By Nichole Whiteley - | Dec 28, 2023
Harrison Epstein, Daily Herald file photo
Hundreds watch the Provo Recreation Center's fireworks show for New Year's Eve on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022.
With the new year approaching, events are popping up around Utah County.
There are a variety of events for children, teenagers, families and adults over 21 years old. Noon Year’s Eve events are family-friendly activities held at noon to count down to the new year instead of counting down at midnight.
Below is a list of New Year’s events held before the new year and on New Year’s Eve to welcome in 2024.
Celebrations before New Year’s Eve
- Santaquin is welcoming in the new year with a drone show put on by Santaquin Recreation at 6 p.m. Friday. The show will be held at the Harvest View Sports Complex, 1400 S. Harvest View Drive.
- Laser Assaults, at 1200 Towne Centre Blvd. in Provo, will host a New Year’s Party on Friday from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. with a balloon drop at midnight. They will have games, raffles, prizes, food, drinks, music and unlimited laser tag.
- Provo Beach, 4801 N. University Ave., Suite 210, is holding its annual Noon Year’s Eve from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Over 1,200 balloons will be dropped at noon to celebrate the new year. In addition to the balloon drop, the celebration will feature face painters, balloon artists, a reptile petting zoo and show, and a guest appearance by DJ Rob.
- Classic Fun Center in Orem, 250 S. State St., is hosting two New Year’s Eve celebrations with balloon drops this year for different age groups. Both celebrations are on Saturday. The first celebration, aimed at kids ages 16 and under, will begin at noon and end with the balloon drop at 5 p.m. There will be free face painting, balloon artists and caricatures, and thousands of dollars in prizes will be given away. A Ballon Drop Pass also includes skating, bouncing, laser tag, arcade games and a petting zoo. The second celebration, a Red Carpet New Year’s Ballon Drop, is for ages 16 and older. The party will last from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. with a balloon drop at midnight filled with thousands of dollars in prizes. There will be special music and dancing after the balloon drop until the end of the celebration. For both events, tickets will likely not be sold at the door, so online purchases are suggested.
- Luminaria, Thanksgiving Point’s Christmas light show, will be open until Jan. 6. To celebrate the New Year, fireworks will light up the sky at Luminaria on Saturday and Monday, at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
- Join The Army Utah will host a New Year RPD Event from 7-11 p.m. Saturday at The Vibe, located at The Village At South Campus, 602 E. 600 North in Provo. The event will feature an extended Random Play Dance with songs from 2023 and dancing to K-pop hits. The Vibe also will be serving mocktails during the event.
- On Saturday from 7 p.m. to midnight, the Provo Recreation Center, 320 500 N., will host a 2024 Disco Countdown. Those attending can watch the Cirque Orenda circus show, dance along to the silent disco and participate in the line dancing frenzy. There also will be a golf simulator, hypnotist show, virtual reality, face painting, Bingo and two firework shows at 9 p.m. and midnight.
- A New Year’s Music Bash hosted by The Rise, 247 W. Center St., in Provo presents Subterra with performances by special guests London and The Seadogs & Michael Andelin on Saturday with doors opening at 8 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online.
New Year’s Eve celebrations
- A Noon Year’s Eve Party for all ages will be held at the Spanish Fork Public Library, 49 S. Main St., at 11 a.m. Sunday. From 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., there will be family story time, with crafts, activities and dancing for attendees to follow from 11:30-11:59 a.m. The countdown to the new year will begin at 11:59 a.m.
- Loveland Living Planet Aquarium in Draper, 12033 S. Lone Peak Parkway, will be celebrating the new year with two Noon Year’s Eve countdowns at the aquarium at noon and 3 p.m. Sunday followed by confetti and New Year Cheer. The Noon Year’s Eve festivities including face painting and education stations, both included with admission into the aquarium. During the Noon Year’s Eve Party, the aquarium also will celebrate its 10-year anniversary of opening its doors at its current location in Draper in 2014.
- The American Fork location of Jack and Jill Bowling, 105 S. 700 East, will be open New Year’s Eve for those who want to bowl into the new year. On Sunday, Jack and Jill Bowling is offering a New Year’s Eve Party with unlimited bowling from 9 p.m. to midnight for $125 per lane. The deal includes one large pepperoni pizza, two 2-liter sodas plus games and prizes. Space at the party can be reserved online.
- Utah’s Premier New Year’s Eve Bash will be held at the Experience Event Center in Provo, 1440 Moon River Drive, on Sunday from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. The event is only for adults age 21 and older. There will be an ID check and a cash bar serving cocktails and mocktails. The theme for the night is disco and sequins, topped off with a red carpet and a photographer to take pictures as attendees enter the party. There also will be dancing, a balloon drop at midnight, cold sparklers and unlimited photos in the 360-degree photo booth.
- ABG’s bar in Provo, 190 W. Center St., presents Nick Passey & Aria Darling plus The Real Doug Lane performing a variety of country, folk, blues, rock and funk music Sunday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. as the new year arrives. The event is for those 21 years and older only.