Times Square Ball Drop To Be Virtual This Year

Usually (A.K.A. Pre-Pandemic), we would post a round-up of New Year’s Eve parties happening around Columbia County. This year, with infections and hospitalizations on the rise, we are sharing the following story on the different options for watching the Times Square Ball Drop, from your home.

We look forward to resuming our usual Party post next year. In the meantime, Happy New Year!

From TVGuide.com:
BY MEGAN VICK

*(Photo by Louise Wateridge/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)*

It’s finally almost time to ring in the new year, and after the way 2020 has gone, who isn’t looking forward to a fresh start? Even though crowds aren’t able to gather this year for the most famous New Year’s Eve celebration of all — the Times Square ball drop — there are still ways to watch the festivities, whether you want to watch on TV, your laptop, your phone, or whatever is most comfortable.

Regardless of how you want to watch, TV Guide has you covered. While there are many networks that are hosting New Year’s Eve celebrations, the following programs are being hosted from Times Square and will feature the iconic ball drop at midnight ET on Friday, Jan. 1. Check out how to watch the ball drop in Times Square on New Years Eve, wherever you are.

The Livestream (no cable required)

If you’re without cable and want a no-fuss way to watch the ball drop, you can watch the livestream on NewYorkTimesSquare.org. There are no commercials, and you get backstage access, behind-the-scenes stories, and interviews with performers and other celebrities leading up to the ball drop at midnight ET.

New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (ABC)

Ryan Seacrest will host Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve for the 16th year in a row. The festivities kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 31, and Seacrest will be jointed in Times Square by Billy Porter and Lucy Hale, with Ciara hosting the celebration in Los Angeles. Jennifer Lopez will be the headlining musical performer, hitting the stage just before the ball drops. Porter will also perform a duet with Cyndi Lauper, who wrote the music for Kinky Boots — the musical that won Porter a Lead Actor in a Musical Tony in 2013.

To watch, tune in to ABC or ABC.com or watch on the ABC App. The celebration will also be available on demand on Hulu starting on Jan. 1.

New Year’s Eve Celebration (CNN)

Real-life BFFs Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper reunite once again to ring in the new year in New York City for CNN. The festivities on the network will also kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Dec. 31, and even though the event is closed to the public, the special will feature performances and appearances from John Mayer, Snoop Dogg, Patti LaBelle, Jimmy Buffett, Carole Baskin, Josh Groban, Leslie Jordan, Dulce Sloan, Desus & Mero, Kylie Minogue, Aloe Blacc, Goo Goo Dolls, and Jon Bon Jovi.

A live stream of the celebration will be available on CNN.com and CNN apps. It can also be viewed on CNNgo and via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast, and Android TV.

New Year’s Eve 2021 (NBC)

Over on NBC, Carson Daly will host the New Year’s Eve proceedings from the heart of Times Square. The NBC special also works for the later crowd, with festivities airing from 10 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. ET, and then returning at 11:30 p.m. ET after your local NBC news. Daly will be joined by Amber Ruffin and Steven “tWitch” Boss, and the NBC celebration will feature performances from across the country from the likes of Chloe x Halle, Jason Derulo, Kylie Minogue, Pentatonix, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, and more.

You can watch live on NBC, NBC.com or the NBC app.

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New Year’s Eve Party Roundup

Tuesday is New Year’s Eve. If you don’t have plans yet, following are some special parties happening around the area.

All of the following events are on Tuesday, December 31, 2019. Click “MORE” for each event’s site.

New Year’s Eve 2020 Pre-Party!

Olde York Farm Distillery & Cooperage will be open on New Year’s Eve with speakeasy cocktails, beer, wine, cider, mocktails, and craft sodas. Free tastings of Cooper’s Daughter Spirits will be available all day. Email oldeyorkfarm@gmail.com to set up private tours and tastings.

Come check out our complimentary 2020 polaroid photo booth, NYE glittery cocktails, and party music!!!

TIME: 12pm – 9pm

LOCATION: Olde York Farm: Distillery & Cooperage
284 State Route 23, Claverack, New York 12513

WGXC’s Intergalactic Futurefunk New Year’s Eve at Avalon!

Get ready Catskill! Leave the car at home, hop on board our spaceship and travel with us to a future-retro lounge in a galaxy far far away.

From 9PM-11PM, we’ll get down to the wildly danceable, groovy, virtuosic funk of Telepathic Moon Dance! TMD played Avalon last month, and as soon as we heard these guys we knew we wanted them to party with us on New Year’s. Bandleader Walker Adams has played drums for St. Vincent and fusion bassist Percy Jones… his lineup of exceptional musicians includes the finest talent of NYC and the Hudson Valley. Tonight will feature Tony DePaolo on guitar and Michael Purcell on keys!
https://www.telepathicmoondance.com/

From 11PM onward we’ll be in the hands of Albany NY’s legendary Tall Ass Matt and friends, host of Fuze Box’s Body Shine party. Matt spins all-vinyl sets of Disco, Funk, House, and whatever else keeps the vibe positive and the bodies moving.

