New Year’s Eve 2024 In And Around Jersey City: Parties, Buffets, Hikes

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Want to have a special evening with special dishes, or join a meetup group and make new friends? Plenty is happening and around Hudson County that evening.

There's nothing wrong with going in, but there are many options for going out.

Here are a few:

• The Hoboken Biergarten on 15th Street is known for it's Kids' New Year's Eve party. This year it starts at 11 a.m. that day. They have a party just for adults at night. Find out about both events here.
• The Shepherd & The Knucklehead bar in Hoboken is hosting a party with a five-hour open bar, buffet, and DJ. Get details here.
• Jersey City Families has put together a rundown of parties (largely for adults) in Jersey City and Hoboken. Check it out here.
• Blu on the Hudson, a large waterfront restaurant in Weehawken, is hosting special three-course dinners starting at 5 p.m. with access to the dance floor. They also offer views of the fireworks over the Hudson and a Ball Drop Celebration for later seatings. Details are here.
• Shannon Rose in Clifton and Ramsey are hosting a New Year’s Eve "Party at the Pub" starting at 9 p.m. Enjoy live music and a champagne toast at midnight. Guests have the option of buying open bar packages. More details on Clifton here, Ramsey here.
• The Circle Line and other area ferry companies are running New Year's Eve cruises. Check out one of them here.
• More info physical fitness? State parks and forests hold a First Day Hike each year on Jan. 1. Liberty State Park is among them. Find out more here and about other New Jersey parks here.
• Various meetup groups are hosting events to make new friends. Head over to Meetup.com and search the date.

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. What do you think? Fill out the survey above.