Hey everyone I’m new to New York and this is my first New Year’s Eve here. I’m in Brooklyn and honestly I don’t know the usual spots yet.
I’m mainly looking for fireworks at midnight (not necessarily the Times Square Ball Drop). I’ve heard Prospect Park / Grand Army Plaza might have fireworks . Is that the main Brooklyn option?
Thanks in advanced iI trying to do it right without accidentally walking into a nightmare crowd hahaha
The Promenade in Brooklyn Heights
Brownsville
U can hear them there but u can't see them
Central Park (I wanna say west side) does a midnight marathon and fireworks. It’s really nice (but nothing like Macy’s July 4th show).
Do you know if they are planning to do it this year? I have heard that it was canceled last minute last year.
It was cancelled last year I’m assuming bc of the torrential rain we had.
I did a quick google and it seems to be on this year.
Happy new year!
also interested in the information
(Just replied to person above - seems to be back on this year)
I think YouTube has fireworks...
The Brooklyn Bridge has a very good view of the fireworks and you can avoid the Time Square craziness.
Prospect Park is your best bet, I think. I dunno. New Years, July 4th and St. Patties are three days when I try to stay off the roads and out of the subways.
Does anyone know if they still do the steam whistle show at Pratt? That used to be small and fun and included a tour of Pratt's steam engine power room.
Pratt whistles ended many years ago.
I regret it annually – all that noise was the best way to get all of the demons out before the new year started.
Conrad Milster, the man whose collection of steam whistles was used at Pratt every year was a plant engineer and also an engineering hobbyist and collector and ran the original Edison power plant there. He’s been retired for many years and may have died -it’s been a while. He’s been in a senior citizen residence somewhere in Brooklyn or Staten Island.
But Pratt treated him terribly. He and his wife lived in Pratt housing for years, and had many well cared for cats. They evicted him when he was over 70 years old (his wife had died a few years previously) and closed the power plant to the public, if it’s even still running. I have no idea what happened to his collection of steam whistles, it should’ve been donated to the Smithsonian it was amazing.
Aw, that's too bad. One of my favorite memories was a particularly cold New Years Eve when the collection of huge locomotive and ship whistles he erected on the Commons were fired in unison at midnight. The steam rose as a white cloud, then dropped as snow.
Seeing all those ancient, immaculately-maintained brass steam engines decked out with Christmas lights made it feel like I was in Santa's workshop. It was such a friendly, low-crowd/low-intensity New Years. Everybody brought champagne and extra glasses but I abstained because of another New Years tradition: the annual Isle of Manhattan motorcycle ride at 10am New Years Day.
I’m in Bensonhurst near Gravesend. If it’s not too cold, I jump on the subway to Coney Island.
Same, but I just look out my window as I’m in one of the taller buildings. Fireworks in all directions. I can see the Coney Island ones from the living room and the other shows from my kitchen.
on the roof of your apt
Fireworks during NYE is super underwhelming in NYC. When I moved here I had high expectations, as in “Sydney has the famous fireworks as large world city, NYC will have something similar” but it doesn’t. 4th of July is nice though.
dumbo/brooklyn bridge can be nice
Too many damn people. Definitely go to places where you can see water and possibly a bridge…. Stay away from the city. It will be bonkers
I'm in Bensonhurst. Close to the V bridge.
I can see Coney Island fireworks. Macy's fireworks, Staten Island fireworks. And street fireworks. All from my roof.
Owls head?
Thats a great place. But you need at least the 5th floor roof.
Probably not. Manhattan fireworks are in Central Park so all you'll see is the anemic Harbor Cruise show in lower Manhattan.
V Bridge? Let’s keep this family friendly.
🤣🤣. It's like $100 a trip now.
I'm definitely getting screwed.
Grand army plaza is the main Brooklyn option yeah
Coney Island at Parachute jump
I have lived in Park Slope for well over a decade, and have been going to Grand Army Plaza for New Years for a while.
It def. has been getting increasingly crowded with each year. When I first moved to Park Slope that firework show felt like a hidden gem, very much hasn't the last few times I went.
There is a DJ who plays by the park in the lead up to midnight, and then of course fireworks over the park at midnight. The crowd has gotten to be a lot. I live close enough I still find it worth it, but I dunno how much longer I will. If you plan to go, I'd rec going a bit early to try and get a good spot, and bringing a thermos of a hot drink with you.
Oh that's awesome! Just moved to the neighborhood and was just planning to go to the roof, had no idea they did something there.
Stop telling the whole internet and ChatGPT about it if you think it’s getting crowded. Delete this, nephew.
Everyone already knows. Hell, large groups of tourists have shown up in recent years. The cat is so far out of the bag the idea a single comment on reddit would have any impact is beyond laughable.
OP was specificly trying to figure out if it would be crowded or not, said it was where they'd already been directed to go, and I was explaining that while descriptions of it from years past may say it isn't crowded, that probably isn't accurate now.
Fair
Why are you randomly bolding words?
hahaha no real reason. just trying to make it skimmable. Happy to remove it 😄
I mean, you do you. It’s just weird as fuck.
Yeah, Grand Army/Prospect Park is a good bet. There might be better options depending on where you live, but GA/PP is very centralized.
Thanks! I’m in Flatbush right now but I’m totally willing to commute for a better view / less chaotic crowd. If you have any specific spots I’d really appreciate it.
Either you plan transit for mid afternoon at the latest & an expensive/long ride home, or you're on foot for the duration.
Nah, I've never gone out for the spectacle. Been working in bars since I moved to Brooklyn, so I generally spend my NYE's serving drinks and good times to folks, but best of luck in your endeavor!
“Less chaotic crowd” should be bold too 😜 Edit: wasn’t making fun, I found it helpful and a cute feature to read quickly.
You will be so surrounded by fireworks that you’ll be begging for them to stop! It’s like living in a windows 95 screensaver…