Guide to New Year's Eve ball drops and rises in Lindenhurst, Patchogue and Farmingdale 

In a family tradition, Shellie Zwerin, her daughter and her grandchildren banged cooking pots last year as both a fire pit and descending ball lit up the Farmingdale crowd ringing in the new year.

"My daughter was a little embarrassed but who cares," recounts Zwerin, of North Babylon. "It’s tradition."

Never mind that it was actually 9 p.m. and not midnight because the early time allowed three generations of the family to celebrate New Year’s Eve together, from the 50-something grandma to her 1-year-old grandchild.

"I was looking for something that felt safe and cozy," Zwerin says. "My daughter was there with her boyfriend and they were doing their couple thing sitting around the fire. My ex-husband was chasing my grandkids around. They were chasing each other around the fire pit, and we bought them marshmallows to stick in the fire. You can’t do that in Manhattan. "

Three Long Island villages will offer child-friendly times and ambience as alternatives to New Year’s Eve at Times Square. Farmingdale, Lindenhurst and Patchogue will host outdoor countdowns early, pass out freebies, provide live or DJ music and even light up the skies with fireworks.

These New Year countdowns start at 7 or 7:30 p.m.; their reputation as family-friendly fests attracting bigger crowds each year, officials say.

NYE party in Patchogue 

In the oldest and largest of the three early celebrations, Patchogue will combine two parties — New Year 2025 and a street festival for children — at its "Midnight on Main: Winter Wonderland." Much of the village's attractions aimed at kids will be free — puppet shows, games, a photo booth and party favors, such as noisemakers and hats. A DJ will play popular dance music. Hot chocolate, dinner, snacks and gifts will be sold by food trucks and local businesses.

Then, just before 9 p.m., a ball will be unboxed from a truck and lifted by a construction crane for the New Year's Eve countdown. Once it’s "midnight," a show from Fireworks by Grucci is expected to be longer and more elaborate than previous years’ displays.

For David Kennedy, one of the organizers for Midnight on Main, the village ball rise suits children and adults who may struggle to stay awake for the televised countdown. 

"My parents would always let me stay up to watch it on TV, but I always kind of felt as a kid looking at that, ‘Gee, it would be more fun to be there,’ " says Kennedy, executive director of the village’s Business Improvement District.

"There are local kids that come down and I think it gives them a different perspective of their downtown," Kennedy adds.  "You get the sense of being in Times Square in New York City in your own backyard."

Patchogue parents Krystal and Jason Brand will be bringing their five daughters, ages 5 months to 10, to the village countdown for the first time.

"I’m really excited about it," says Heather, 8. "I like going to parties and I like staying up late."

Amber, 10, last year faked sleeping as she watched for the Times Square ball drop at home, but this year, she’s looking forward to seeing the Grucci fireworks and being outside. "

Lighting up New Year's Eve in Lindenhurst 

On the other side of Suffolk County, Lindenhurst held its first ball drop at 9 p.m. in 2022 with a special orb commissioned to commemorate the village turning 100 in 2023.

It was such a success that the village decided to make it an annual event, says Village Clerk Katie Schrader, who’s helping organize this year’s bash.

"Everyone had so much fun being together," she recalls. "It wasn’t at midnight so people weren’t tired and exhausted. "

Performers dressed up as robots will dance with the Lindenhurst crowd. The Good Life, a West Islip rock band, will take the stage once again, with two big screens showing the performance. Also, 2025 eyeglasses, things that glow, such as bracelets, confetti cannons and more will be free and plentiful. Local restaurants will have dinner specials.

The economic benefits of these early countdowns have not been lost to officials of all three villages. Businesses remain open later to take advantage of crowds. Local chambers of commerce help organize and sponsor the ball drops. Parents make sure they bring spending cash to highlight experiences for their children.

Fun ahead of New Year's in Farmingdale

Farmingdale Mayor Ralph Ekstrand sees the ball drop as a way to lure visitors to his downtown and create "repeat customers."

This year, Farmingdale's ball drop will feature freebies that include hot cocoa; a crowd-warming favorite, the fire pit, will return. Electric Dudes, a Long Island party band, will play hits from various eras in the gazebo, yards from a glowing orb hung from the top of a fire truck ladder.

"We attract people from all over the place," Ekstrand says. "They walk our downtown. Even if they don’t buy anything, they remember. They take a look and say ‘Oh, look at that. That’s a great ice cream place. Let’s come back next week.’ You don’t always get everything on the day of the event. What you want to do is brand it so people come back several times."