Where To Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2024 In Berkeley

BERKELEY, NJ — Ready to ring in the new year? Bars, restaurants and more are hosting New Year's Eve celebrations in the Berkeley area as we get ready for 2025.

If you're looking to party with good food and live music, check out B2 Bistro + Bar in Bayville, which features music from The Nerds. See more details here. Or maybe you want something earlier and more family-friendly. Check out the "Noon" Year's Eve Party and light show at Ocean County College.

Here is a look at some additional events happening in the Berkeley area:

• The Ocean County First Night celebration on the Seaside Heights Boardwalk
• New Year's Eve Party at Aqua Blu, Toms River
• New Year's Eve Great Gatsby Party, Mathis House, Toms River
• New Year's Eve Beach Ball, JR's Bar and Grill, Seaside Heights
• Hemingway's New Year's Eve Party, Seaside Heights
• New Year's Eve specials and live music at Rosie's, Ocean Gate
• New Year's Eve at Captain's Inn, Lacey
• New Year Party at The Waterfront, Lacey
• Noon Year's Eve Dance Party For Families at the Ocean County Library Lacey Branch
• NYE Bubbly Bash at Surflight Theatre, Beach Haven

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.