14 New Year’s Eve Ball Drops in Michigan to Celebrate 2022!
Looking for the perfect way to ring in the New Year?
Great News! You don’t have to travel all the way to New York City and Times Square to watch a fabulous New Year’s Eve ball drop.
In fact, in Michigan, you needn’t travel further than your nearest Great Lake (and sometimes, even closer).
Of course, in Michigan, we do it our way. Ever seen a giant, sparkling cherry, suspended in midair, come crashing to the ground? How about a mitten dangling in the sky and then falling to the ground at midnight?
Read on for a list of some of the best New Year’s Eve ball drops in Michigan.
New Year’s Eve Ball Drops in Southeast Michigan
Wyandotte Rockin’ NYE
Bring the family and head to Celebration Square, at the corner of First and Elm Streets, to ring in 2022. Starting at 6 p.m., you’ll find a massive, heated tent with a stage for the musical acts, an outdoor stage with not one but TWO ball drops, games, fire pits, food trucks and more.
Find free kids activities including face painting, crafts, a photo booth and games from 6 to 8 p.m. inside a heated tent, separate from the concert tent. The first ball drops at 8 p.m. for families with little ones, and another at 11:59 p.m.
Metro Detroit Mitten Drop
It’s one of the best ways to celebrate the new year in southeast Michigan, and one of the most unique: a pure Michigan mitten dropping to ring in 2022.
Head to Canterbury Village in Lake Orion for this kid-friendly event featuring a ball-in-the-shape-of-mitten-drop at 6:30 p.m. You’ll need tickets for this event, which features live entertainment, kids karaoke, kids trivia competition, horse-drawn carriage rides, fire pits to make smores, hot chocolate and adult beverages, food trucks, and more. The fun starts at 4 p.m. and runs to 7 p.m.
Resolution Ball at Masonic Temple
Instead of a ball drop, how does a balloon drop sound? That’s what you’ll find at this exclusive New Year’s Eve featuring a champagne reception, acrobatic performers, DJs, dancers, snack stations.
Mid-Michigan New Year’s Eve Ball Drops
Downtown Owosso New Year’s Eve Block Party
Mid-Michigan’s Owosso returns in 2021 for the block-party tradition that features a true New York-style ball drop. The party starts at 11 p.m. at the corner of Washington and Water Street, where you’ll find a live DJ and free ice skating on a synthetic ice-skating rink.
The downtown Owosso NYE ball (nicknamed Lucille) with over 10,000 lights, drops at midnight, but be sure and stick around for the amazing firework show after the ball drop.
Midland Midnight on Main
The Dow Diamond comes alive for this fifth annual New Year’s Eve celebration featuring a midnight ball drop and fireworks. You’ll need tickets for the ball drop, a 10-minute-long firework display, food and drinks, live music, and a D.J. The party starts at 7 p.m.
New Year’s Eve Ball Drops in Northern Michigan
CherryT Ball Drop in Traverse City
Residents of Traverse City know that if you can’t make it to Times Square, there’s really nowhere better to be than home sweet home.
As the Cherry Capital of the world should, the ball that is dropped is not so much a ball as much as it is a massive, illuminated cherry, which itself is quite the sight to behold. After midnight, enjoy a spectacle of fireworks as you wrap up a party – and a year – to remember.
Manistee Ball Drop
Chopo’s Northside Bar in downtown Manistee is the setting for this Lake Michigan-area ball drop. Join the fun in the heated tent with live music by The Rock Supply starting at 10 p.m.
New Year’s Eve at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey
Count on Crooked Tree Arts Center to hold one of the top family-friendly New Year’s Eve celebrations in northern Michigan. Bundle up and head to downtown Petoskey for the fun-for-all-ages New Year’s Eve on Friday, December 31 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the street outside of the Library and Crooked Tree Arts Center.
There will be music, dancing, food, coffee, cocoa, and the annual ball drop. Visit the Library at the s’more tent, for s’more kits to use with the fire pits!
Great Turtle Drop on Mackinac Island
Gather on Mackinac Island’s Main Street as the Great Turtle – a 70-pound green, light-covered, fiberglass turtle – is dropped to the ground to help ring in 2022.
If you’ve never been to Mackinac Island in the winter, it’s a true winter wonderland. Surrounded by the beautiful blue Lake Huron, the snow-covered island is a perfect spot for a Michigan winter getaway.
Marquette NYE Ball Drop
Every time the year turns new, folk from all around the UP gather in Marquette to celebrate together and watch the ball drop.
During this time the intersection of Washington and Front Street becomes a hub of holiday cheer, community engagement, and unbridled excitement for what the future holds. Watch with the crowd as the illuminated ball drops from the history Savings Bank Building at the stroke of midnight.
New Year’s Eve Ball Drops in West Michigan
Ludington Ball Drop
Packed with energy and plenty of food and drinks, it’s crazy to think that Ludington’s New Year’s Eve ball drop event is free – but it is!
This is more than just a New Year’s Eve ball drop, it’s an end-of-the-year experience complete with a firework show over downtown Ludington just after midnight. Enjoy music, beer, food, fireworks, and more at West Michigan’s largest ball drop event.
Grand Haven Ball Drop
The New Year’s Eve fun starts at 11 p.m. in downtown Grand Haven at Washington Avenue & 1st Street. The ball drops at midnight, but be sure to stick around for the fireworks afterward.
Kalamazoo New Year’s Fest
This fun-for-all-ages New Year’s Eve event in downtown Kalamazoo is a celebration of music, dance, and laughter. It all starts at 5:30 p.m. and features four indoor performance locations, two heated tents, and live music from Bronson Park Stage.
Performances include bands, performers (magic, storytelling, unique acts, and jugglers, theatre, and interactive performances that get the audience moving. There are also outdoor street performers. The ball drops at midnight, followed by a spectacular fireworks show.
New Year’s Eve in South Haven
Okay, we’ll come clean: this is one of our favorite New Year’s Eve events in Michigan. It’s not just one giant New Year’s Eve ball dropping, it’s 1000 beach balls dropping from the city center, followed by a fabulous fireworks show.
The party starts at 7 p.m., when you can stroll the streets, stop by warming stations hosted by local merchants, and enjoy music by a live D.J., food, entertainment and ice skating, too.
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