Rather your kids not stay up past midnight? 10 family friendly NYE countdowns in Florida and online
We're in the final stretch of 2023, just have to power through and ring in the New Year this weekend.
Which can seem impossible if you have young kids who are on a mission to stay up for the ball drop at midnight. Yet, what if there was a way to catch a New Year's Eve Countdown and have the kids in bed by 9 p.m.?
It's definitely possible, with multiple family-friendly New Year's Eve countdown events found throughout Florida and online.
Seems too good to be true? Here's some countdowns you can head to throughout the state, all ending before 9 p.m. on Sunday night.
Kids New Year's Eve At LEGOLAND Florida
Join in the festivities and celebrate the New Year early with rides, activities, and a whole lot of fun at Winter Haven's LEGOLand. According to their website, guests will be treated to a countdown and fireworks display at 8 p.m. to welcome in 2024.
Admission to LEGOLand is starts at $74.99 per person before taxes and fees.
New Year's Eve Party at Boxi Park
For those in Central Florida, Lake Nona's Boxi Park will host a celebration with live music, face painting, and kid-friendly activities from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. To ring in 2024, Boxi Park have a countdown with a “balloon ball drop” at 7 p.m.
Admission to the party is $15, with children 5 and under attending for free. You can purchase tickets here.
New Year at ZooTampa at Lowry Park
Worried you might not get out the door in time and miss the countdown? How about an event with a ball drop every hour.
At ZooTampa's New Year's Eve celebration, patrons can enjoy a countdown each hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will also feature festive foods, live DJ, kid-friendly activities, and fun giveaways.
The event is included with zoo admission, which is $47.95 for adults and a children's ticket (ages 3 through 11) is $37.95.
Noon Year's Eve at Museum of Discovery & Science
Fort Lauderdale residents can head to the Museum of Discovery and Science for a mid-day celebration with immersive activities, music, dancing and science. Officials said kids can create festive party gear while they prepare for a ball drop at noon ring in the new year.
The event goes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is included with a museum ticket, which is $27 for adults and $22 for children (2 through 12).
Pier Park New Year's Eve Beach Ball Drop
Up in the Panhandle, Panama City Beach's famous "Beach Ball Drop" has a kid-friendly version a few hours before their massive midnight one.
Catering to those with earlier bed times, guests will have 10,000 inflated beach balls descending from above at 8 p.m. in Pier Park. The first round of fireworks will begin exploding over Panama City Beach and lighting up the night sky.
And for those who are staying home for the holiday, here are some countdowns you can load up on your television or computer for your kiddos:
Larva Island's New Year’s Eve Countdown
Netflix’s hit show "Larva Island" offered a countdown to welcome in 2021 that can still work for 2024.
Netflix New Year’s Eve Countdown
Netflix released various countdowns to stream at any time so kids can welcome in the new year a few hours early. Just search for the new 2024 countdowns on Netflix.
PBS Kids' New Year’s Eve Countdown
PBS Kids usually releases a countdown with all of the favorite PBS characters for parents to play for kids, with last year's including DJ Walrus and Daniel Tiger. The countdowns are available are available on YouTube and do not require a subscription.
'Sesame Street' New Year’s Countdown
For a more nostalgic countdown, "Sesame Street" fans can watch this two-minute countdown includes all the iconic characters, including Elmo, The Count and Big Bird.
Twinkle Educational
If you need something more simple, Twinkle Educational has a very kid-friendly 10-second New Year’s Eve kids countdown on YouTube.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: 10 kid-friendly New Year’s Eve countdowns to find in Florida, online
