The best Boston New Year’s Eve events to ring in 2024

As the year comes to a close, First Night Boston brings together as many as 1 million people to ring in 2024 with exciting performances and fun for the whole family. The free festivities kick off in the newly refurbished City Hall Plaza at noon on New Year’s Eve day and continue around Copley Square and Back Bay until the clock strikes midnight and beyond. Enjoy cultural and musical performances in various indoor venues, fantastic ice sculptures throughout the city, light displays, the People’s Procession at 6 p.m., and 7 p.m. Family Fireworks over the Boston Common. Moments before midnight, join in on the signature Countdown Copley Square pyrotechnics and light show. For more details, check out the full itinerary online.

Whether you’re celebrating with old friends or ringing in the new year with new ones, a party is in order to start the 2024 off right. From intimate gatherings at your favorite local spots to big, blown out events with DJs and live music (Big Night Live and Memoire are two great locations for shows), 2023’s end-of-year parties promise to be some of the best ever. Stay tuned for our guide to the New Year’s Eve parties happening around Boston to welcome 2024 with a bang.

As the year comes to a close, it's time to raise our glasses and reflect on not only 2023, but some of Boston’s incredible culinary experiences. Whether you choose an indulgent prix fixe menu or just pop in for a few special dishes and a midnight champagne toast, the city’s finest restaurants are ready to host you. Word to the wise: book a table now before they’re all scooped up.

Take to the city streets once the sun goes down and enjoy its festive best as the season winds down. Everywhere you look is holiday splendor in lights - from the 50,000 glowing blue and white twinkles along the 260-foot Columbus Park Trellis and the 14 nearby trees to the 7,000 lights on the special Boston Common Holiday Tree gifted to the city by Nova Scotia. These elaborate displays of glimmering lights set against a dark winter sky are bound to lift your spirits while you welcome the New Year. Want to see the city from a bird’s eye view? Head up to View Boston in the Prudential, which is open late into NYE.

From creative cocktail bars to neighborhood dives to classy wine bars, there’s something for every kind of celebration in Boston. Whether you're looking for the dirtiest of martinis, a cold pint of local lager, a creative cocktail, or a glass of organic wine, there's a place for you. Stay casual at your corner local or dress to the nines at a trendy lounge, but be sure to check in advance to find out if there’s a cover charge or tickets required for entrance on New Year’s Eve.

Having an out-of-town adventure can be a great reset to begin 2024. For a quick road trip, resorts and hotels across New England are hosting NYE celebrations. Down the Cape, the Pelham House Resort is hosting an oceanfront extravaganza to usher in the new year. Ticketed guests will enjoy food stations, a midnight champagne toast, and cash bars throughout, along with a live band and dancing. Or head up North to Vermont’s luxurious Hermitage Inn for a decadent dinner on December 31, then work off your meal hiking the next day.

Whether you stay the night or just pop in for the party, there are several hotels in the Boston area that are hosting exciting NYE celebrations. The Liberty Hotel’s annual fete “Diamonds Are Forever,” Boston’s largest New Year’s Eve Party, takes over all of the hotel’s levels of the main rotunda and features three of Boston’s top DJs, two dance floors, live entertainment and aerial performances by The Boston Circus Guild, and a light bites buffet. Across town, the Revere Hotel will be hosting a special champagne menu and a raw bar and seafood menu from Executive Chef Jeremy Franzen on the last night of the year. There will also be a live DJ from 9pm to 1am and a complimentary midnight toast.