Let the Countdown Begin!

Top Picks for New Year’s Weekend in Philly

Philly loves an excuse to throw a party and have some fireworks, and it never drops the ball when it comes to New Year’s Eve and Day.  So book your New Year’s hotel package, get on your best outfit, pop some bubbly and get ready to ring in the New Year, Philly 360-style!

New Year's Eve Party Picks

SugarHouse Casino presents Twice the Fireworks! Twice the Fun!

Friday, December 31

6 p.m. and 12 midnight

Penn’s Landing

Philly is going all out again for New Year’s Eve with fireworks lighting up the Delaware River and Philly skyline not once, but twice!

New Year’s Eve with DJ Jazzy Jeff

Friday, December 31

8:00 p.m.

The Blockley

3801 Chestnut Street

Get excited, because DJ Jazzy Jeff is ringing in the New Year in his hometown! For only $85, partygoers get to jam with one of the world’s best DJs and producers, enjoy a top-shelf open bar from 8:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. and a complimentary buffet from 8:30 – 10:30 p.m. Buy your tickets here!  And, make sure you check out his new holiday release here!

Insider tip: Groups of ten or more can get specially priced tickets at just $75 a piece.

The 6th Annual “Celebrity Style” Super-Inclusive New Year’s Eve Caribbean Gala

Friday, December 31

9:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m.

Hyatt Regency at Penn's Landing Philadelphia

201 South Columbus Boulevard

If you’re looking for a party in style with a Caribbean flare that’s right by the fireworks, then this is the gala for you.  DJs will be spinning a mix of reggae, hip hop, R&B and more. Tickets are $140.

New Years Eve with Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

Friday, December 31

Doors open at 8:30 p.m., show at 10:00 p.m.

World Café Live

3025 Walnut Street

Philly is getting a little taste of New Orleans on New Year’s Eve with Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue bringing their self-described “supafunkrock” sound which is mix of rock, funk, jazz, hip-hop and soul. Tickets range from $50 
Loge (Reserved Seating): $80 ($75 ticket + $5 processing fee) 
Mezzanine (Reserved Seating/Free appetizers & champagne toast): $115 ($100 + $15 premium service*/processing fee)*priority seating and VIP amenities/service.

R2L

Two Liberty Place, 16th Street between Market & Chestnut Streets, 37th floor

The ultra-swanky R2L offers two ways to ring in 2011. Five hundred feet above the city, diners feast on a multi-course meal, with reservations available from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Then beginning at 
10:00 p.m., part-lounge-part-bar Bar2L hosts a bash with a premium open bar, dessert lounge, hors d’oeuvres and a DJ.

New Year’s Day

Mummers Parade

Saturday, January 1

9 a.m. to 7 p.m.


Broad Street, Oregon Avenue to City Hall

Philadelphia is the only city in America where New Year’s Day is more of a party than the night before. Don’t miss seeing the famous Mummers strut down Broad Street.

Insider tip: The intersection of Broad and Washington is the only spot where you can view all the Fancy Brigades without a ticket, making it a good location if you want to see it all.

New Year’s Eve Hotel Packages

Philly Overnight® Hotel Package has a must-not-be-missed two-night offer (Friday and Saturday nights), with extra perks like tickets to the Blue Cross RiverRink at Penn’s Landing, a buy-one-get-one cheesesteak deal and a late check-out of 3:00 p.m. The package also comes with a gift at check-in and free hotel parking (valued up to $75). Other New Year’s hotel specials around the Philadelphia region feature parties, champagne, breakfast and exceptional views of the two New Year’s Eve fireworks displays and the Mummers Parade.   Check out the hotel packages here and book your New Year's weekend in Philly.

Suggested Itinerary for Your New Year's Weekend

Looking to make a weekend of it?  With the hotel package, we don't blame you. So, grab your hunny and get ready to make a weekend of it as you ring in the New Year in style. 

LOCATION: Center City, Penn’s Landing

TRANSPORTATION: Foot, taxi or SEPTA

DURATION: Three days and two nights

NEW YEAR’S EVE

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2010

3:00 p.m. – The whole city is aglow with holiday sparkle. Stroll hand-in-hand through Rittenhouse Square, which is all decked out in holiday style. Or, cozy up together at the Comcast Center to see The Comcast Holiday Spectacular, featuring festive images of the season set to the lush sounds of a 64-piece orchestra and shown on the 2,000-square-foot, 10 million-pixel LED wall in the building’s lobby.

