Where To Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2024 In The Lower Merion Area

LOWER MERION, PA — 2025 is nearly here, and that means Lower Merion-area residents will be looking for fun ways to ring in the new year.

Here is a look at some events happening in and around Lower Merion:

• The Menzingers (Night 2) — Ardmore Music Hall, 23 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore
• NYE Daytime Family Jam ft. Alex & The Kaleidoscope — Ardmore Music Hall, 23 E. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore
• New Year's Eve Family Brunch Party — Lola's Garden, 51 St. Georges Road, Ardmore
• New Year's Eve with Basic Cable: '80s Tribute — 188 North, 118 N. Wayne Ave., Wayne
• New Year's Eve at Valley Forge Casino Resort — Valley Forge Casino, 1160 1st Ave., King of Prussia
• Luminature — Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Ave., Philadelphia
• Ring in the New Year at Springfield Country Club — Springfield Country Club, 400 W. Sproul Road, Springfield
• New Year's Eve — The Berwyn Tavern, 625 Lancaster Ave., Berwyn
• New Year's Eve — TJ's Restaurant and Drinkery, 35 Paoli Plaza, Paoli
• 2025 NYE Party — Manayunk Brewing Company, 4120 Main St., Manayunk
• NYE AT JD McGILLICUDDY'S MANAYUNK — 111 Cotton St., Manayunk

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.