, Maine
This annual event near the US-Canada border celebrates the arrival of the new year in two time zones.
At 11 p.m., a 4-foot maple leaf is dropped to reflect Atlantic Canada’s change of the calendar date, and an hour later, a giant sardine joins the party outside the Tides Institute & Museum of Art in downtown Eastport, Maine.
The New Year’s celebration is livestreamed on the museum’s Facebook page.
The event could be chilly with expected temperatures in the lower 40s and a decent chance of scattered showers.
Despite the town’s eastern location in Maine, it will not be the first US community to welcome 2023. That honor goes to Saint Croix in the US Virgin Islands, which is in the Atlantic Standard Time zone.
PEEPS Chick drop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Those with a sweet tooth should look no further than eastern Pennsylvania, home to Just Born Quality Confections – the 10th-largest candy company in the U.S.
For more than a decade, PEEPSFEST has welcomed candy enthusiasts of all ages for its two-day confectionary celebration.
Organizers carefully drop a massive 400-pound PEEPS Chick during their New Year’s Eve countdown, followed by fireworks.
Fortunately, many of the activities will be over by the time rain moves into the region on New Year’s Eve.
Pickle drop in Mt. Olive, North Carolina
One of the largest pickle companies in the country hosts an annual pickle drop that attracts thousands of people every year to the University of Mount Olive in eastern North Carolina.
With help from firefighters on a ladder truck, organizers will ring in the new year by dropping a glowing pickle into a jar below.
For those who can’t make it and want to watch the event in person, the pickle company provides a livestream of the drop at mtolivepickles.com.
Those who stay at home will also miss out on free pickles, but they will avoid any rain showers.
The FOX Forecast Center expects scattered showers to move into the mid-Atlantic on Saturday afternoon and the chance could stick around through New Year’s Day.
Conch shell drop in Key West, Florida
In what undoubtedly could be the warmest location in the Lower 48 to ring in the new year, Key West will be the site for the annual conch drop at midnight.
Similar to New York’s Times Square celebration, onlookers will count down to the moment a gigantic manmade conch shell drops to the roof of the famous Sloppy Joe’s Bar.
Typically, temperatures are around 70 degrees at midnight, with the warm water of the Gulf Stream helping to keep the air mass mild.
This New Year’s could be slightly warmer than average in the Sunshine State. Forecast models show temperatures reaching the 80s on New Year’s Eve and dropping only into the mid 70s for celebrations.
Watch the crowds gather live on Duval Street at sloppyjoes.com/crowd-cam.
Pierogi drop in Whiting, Indiana
Just about 30 minutes outside of Chicago, the city of Whiting, Indiana, will pay tribute to its Eastern European heritage and celebrate the arrival of the new year with the dropping of a giant pierogi.
Among the Polish cuisine and bountiful entertainment, a 10-foot pierogi will slowly drop more than five stories into a boiling cauldron when the clock strikes midnight.
Rain showers are expected to wrap up during the afternoon and temperatures could hover around 40 for the big drop. Even around midnight, temperatures will still be 5-10 degrees above where a day’s average high usually reaches.
The annual event has only been around for about seven years, and it continues to grow in popularity.
Cheese drop in Plymouth, Wisconsin
The official cheese capital of the world will once again be host to the lowering of a giant wedge cheese from the ladder of a fire truck.
Thousands are expected to gather in Plymouth, Wisconsin, which is about halfway between Milwaukee and Green Bay.
“The Plymouth Arts Center initiated this popular New Year’s Eve event back in 2007 to pay tribute to Plymouth’s cheese heritage and its thriving industry that still exists today,” Donna Hahn, executive director of the Plymouth Arts Center, said in a statement. “We greatly appreciate the Sartori Company’s generous sponsorship of this event and our organization. We also thank the Plymouth Fire Department for their continued gracious assistance.”
If you don’t mind your cheese being cold, this event could be for you. Temperatures are expected to be around freezing at midnight, which will be cooler than most of the country.
Potato drop in Boise, Idaho
Idaho’s state capital and largest city is home to the annual potato drop on New Year’s Eve.
Boise’s annual celebration has quickly become one of the quirkiest around the world, thanks in part to the sheer size of the potato that is the star of the show.
The 17-foot-long potato was recently upgraded to include lights and other performance features.
A massive crane will hoist and drop the potato at the stroke of midnight.
Temperatures are expected to be in the 30s with a few scattered snow showers around. So, the expression of a “hot potato” may actually be more accurate if it is replaced by the words “cold potato” this go around.
Grape drop in Temecula, California
The heart of the Golden State’s southern wine country will host the annual tradition of the dropping of grapes both at 9 p.m. to celebrate 2023’s arrival on the East Coast and again at midnight on the West Coast.
The grapes are carefully lowered down from the third story of Temecula’s clock tower and measure about 12 feet tall.
The Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association said the region produces nearly 50 types of wines, and the event has been an annual tradition since 2009.
Unfortunately, the Golden State may not be so golden and could be home to some of the most adverse weather in the country on New Year’s Eve. In Riverside County, heavy rainfall is possible and temperatures will be dropping from the 50s into the 40s.
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