New Year’s Eve In New Hampshire: Big Easy Extravaganza; Recycled Percussion; More

CONCORD, NH — From Amherst to Windham, there are plenty of fun activities around New Hampshire to ring in the New Year.

And, if you have not made plans, there is still time to book meals and activities for the big night.The weather appears OK and not stormy until the early morning hours of New Year’s Day, when showers are expected. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-30s.

Here is a look at some events happening in New Hampshire:

• Noon Year's Eve Party in Concord!
• New Year’s Eve - Big Easy Extravaganza!
• Dave & Buster's Family Friendly Early New Year’s Eve Celebration!
• Recycled Percussion Winter Tour at The Palace Theatre
• Dave & Buster's New Year’s Eve Celebration!
• Encore of the Lights: A Magical Holiday Experience
• New Year’s Eve Ride
• Noon Year's Eve Party in Nashua!
• Rooftop at The Envio's New Year's Eve Celebration

The LaBelle Winery in Amherst will host a masquerade New Year’s Party with dinner and dancing with the Freese Brothers Big Band.

The Copper Door hosts New Year’s Eve dinners in Bedford and Salem.

Murphy’s Taproom in Bedford and Manchester hosts comedy shows as does Chunky’s Cinema Pub in Manchester.

In Concord, the Bank of NH Stage will be turned into the French Quarter, promoted as where Moulin Rouge meets Bourbon Street. The event will feature a DJ, dancing, aerialist, live music, performances, and more.

Greenleaf in Milford hosts a New Year’s Eve dinner with four seatings during the evening, including a four-course tasting menu.

Pro Portsmouth has the only First Night event in the state offering all kinds of fun for patrons on the Seacoast, like ice sculptures, music, and more, with fireworks at South Mill Pond at 7:30 p.m.

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year’s Eve traditions is the giant ball dropping 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.

New Hampshire’s twist on the ball drop is fireworks in the North Country, including displays being shot off at Cranmore Mountain Resort at 6:30 p.m., across Corcoran Pond in Waterville Valley at 7 p.m., Schouler Park in North Conway at 9:30 p.m., and the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in Whitefield, Santa’s Village in Jefferson, the Omni Mount Washington Resort & Spa in Bretton Woods, as part of their festivities.

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 promised 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.

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