Christmas is in the rear view mirror and New Year’s Eve is heading our way.
Detroit, and the surrounding area, has a number of family-fun events happening to ring in the New Year. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the most popular events for children, and their parents.
DTE Energy's Motor City NYE ("The Drop"), presented by Quicken Loans
The annual Detroit New Year’s Eve party is getting a new venue.
The Drop has been a mainstay in Campus Martius since it first started, but due to a boom in growth, the organizers decided to move it to Beacon Park.
Jerrid Mooney, the founder of the event, told 7 Action News they had close to 40,000 people last year, and that early ticket sales for the VIP parties imply they’ll surpass that number this year.
While there is a cost for the high-end parties, the event itself is free.
The festivities kick off with a number of free music acts including Danielle Bahoora from The Voice, the Detroit Funk Band and a performance by Martha Reeves singing “Dancing in the Street.”
The Kids Zone is free and opens at 4 p.m. It includes a number of events including bounce houses, face painting and the Detroit Youth Choir. A kid-friendly ball drop happens at 6:30 p.m. complete with a countdown for children to enjoy ringing in the New Year at a decent hour.
“When you’re seeing all these people down here, you just can’t help but feed off of that,” said Mooney. “It’s just a really a positive energy that you get.”
If you’d like to read up on more details of The Drop, including VIP packages and upgrades you can buy (including warming tents) you can check out the event website, here: The Drop - Motor City NYE 2018.
Rockin’ NYE - Ball Drop Event in Downtown Wyandotte
The annual free New Year’s Eve celebration in Wyandotte promises to be a big event, the main attraction a new New Year’s Eve ball powered by DTE. The 1,000 pound steel ball has more than 250 flashing LED lights and will be able to change color to light up the sky.
Similar to The Drop event in downtown Detroit, Wyandotte’s event has a family-friendly early ball drop — there’s happens at 6:30 p.m.
A new addition this year includes the Community Choice Credit Union family tent that will include a photo booth, face painting and crafts for the kids. The first 250 children who show up at this year’s even get a free light-up LED foam baton. Additional lights will be sold for $5.
There’s a heated indoor tent for adults (21+) where there will be beer, wine, champagne and liquor for sale.
The event has a number of bands, including hometown favorite, Sponge, who was in heavy rotation on MTV during the 90s with hits like “Wax Ecstatic” and “Have You Seen Mary.”
You can find more details about the Rockin’ NYE Ball Drop Event by visiting their website, here.
New Year’s Eve in Never Never Land
In Macomb county the big even for families is the traditional New Year’s Eve in Never Never Land party in downtown Mount Clemens.
The fun begins at 4 p.m. and extends until 9 p.m. There are a number of activities, including a mini-firework show for children.
There’s an early ball drop for children, and there’s a petting zoo that’s always fun for children. If you plan on catching a ride on Thomas the Train you’ll need to bring cash, it’s one of the few activities that has a cost at the annual event.
Learn more, here: New Year's Eve Never Never Land.
Noon Year’s Eve at the Detroit Historical Museum
A free event for children will take place at the Detroit Historical Museum located at 5401 Woodward Avenue.
The entire family is invited to take part in the festivities which include crafts, Christmas goodies (cocoa and cookies) and a countdown to noon.
Kids will get to make a noisemaker and write a time capsule letter. The event begins at 10 a.m.
