New Year’s Eve fireworks in NYC

Guides trained by historian and tour leader Dr. Phil (not that one) organize multiple groups to take in the New Year from the iconic landmark. After tidbits about the bridge are revealed, all the tours will pause to scan the skyline for midnight fireworks. To book tickets visit the website. Multiple tours in different languages depart at 10:30pm. The tour meets at 160 Broadway and concluded on the Brooklyn Bridge.

Bundle up for a free, low-key New Year’s Eve with fireworks sparkling over Park Slope. Live music starts at around 10:30pm at Grand Army Plaza, where you can also snag a cup of hot cocoa. At midnight, fireworks will go off at Long Meadow; the best vantage points are at Grand Army Plaza, inside the park on West Drive and along Prospect Park West between Grand Army Plaza and 9th Street.

Since 1907, a sparkly sphere has been lowered in Times Square, and even though the rest of the country has adopted the tradition, New York can still lay claim to it. Arrive by 3pm (earlier if the weather is nice) to stake out a spot in the Broadway–Seventh Avenue bowtie, and be prepared to stay put: There are no public restrooms or food vendors, and leaving means giving up your spot. It may sound like no fun, but this is really the best kind of holiday masochism, and your endurance will be rewarded with performances held across two stages, beginning at 6pm. A burst of pyrotechnics from One Times Square, every hour on the hour through 11pm, should whet the appetite for the ball drop at a minute to midnight.

Run as if 2017 were chasing you (and truly, can you imagine a scarier horror concept?) at New York Road Runners’ annual four-mile Midnight Run, which provides credit to finishers toward the New York City Marathon. The night begins at 10pm with dancing; this is, mind you, a fun run. Then at midnight, start your trek with hundreds of other festive joggers, and take in the gorgeous fireworks display. (Trust us: It’s a hell of a lot healthier than binge drinking and hooking up with a rando.)