Where To Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2024 In Towson

BALTIMORE COUNTY, MD — New Year's Eve will feature a comedy murder mystery show, live music, DJs, bowling and kid-friendly festivities.

Here is a look at some events happening in Baltimore County. Click on any event to learn more.

Perry Hall

• AMF Perry Hall Bowling, Food And Drink Packages (Throughout day and until 1 a.m.)
• Looney's Pub Perry Hall Live Music By Hëdrush (8 p.m.)

Timonium

• Magooby's Joke House Comedy Murder Mystery Bash (10:15 p.m.)

Towson

• Banditos Tacos & Tequila DJ, Open Bar (9:30 p.m.)
• Stoneleigh Lanes Bowling, Live Music, Food (9 p.m.)

White Marsh

• Banditos Tacos & Tequila DJ, Open Bar (9:30 p.m.)

For kid-friendly events, check out the countdowns to noon at these Baltimore County Public Library branches and the sweetFrog frozen yogurt shop in Timonium.

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.

Maryland's twists on the ball drop are the Duck Drop in Havre de Grace, the Key Drop on Carroll Creek in Frederick, the Krumpe's Donut Drop in Hagerstown, the Fish Drop in Rock Hall and the Midnight Muskrat Dive in Princess Anne.

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.