5 family-friendly New Year's Eve events to ring in 2018

Each year the Please Touch Museum hosts Countdown 2 Noon.
Courtesy of Please Touch Museum/PhillyVoice

This New Year's Eve, kids can have fun dancing and watching fireworks – without missing their bedtime.

Below we've rounded up the top family-friendly ways to end 2017 in Philly, the surrounding suburbs and New Jersey.

Your little ones will be entertained on the holiday and, even better, they shouldn't be cranky entering the new year.


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Countdown 2 Noon

Courtesy of Please Touch Museum/PhillyVoiceLittle ones can't stay up to midnight? Head to Please Touch Museum for Countdown 2 Noon.
For little kids, it's hard to stay up until midnight, but can be disappointing to miss all the fun. Please Touch Museum offers a solution. 

They can celebrate New Year's Eve before nap time by watching a traditional ball drop at noon. There will be live music, a countdown performance and confetti. 

The museum open at 9 a.m. and closes at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 for kids and adults.

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. | $25 per person
Please Touch Museum
4231 Ave. of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA 19131
(215) 581-3181


The Count's Countdown to New Year's Celebration

Families can enjoy a meal and take photographs with Sesame Street characters in Sesame Place, before watching a fireworks show at 6:25 p.m.

The buffet is available at noon, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets are $29. Kids age 2-9 can dine for $9. Park admission also required.

Noon, 2 p.m. or 5 p.m. | $9-$29 per person
Sesame Place
100 Sesame Road, Langhorne, PA 19047
(215) 702-3566


Haddonfield's 20th Anniversary First Night

First Night in Haddonfield, New Jersey is a family-oriented and alcohol-free New Year's Eve party.

The evening features a full lineup of entertainment for all ages. There will be magic, music, comedy, dance and theater. Stages will be set up in more than 15 different venues along Haddonfield’s Kings Highway for the event.

In between the shows, families can grab a bite from food trucks and street vendors.

At 9 p.m., fireworks will light up the sky. The event runs 5 p.m. to midnight. Admission is $15 per person.

5 p.m. to midnight | $15 admission
Kings Highway East, Haddonfield, N.J. 08033


Kids' New Year's Eve Countdown in Franklin Square 

Courtesy of Franklin Square/PhillyVoiceFranklin Square is a perfect place to bring kids for a fun day out.
Families can enjoy arts and crafts at 3 p.m., then the "Square Drop" at 6 p.m. SugarHouse New Year’s Eve Fireworks on the Waterfront will also be viewable from the park at 6 p.m.

After the unique ball drop, the indoor Franklin Square Pavilion will host a dance party for kids. The park will remain open until 8 p.m. for the final Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show of 2017.

3-8 p.m. | Free
Franklin Square
200 N. Sixth St., Philadelphia, PA 19106


New Year's Eve Family Jam

This family-friendly celebration at Ardmore Music Hall will include a balloon artist, face-painting, arts and crafts, caricatures, a New Year's Eve ball drop at noon and music by Emmy Award-winning Alex and The Kaleidoscope.

As for food and drink, there will be a kid-friendly brunch menu and a cash bar for parents.

10:30 a.m. | $20 admission
Ardmore Music Hall
23 Lancaster Ave., Ardmore, PA 19003