On New Year’s Eve, the calendar will turn to 2021 without the usual fanfare.
There won’t be any wild parties at Times Square or any other public spaces. Formal dances, marathon live concerts and midnight balloon drops are off the table. The ongoing pandemic likely means that most ring in the new year with their immediate families, in their own homes, watching the ball drop on TV with maybe some noisemakers and a champagne toast.
But, after such a difficult year, people will still have the opportunity to celebrate the end of 2020 in an entertaining and safe way.
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Throughout the day and leading up to the clock striking midnight, people can find unique opportunities to be together, either at a safe distance or virtually. From family-style events aimed at letting kids revel a little bit earlier to stunning light displays to virtual concerts, New Year’s Eve can still have a hopeful, fun time while waving goodbye to the past 12 months.
Happy Noon Year
Details: 11:15 a.m. Thursday, via Zoom.
What: 3…2…1…Happy Noon Year! Celebrate the start of 2021 a little early, as all four Johnson County Public Library branches give kids and parents a fun way to party at a responsible time of day. Organizers will feature music, a game, crafts, a story and more before the big countdown.
Registration is required at pageafterpage.org. Participants are asked to include an email address with registration, so that a Zoom link can be sent to you before the program starts. Once you’ve signed up, stop by one of the four branches to pick up a fun party pack with items for the party.
British New Year’s
Details: 4 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Mayfair Taproom, 2032 E. 10th St., Indianapolis. Facebook.com/MayfairTaproom
What: The Mayfair Taproom, an Indianapolis eatery known for its British-style pub food and pouring a good pint, will ring in 2021 right around the time they’re celebrating in London, Manchester and the rest of England. The event will be held outdoors, though heaters and fire pits will be available. A champagne toast will be held at 7 p.m. — which is midnight Greenwich Mean Time — so people can celebrate from a distance.
The event is free, though reservations are required and can be made through Mayfair Taproom’s Facebook page. Tables for two, four or six are available.
Countdown to Noon
Details: 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Thursday, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian St.; free with admission, which is $22.50 for adults and $18 for kids. ChildrensMuseum.org
What: The clock ticks down to 12 o’clock, as kids and their parents go wild with celebration. But instead of families staying up until midnight to welcome in 2021, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is inviting people for a pair of special ceremonies. Two different countdowns will be held in the Lilly Theatre, a larger space to allow social distancing as opposed to the traditional location of the countdowns in the Sunburst Atrium.
Seats will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and the ceremony will be broadcast live in the Sunburst Atrium. Kids will receive a festive special flag to wave during the countdowns, as officials have decided not to use confetti this year due to COVID-19 concerns.
Enjoy kid-friendly music by Grammy-nominated musician Zak Morgan, and take part in activities such as learning to send New Year’s greetings to friends all over the world or making a paper time capsule.
New Year’s Eve Dinner
Details: Dinner seating at 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Garment Factory Events, 101 E. Wayne St., Franklin
What: One of Johnson County’s largest and most spacious event spaces will be hosting a socially distanced dinner on New Year’s Eve. Food stations will be set up throughout the building, allowing people to get dinner and be seated in a safe manner.
Reservations are required, and can be made by calling 317-868-8227. The Garment Factory lounge will be open from 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. for cocktails in addition to dinner.
Winterlights
Details: 5 to 10 p.m. through Jan. 3, Newfields, 4000 Michigan Ave., Indianapolis. DiscoverNewfields.org
What: The massive all-outdoor holiday-themed exhibition is open even after Christmas, and what better way to move past a dark year and look towards the light? Pass over suspended displays on the Snowflake Bridge while specially composed original music tinkles in the background. Enjoy towering trees wrapped with thousands of glowing bulbs.
At the Landscape of Lights, watch a choreographed show illuminate the night. End your visit walking through the Ice Storm tunnel of blue lights, before posing for a photo at the Finale Tree. Along the way, enjoy specialty beers, spiked hot cocoa or cider, or grab a warm chocolate chip cookie.
Winterlights is a timed event, and tickets are $25 for adults and $17 for children ages 6 to 17. Kids 5 and under are free.
Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band
Details: 11 p.m. Thursday, broadcast live at www.facebook.com/bigdamnband and at youtube.com/user/bigdamnbandofficial
What: New Year’s Eve is usually a music-lover’s paradise, as bands book special gigs and perform unique concerts to coincide with midnight. Seeing live music in person is off the table this year, but people can still enjoy watching one of Indiana’s stomping-est bands perform while you sit on the couch. Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, a Nashville-based roots-blues group, will host a virtual show to welcome in 2021.
The multi-camera production will feature some of the band’s most rollicking favorites, stretching through a midnight countdown and into the new year. The show is free, but they will be accepting donations via PayPal (www.paypal.com/paypalme/bigdamnband) and Venmo (@bigdamnband).