5:00 p.m. – The festivities start early. Gear up for the big night at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s after-hours New Year’s Eve Pre-Party, where you can explore the galleries while also enjoying live music and entertainment. Or bundle up, lace up and show off you triple axle during the Blue Cross RiverRink’s New Year’s Eve Party on Ice.

6:00 p.m. – Cocoa for two and a dazzling display of fireworks over the Delaware River sets a romantic scene—even if you aren’t skating—when SugarHouse Casino presents Twice the Fireworks! Twice the Fun! at 6:00 p.m. (If you’re a night owl, plan to see the second show at midnight.) Watch from the viewing areas at the Great Plaza, or join the party at the Independence Seaport Museum or aboard the Battleship New Jersey.

8:00 p.m. – Prefer to ring in 2011 on a cultural note? You have plenty of options: the Blue Man Group at Merriam Theater; Peter Nero and the Philly Pops’ Swinging in the New Year at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts; or White Christmas at the Walnut Street Theatre.  

If dinner and drinks are more your thing, you’re in luck. The mood is festive at many Center City restaurants. Indulge in an elegant seven-course feast at Lacroix at The Rittenhouse Hotel, enjoy the casual sophistication of Adsum’s progressive bistro cuisine accompanied by a complementary glass of champagne or join the party at El Rey, offering a prix-fixe dinner and a tequila toast at midnight.

10:00 p.m. – World Cafe Live ushers in 2011 with the legendary Trombone Shorty performing his unique mix of jazz, rock, funk and soul. Get tickets for the show or turn it into a party with upgraded seating that includes a champagne toast. To get your groove on, head to The Blockley’s New Year’s Eve blowout, which includes a top-shelf open bar and the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff spinning dance tunes. 

NEW YEAR’S DAY

SATURDAY, JANUARY 1, 2011

10:00 a.m. – Ease into 2011 with a late breakfast in your hotel room, then pop into the National Constitution Center (yep, they’re open) to view the Art of the American Soldier exhibition, featuring artwork created by military personnel from World War I through today. If you’re feeling lucky, treat yourself to champagne brunch at SugarHouse Casino.

11:30 a.m. – Start the New Year like a native and join in the famous, feathered festivities of the Mummers Parade. The merriment begins with the Comics and Fancies stepping off at Broad Street

and Washington Avenue at 10:00 a.m., and the String Bands get started an hour later at Broad and

Shunk Streets.

1:00 p.m. – All that strutting can work up an appetite, so slip into a nearby restaurant for an indulgent lunch. Warm up by the cozy fireplace with a hot spiced cider and comfort food while sitting at McGillin’s Olde Ale House, or enjoy the tasty menu of contemporary cuisine and the tasteful atmosphere at Bliss.

2:30 p.m. – By now the String Bands are in full swing along Broad Street, so you can rejoin the fun, or swing by The Franklin Institute for your last chance to see Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt, which leaves town tomorrow. 

5:00 p.m. – It’s time for the Fancy Brigade Finale at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. With elaborate scenery, professional choreography and costumes drenched in sequins and feathers, the Fancy Brigades give it their all as they vie for prizes and bragging rights. 

7:00 p.m. – Find out what the buzz is about at Barbuzzo, where locally sourced Mediterranean-style cuisine keeps foodies coming back again and again. At Fork, the contemporary American menu is as stylish as the setting, and over at Bistrot La Minette, both the authentic menu and the charming setting are reminiscent of an evening in the French countryside.

SUNDAY, JANUARY 2, 2011

9:30 a.m. – Feast on a menu featuring locally sourced home-cooked favorites at the recently renovated Down Home Diner in the Reading Terminal Market. Or, brunch at Sabrina’s Cafe in the Italian Market, where you’ll meet other locals who line up for hearty omelets, fruit-topped waffles and other homemade specials. Another option is Di Bruno Bros. in Rittenhouse Square, where the casual second-floor cafe features many of the gourmet items they sell in the upscale first-floor grocery.

11:00 a.m. – If you haven’t been to Historic Philadelphia lately, you haven’t been to Historic Philadelphia. Stop by the newly opened site of The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation, recounting the lives of the enslaved who resided in the home of President George Washington.

1:00 p.m. – Revelers who didn’t get enough clownery at the Mummers Parade can snag tickets for one of two spectacular Cirque du Soleil performances of Dralion at Temple University’s Liacouras Center. For art lovers, today is the last day of Narcissus in the Studio: Artist Portraits and Self-Portraits at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.