The theme of the eve will be INTERGALACTIC FUTUREFUNK. Come dressed to impress all inter-dimensional beings!

TICKETS: $15 in advance, $20 at the door
https://avalon.brownpapertickets.com/
All cover charges go to the night’s entertainers, who are graciously spending one of the best nights of the year for working musicians spreading joy and good vibes right here in Catskill!
Cover includes complimentary midnight Champagne toast.

TIME: 8:30pm – 3am

LOCATION: The Avalon Lounge
29 Church St, Catskill, New York 12414

New Years Eve Party at The Falls

Come on out and enjoy ringing in the New Year with your friends and loved ones. We will be having an amazing time.

Includes:
Open Bar – Top Shelf Liqour, beer, wine & soda
Food – buffet style appetizers all night long
DJ – rocking music all night long
Photobooth with photo strips, mirror booth, backdrop and props
Champagne Toast at Midnight
Screen to watch the Times Square ball drop

TIME: 8:30pm

TICKETS: $60

Open to the Public 18+ years old ( ID Required)

You can pick up your tickets at The Falls front desk or online at the link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-years-eve-at-the-falls-venue-in-hudson-ny-tickets-81204852901?fbclid=IwAR37FsVzGM2_FVKgksAPb19YK7U9Ao9ZDQLLehEkTFcB1lpNSd64uPaPghw

Ring Out the Old, Ring in the New w/ The Felice Brothers at Helsinki Hudson

Undress was recorded in the late summer of 2018 in Tivoli, New York. Band members Ian Felice, James Felice, Will Lawrence (drums) and Jesske Hume (bass) teamed up with producer Jeremy Backofen to record their most personal and reflective album to date.

“Many of the songs on the new album are motivated by a shift from private to public concerns,” says songwriter Ian Felice. “It isn’t hard to find worthwhile things to write about these days, there are a lot of storms blooming on the horizon and a lot of chaos that permeates our lives. The hard part is finding simple and direct ways to address them.”

Undress follows the band’s 2016 album Life In The Dark, and finds the group in a very different place three years later. Between personnel changes, families growing and the political landscape, the result is a tighter, more-paired down release. “Every song is a story,” said James Felice. “On this album everything was a bit more thoughtful, including the arrangements, the sonic quality and the harmonies.”

TIME: Doors: 6pm / Show: 9pm

LOCATION: Club Helsinki

405 Columbia Street
Hudson,NY12534

TICKETS: $55 – $65

Available at https://helsinkihudson.ticketfly.com/e/nye-at-helsinki-hudson-with-the-felice-brothers-77517612265/

New Year’s Eve – A Night at the Speakeasy

Let’s ring in 2020 with a throwback to the roaring 20’s! Dress to kill in vintage glam and join us at the speakeasy for cocktails, dancing, games and even some surprise entertainment!

TIME: 7pm

LOCATION: Copake Country Club and The Greens Restaurant
44 Golf Course Rd, Craryville, New York 12521

TICKETS: $60, $85
Available at www.thegreensatcopake.com/events/new-years-eve-a-night-at-the-speakeasy

Extending That Holiday Fealing

The holiday season is over and naked Christmas trees are being dropped on curbs like hookers in 1970’s Times Square. Just because the official holidays are over doesn’t mean you have to stick your head in the oven and hope for an early spring. Decorations, music and fun are what the holidays are all about so here are a few tips to stretch those festive feelings into the new year.

1. As you pack up your Christmas decorations, why not leave out anything Frosty The Snowman or snow related. For those of us in snowy climates (which as of the past week now includes southern California and Atlanta) we have months of snowman-building weather ahead of us and a few icicle lights on your house and some snow flake decorations inside shouldn’t piss off your neighborhood association too much.

2. Apply the same process to stretch out your decorations to your music. Songs like Winter Wonderland, Marshmallow World in the Winter, Baby Its Cold Outside and even Jingle Bells make no mention of Christmas. Instead, think of these songs as winter songs and keep them in your current playlist.

3. You don’t need the calendar or Hallmark to tell you when to celebrate. All you need are some good friends, food and drink and a little creativity. Winter is the perfect season for a monthly game get-together or what about a winter nature hike? Lots of people have Martin Luther King day off so there is a three-day weekend just waiting for fun.

Whatever you do, keep in mind that January 1st doesn’t have to signal the end of fun. Instead, think of it as the start of a stress-free Winter holiday season.