Where To Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2022 In Gloucester County

WEST DEPTFORD, NJ — If you're looking for something to do Saturday night to celebrate New Year's Eve, there are a number of events for both families and adults near West Deptford as we prepare to welcome 2023.

Many of the celebrations last into the New Year, with champagne toasts and dancing past midnight. Some of the more kid-friendly events have a noon ball drop, so younger South Jerseyans can ring in 2023. And there are earlier events for adults who can't make it to 12 a.m., as well.

A number of these events require tickets and/or registration, and you may follow the links provided for more info.

Event information comes from Patch’s events calendar; various events sites; and VisitSouthJersey.com, the nonprofit marketing organization for Camden, Burlington, Gloucester, and Salem counties.

Here is a look at where to celebrate the new year in Gloucester County and Salem County.

• Dec. 31 is the last day for the South Jersey Holiday Light Show in Swedesboro (83 Flood Gate Road), where visitors can tune their car radio to enjoy music throughout the one-mile route
• Drag Me to 2023 - New Year's Eve Bash is taking place on Dec. 31 beginning at 8 p.m. for VIP guests and 9 p.m. general admission at Landmark Americana - Glassboro (1 Mullica Hill Road). This dance party and drag show features interactive drag performances, giveaways, and audience games.
• The Gloucester County Library - Glassboro Branch (2 Center Street, Glassboro) is hosting a “New Year’s at Noon Party” on the 31st from 11 a.m. to noon. Bring your dancing shoes for Toni Baloney’s musical party and bid 2022 farewell.
• Celebrate New Year’s Eve with Auburn Road Winery (117 Sharptown Auburn Rd, Pilesgrove Twp, Salem Co.) with the winery opening at noon and a party from 7-9 p.m. “for people who can’t stay up late.” Wine, cheese, hot soup, pizza, fire pits, and more.

And, here's a look at some other events in South Jersey:

Camden County

• New Year’s Eve fireworks from Battleship New Jersey (62 Battleship Place, Camden), 6 p.m. and midnight. Dec. 31. Watch fireworks over the Delaware River from the historic Battleship New Jersey with music, food, and concessions. Tickets are a $10 donation for both shows.
• New Year’s Eve Party at Vera in Cherry Hill (2310 Marlton Pike, West Cherry Hill). Vera is rolling out the red carpet for this Hollywood-themed event with a s'mores station, ice sculptures, and more.
• Noon Year’s Eve at the Cherry Hill Public Library (1100 Kings Highway North, Cherry Hill). For children 18 months - five years old and beginning at 11:45 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31. “Join us for a rockin' good time of unstructured play as toddlers and their caregivers dance along to a kid friendly party playlist fit for New Year’s Eve. Get ready for noisemakers, bubbles, and tons of fun as we count down to a balloon drop at noon! “
• The Big Event Entertainment Experience in Cherry Hill (1536 Kings Highway North) still has some lanes left for its Year-End Party on Dec. 31, which has a sensory-friendly time slot from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and lanes available from 1-4 p.m. and then 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
• Paris Caterers in Berlin (281 Cross Keys Road) has a New Year’s Eve celebration from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. with music and dancing, a gourmet buffet dinner with endless desserts, unlimited cocktail selections and a top-shelf open bar.
• The Pop Shop in Collingswood is holding a “Noon Year’s Eve” party with Disney princesses Anna and Elsa, which is sold out.
• Dave and Buster’s at Gloucester Premium Outlets is hosting a New Year’s celebration at 4 p.m. on Dec. 31 for the whole family, including a Power Card to play certain games and unlimited video game play, as well as food and drink.
• Haddon's End-Of-The-Year Celebration Returns on Dec. 30 at PJ’s Pourhouse (51 Haddon Ave.) On Dec. 30, Haddon Township locals can enjoy fire pits, cocktails, draft beer, and live music from heated tents with family, friends and neighbors at PJ’s Pourhouse. The event will take place from 4 to 10 p.m. and feature performances by bands Drop Dead Sexy and Kevin Donahue & The Alternative.

Burlington County

• Laurel Lanes’ 2023 New Year’s Eve Party (2825 Route 73 South, Maple Shade), on Dec. 31. Family fun packages available from 5-8 p.m. and late night celebration packages available from 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Enjoy bowling, door prizes, food and mementos, and New Year’s hats and noisemakers.
• Painting With a Twist’s “Neon New Year at Noon” (127 Ark Road #18, Mount Laurel NJ 08054). In-studio family event recommended for those 10 and older. Event runs from 12-1:30 p.m. on Dec. 31. Studio is BYOB and guests may bring snacks along.
• Grand Resort Hotel in Mount Laurel (915 New Jersey 73) will host New Year’s Eve 2023 Mirchi Dhamaka, where DJ Simz “will be spinning Bollywood beats and popular favorites all night long.” Tickets include a premium open bar, three-course meal, and more.

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year’s Eve traditions is, of course, the dropping of the giant ball in New York City’s Times Square. Various cities have adopted their own iterations of the event — the Peach Drop in Atlanta, the Chick Drop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the giant Potato Drop in Boise, Idaho.

The end of one year and beginning of another is often celebrated with 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 history of New Year’s resolutions dates back 8,000 years to ancient Babylonians, who would make promises to return borrowed objects and pay outstanding debts at the beginning of the new year, in mid-March when they planted their crops.

According to legend, if they kept their word, pagan gods would grant them favor in the coming year. If they broke the promise, they would fall out of God’s favor, according to a history of New Year’s resolutions compiled by North Hampton Community College New Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

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 myriad 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 and a plan to meet the stress and discomfort of changing a habit or condition.

Patch's national desk contributed to this article.