Where To Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2024 In Galloway

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

One of the biggest celebrations in the area is Ocean City's annual First Day and First Night celebrations, featuring family-friendly fun throughout the whole island. Check out more details here.

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

• Noon Year's Eve at Renault Winery, Egg Harbor City
• Fireworks and Balloon Drop, Atlantic City
• New Year’s Eve Bash & Giant Blueberry Drop, Hammonton
• New Year's Eve Dinner at The Smithville Inn, Galloway

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.