New Year's Eve ball drops and rises: What to expect as Lindenhurst, Patchogue and Farmingdale welcome 2024

Lindenhurst resident Ed Oak recalls the rain during the village’s inaugural ball drop last year. “It was a wash out, but it was great,” says the 65-year-old retired Long Island Rail Road employee who attended with his wife, Carol. “The entire block was full of people, it looked like 300 to 500 people were there to me.”

Before the ball came down, the couple moved through the crowd, reconnecting with neighbors they hadn’t seen in a long time. Oak plans to attend this year’s ball drop and bring more family members with him to celebrate.

Some families have made local ball drops and rises a tradition, with events in Lindenhurst, Farmingdale and Patchogue hosting New Year's Eve celebrations equipped with entertainment and plenty of family fun.

“Our chamber is celebrating its 100th year and, this year, we have made ‘Midnight on Main’ bigger and better than ever,” says David Kennedy, the executive director of the Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce. The festivities in Patchogue include a DJ and dancing in the streets, plus hot food and drinks for purchase before the main event — the ball rise — happens at 8:59 p.m., known as “Patchogue Midnight.” The ball completes its climb at 9 p.m. with fireworks. 

New additions to celebrate the milestone include MoCA L.I.ghts, a visual program presented by the Patchogue Arts Council that projects colorful and bright holiday-inspired images across the facades of buildings. Attendees can see projections illuminating the Carnegie Library (160 W. Main St.) and Bank of America (47 W. Main St.). Families can also look forward to bounce houses, games to play and a singalong session featuring songs from Disney's “Frozen.”

Farmingdale Village’s ball drop celebration, currently the only one held in Nassau County, also returns this season. Taking place on the Village Green, attendees can expect to warm up by fire heaters while sipping free hot chocolate as band The Electric Dudes returns to play the event. Noisemakers will also be passed out and celebrants are welcome to bring their own noise making objects. The ball will drop at 9 p.m. 

“You have to dress warm, like you’re going skiing, and we put the kids in snow pants,” explains Joe Garcia, president of the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce. He’s attended the 2019 and 2022 drops with his kids (aged 9 and 3) and plans to return for this year’s festivities. “It’s great for the kids. They dance to the music, roast marshmallows over the fire pits and it seems like they drink as much hot chocolate as they can fit into their bodies,” he says. Garcia likes that the Farmingdale Village ball drop ends at 9 p.m., and isn't too far from home. 

Over in Lindenhurst, the village's New Year's Eve ball drop is projected to become an annual affair, after it was first held last year to commemorate the incorporated village's 100th anniversary. “This event is an opportunity for our community to come together in celebration of the close of one successful year and the beginning of another,” says Mayor Michael A. Lavorata. 

The ball used during last year’s drop will return for a second year, a sphere manufactured by Chivvis Enterprises, a family-run company with Lindenhurst roots that’s been in business since 1922. The ball drops at 8:45 p.m.

The celebration will also honor Joseph Randazzo, a decorated World War II veteran (recipient of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart) and village resident of over 50 years. Guests can look forward to free giveaways like noisemakers and celebratory party favor glasses to wear and live music from band The Good Life. Fireworks will follow the ball drop, plus other “surprises that we're keeping under wraps for now,” says R.J. Renna, village deputy mayor of Lindenhurst, who recalls last year’s introductory ball drop fondly, despite the rain. 

 “I would say my favorite moment was when the ball dropped, we cued the Frank Sinatra song ‘New York, New York’ and the fireworks went off. It was raining and gross out, but everyone was singing and dancing on Wellwood … I was so proud that the event came together and the people came out to celebrate our 100th anniversary,” Renna says.