New Bern begins countdown to New Year’s Eve Block Party and bear drop
New Bern will ring in 2023 with the city’s 5th annual New Year’s Eve Block Party on Saturday, Dec. 31.
The festivities will begin at 5:30 p.m. downtown at the intersection of Pollock and Craven Street. The event, which is sponsored by Riverside Automotive Group, is free and open to the public.
This year’s New Year’s Eve Block Party will feature family-friendly activities, a variety of food trucks, a Kids Fun Zone, DJ party games, magicians, street performances by Imagine Circus and the always popular bear drop.
The Craven Arts Council will host a beer garden that will be set up in the 300 block of Pollock Street. For younger participants, the Kids Fun Zone will feature a variety of inflatables, a magician, games and prizes.
As they’ve done in previous years, New Bern Parks and Recreation will host two bear drops: one at 9 p.m. for children will be held along the 300 block of Craven Street, while a second bear drop will be held at City Hall at midnight. A lighted bear will descend four stories from the building’s historic clock tower and land on a lighted platform to ring in the new year.
This year’s musical entertainment will be the band Crush, which will take the stage beginning at 8:45 p.m. The Raleigh band will bring their unique mix of pop, rock and country music to the stage for approximately three hours for New Bern’s New Year’s Eve revelers.
Downtown restaurants will remain open on New Year’s Eve and Union Point Park’s colorful Christmas decorations, including the new lighted tunnel, will be on full display.
The park’s ice skating rink will also be open Dec. 31 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and 4 p.m.-8 p.m. Skate sessions are $5 and last approximately 45-minutes. The $5 fee includes skate rental, although guests are welcome to bring their own ice skates. No roller skates, rollerblades, or skateboards are allowed.
New Bern has maintained its New Year’s Eve celebration even through the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, when the state was under a stay-at-home order between the hours of 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., the city held the bear drop at 6 p.m. and streamed the event live on Facebook for those who chose to participate virtually.
The New Year’s Eve Block Party is presented by New Bern Parks and Recreation. For additional information, visit the Parks and Recreation webpage at www.newbernnc.gov or call 252-639-2901.
Reporter Todd Wetherington can be reached by email at wwetherington@gannett.com. Please consider supporting local journalism by signing up for a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Sun Journal: New Bern begins countdown to New Year’s Eve Block Party and bear drop
