Where To Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2024 In Mercer County

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

Here's what's happening:

• New Year's Eve At Winberies: Make plans now to ring in 2025 with an unlimited party food buffet, discounted drinks, a complimentary midnight toast, raffles and party favors. The NYE Celebration kicks off at 10 p.m. and goes until 12:30 a.m.
• New Year's Eve Dinner, The Perch at the Peacock Inn: Enjoy a three-course menu with live music by The Joe Falcey Quartet. Music begins from 7:30 p.m. onwards. You can also head there for a New Year's Eve brunch.
• Yankee Doodle Tap Room: New Year’s Eve Celebration: Jon the Yankee Doodle Tap Room as they ring in the New Year! Happy hour specials from 4 p.m. until close time, with $25 bottles of Prosecco. There will be pop-up photo opportunities and a best-dressed contest. The grand prize is a dinner for two.
• New Year's Eve at Cooper's Riverview, Trenton: Ring in the New Year with a VIP dinner, an open bar and more.
• Lawrence Senior Center, New Year's Eve: Seniors in Lawrence Township (60 and above) can ring in the New Year at the Lawrence Senior Center on Dec. 30 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. There will be food, refreshments, music and more
• Hogmanay, Lawrence Historical Society: The Hogmanay Bonfire has been a tradition for the Lawrence Historical Society since 1997. Hogmanay is a Scottish New Year's celebration that has it roots in Pagan tradition. Hogmanay 2024 will take place from 5 - 7 p.m. on Dec. 31. The Brearley House will be open for tours throughout the event and the Society's Junior Historians club will be hosting activities for children, including a Brearley House scavenger hunt. Food vendors also will be onsite. The bonfire itself will be lit promptly at 6 pm and a bagpiper will be on hand to entertain attendees.
• New Year's Eve, Rat's Restaurant, Grounds For Sculpture: Ring in the New Year with delicious food amid beautiful surroundings.

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.

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com