New Year’s Eve 2024 In Worcester: Science Party, Bar Crawls and Bands

WORCESTER, MA - Worcester will have a little something for everyone this New Year’s Eve. From a family friendly noon countdown at the EcoTarium to a 21+ bar crawl hitting all the best spots, there’s no shortage of fun to ring in 2025 with.

Here is a look at some additional events happening in Worcester:

• Noon Year’s Eve Celebration at the EcoTarium: For a family-friendly experience, head over to Worcester’s science museum for time capsule building, rocket launches, a resolution wall and the annual noon countdown.
• Toast to Tomorrow New Year’s Eve Bar Crawl: Experience all of Worcester’s night life on New Year’s Eve, as one ticket will get you free entry into participating venues, exclusive food and drink specials and a memorable night out.
• New Year’s Eve with Aquanett: The tribute act is set to rock Rascals with sounds of the ‘80s, including Bo Jovi and Whitesnake. Early general admission tickets include food, table seats and champagne toasts.

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.