Where To Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2024 In Palm Desert

PALM DESERT, CA — As the clock ticks toward 2025, Palm Desert is gearing up for several vibrant celebrations to ring in the New Year.

Whether you're drawn to a lively countdown or a more relaxed toast in a romantic setting, Riverside County is setting the stage for a memorable transition into 2025.

Check out these New Year's Eve parties planned for the Coachella Valley:

• New Year's Eve Early Ball Drop - You don't have to wait until midnight for this ball to drop. Enjoy this party from 2 to 3:30 p.m. But here's a fair warning: This party is strictly for adults and is "super gay and really filthy," organizers say. Details here.
• Oscar's Presents Palm Springs' New Year's Eve - Featuring iconic drag queens Jackie Beat, Candis Cayne and Sherry Vine. More information here.
• Agua Caliente Casinos presents Midnight of the Muse - The casino is offering three different experiences in Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and Cathedral City on New Year's Eve. Details here.
• New Year's Eve at the Palm Springs Surf Club - This party includes a gourmet dinner and an Afro-house dance party that goes until 2 a.m. Plus, you can hit the wave pool for a quick surf session. Details here.
• LAST CALL: NYE Party with Stones Throw Records - This party, held at Ace Hotel & Swim Club Palm Springs will have you dancing all night with DJs J.Rocc, Peanut Butter Wolf, Xica Soul and Sonrisita. Details here.

Here is a look at some additional events happening in Riverside County:

• New Year's Eve Grape Drop in Old Town Temecula: A family-friendly evening will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. in the Temecula Civic Center Quad in Old Town Temecula. There will be ice skating until 12:30 a.m., live music, and dancing as well as carnival games, face painters and a giant slide for the kiddos. Details here.
• New Year's Eve Massive Danse Party - From 9 p.m. to midnight, this party will be hosted at Aurea Night Club and Bar, 3498 University Ave., Riverside. Details here.
• New Year's Eve at Pechanga Resort Casino - The resort is hosting a variety of parties from the Spaced Out dance floor to the Party Like its 1999 soiree. Check out all of the different parties happening under one resort here.
• New Year's Eve "RED" - This event will have an open bar, appetizers, hookah and live dancers in downtown Rialto, 116 S Riverside Ave. Details here.
• Nick D'Egidio and The Dry Martini Orchestra - This New Year's Eve gala is a tribute to Marylin Monroe and Frank Sinatra at the Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, 3649 Mission Ave. Details here.
• Sex and the City New Year's Eve - Killer Queens Social House in Riverside is hosting a party to ring in the new year featuring cocktails, fabulous music and a night Carrie Bradshaw would adore. Details here.
• New Year's Eve Masquerade Ball - Downtown Experiment is hosting a masquerade that will go on until 2 a.m. Details here.
• Gilligan's Island The Band: A New Year's Eve Adventure - The Golden Village Palms RV Resort in Hemet is hosting a tropical party to ring in 2025. Details here.
• 2025 Salsa Cumbia New Year's Eve Party at Lienzo Charro - This party is all about the cumbia and rages from 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Details here.

If you're looking to make reservations for dinner, the following restaurants near Palm Desert will be open on New Year's Eve, according to OpenTable:

• Mitch's on El Paseo Prime Seafood
• Sandfish Sushi & Whiskey
• Pacifica Seafood Restaurant
• Castelli's

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year’s Eve traditions is the dropping of the giant ball in New York City’s Times Square. Other U.S. cities have their own versions of this celebration, such as the Peeps Chick Drop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the giant Potato Drop in Boise, Idaho.

The transition from one year to the next is often marked by the singing of “Auld Lang Syne,” a Scottish folk song whose title roughly translates to “days gone by,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica and History.com.

The tradition of New Year’s resolutions dates back 8,000 years to ancient Babylonians, who made promises to return borrowed items and repay debts at the beginning of the new year, which was in mid-March when they planted their crops.

• Related: What New Year’s Resolution Did You Keep? How Did You Do It? [Patch Survey]

According to legend, if people kept their word, the pagan gods would grant them favor in the coming year. However, if they broke their promises, they would lose favor with the gods.

Many secular New Year’s resolutions focus on imagining new, improved versions of ourselves.

The failure rate of New Year’s resolutions is about 80 percent, according to U.S. News & World Report. There are many reasons, but a big one is they’re made out of remorse — for gaining weight, for example — and aren’t accompanied by a shift in attitude or a plan for coping with the stress and discomfort that comes with changing a habit or condition.