Best Michigan New Year’s Eve Ball Drops
Looking to ring in 2023 with New Year’s Eve Ball Drop?
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 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?
We’ve put together a list of some of the best New Year’s Eve Ball Drops in Michigan to get you off to a wonderful 2023. We’ve also added some ideas for spots to stay overnight if you decide to take a road trip to visit these cool events.
Read on for 17 of the best ball drops in Michigan!
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Upper Peninsula New Year’s Eve Ball Drops
New Years Eve Anchor Drop at the Soo – Sault. Ste. Marie
Now this is a pure Michigan New Year’s Eve celebration; ring in the New Year in Downtown Sault Ste. Marie and celebrate in the Soo until the anchor drops at midnight!
Join the celebration near the corner of Ashmun Street and Portage Ave to countdown to 2023. Stick around after 12:01 a.m. for the great celebrations at downtown bars.
Marquette NYE Ball Drop – Marquette
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.
WHERE TO STAY IF YOU GO
Marquette: We have three favorite spots in Marquette, all exceptionally clean and comfortable, and each with a special feature. The Hampton Inn Waterfront is located on Lake Superior with stunning views. The Ramada Inn is spacious and dog-friendly, and the Holiday Inn has a great fitness center and indoor pool. Sault Ste. Marie: The historic Hotel Ojibway overlooks the Soo Locks and is a really fun place to stay. It clean, comfy and has a pool that you kids will love! The Hampton Inn is newer, and offers a delicious breakfast in addition to always-comfy Hampton pillows. There’s a pool and hot tub on-site, too.
New Year’s Eve Ball Drops in Northern Michigan
Cherry T Ball Drop – Traverse City
Residents of Traverse City know that if you can’t make it to Times Square, there’s 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.
Chopo’s Northside Bar New Year’s Eve Ball Drop – Manistee
Chopo’s Northside Bar in downtown Manistee, 132 Monroe Street, 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 – Petoskey
Count on Crooked Tree Arts Center, 461 E Mitchell St, Petoskey, 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!
WHERE TO STAY IF YOU GO
Manistee: This Luxe Manistee Condo with Balcony and River Views sleeps seven and is a great choice if you are traveling with a larger group. Clean and roomy, you’ll find a full kitchen, large living room with a cozy nook and two bedrooms. Petoskey: The Apple Tree Inn is a really great spot, especially for a family, the rooms are spacious and clean, and you’ll find a large pool. Traverse City: Located right on the beach in Traverse City, these are almost full apartments with full kitchens, a living room and separate bedrooms, with a nice pool too.
Great Turtle Drop on Mackinac Island – 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.
8th Annual Charlevoix Bridge Drop – Charlevoix
Starting at one o’clock, there will be a variety of both family-friendly and adult-focused events hosted throughout downtown Charlevoix. All the events are leading up to two world-class fireworks shows beginning at 9 pm followed by a final firework display at midnight.
The Memorial Drawbridge will be raised several minutes before midnight and the countdown will begin one minute before midnight. This year’s event is sure to please the entire family.
There will be horse-drawn wagon rides, s’mores and hot cocoa in East Park, a snow sculpture making contest from 1 to 4pm. Charlevoix Cinema III will be playing a free movie, “Lego Movie 2″, beginning at 4:30pm. The Bridge Drop is going to be an exciting event that brings family and friends together to ring in the New Year.
WHERE TO STAY IF YOU GO
Charlevoix: The Charlevoix Inn and Suites is clean, comfy and serves a nice complimentary breakfast. The best part? It’s pet-friendly so you can bring your pup!
Mid Michigan New Years Eve Ball Drops
New Year’s Eve Block Party and Ball Drop- Owosso
Mid-Michigan’s Owosso returns in 2022 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.
WHERE TO STAY IF YOU GO
Owosso: The Comstock Inn & Conference Center in downtown Oswosso is clean and offers large rooms with an onsite lounge and pool. Midland: The elegant H Hotel is a perfect location to ring in 2023 in style. In addition to clean and comfy beds, you’ll find a good restaurant well as a cafe and bar, too.
New Year’s Eve Ball Drops in West Michigan
Ludington Ball Drop: Light Up the Lake – Ludington
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 New Year’s Eve Ball Drop and Fireworks – Grand Haven
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.
WHERE TO STAY IF YOU GO
Ludington: Snyder’s Shoreline Inn is located directly across the street from Lake Michigan and offers both standard rooms and suites, too. Rooms are comfy and clean, and you’ll find a lending library onsite, too. Grand Haven: Right across the street from the boardwalk, The Harbor House bed and breakfast has a perfect location, and is a very claen and comfortable place to stay. Don’t miss the delicious cinnamon bread served at breakfast every morning…what a way to start off 2023!
New Year’s Eve Ball Drops in Southwest Michigan
New Year’s Fest and NYE Ball Drop – Kalamazoo
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 6 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.
South Haven New Year’s Eve Beach Balls Drop – 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 in one my favorite spots, South Haven.
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.
Noon Day Eve Egg Drop – Zeeland
Get eggcited! The Zeeland Museum at 37 E. Main Street will hold the annual Noon Day Eve Egg Drop on December 31st from 11 am to 12 pm. Eggs will start dropping from the second story of the Zeeland Museum building at Noon on December 31st.
This is a family event! Families are encouraged to work with their children on packaging a raw egg in such a way that it will survive the fall.
Michigan’s Largest Ball Drop at NYE! – Allegan
Head to downtown Allegan on New Year’s Eve to catch an amazing site! Allegan boasts Michigan’s LARGEST New Year’s Eve ball drop — the gargantuan globe measures 10’6” and is decorated in 30,000 synchronized LED lights.
The outdoor event features massive fire pits, food trucks, hot drinks, live music, and a brilliant fireworks show at the stroke of midnight. Ring in the New Year with this one-of-a-kind outdoor event! The event runs from 8 pm – 12 am.
WHERE TO STAY IF YOU GO
South Haven: The Country Inn and Suites is a really nice choice: roomy, clean and comfortable. The Inn has both a 24-hour fitness room and an indoor pool, too. There’s a good complimentary breakfast and in-room refridgerators for storing beach snacks, too. The Hotel Nichols is a boutique hotel right in downtown South Haven. It’s located in a 19th century brick building that has been tastefully rennovated: it’s a really pretty spot. The rooms are exceptionally clean here, and you’ll find a really good breakfast, too. It’s located within walking distance of two beautiful South Haven beaches- a perfect spot for a romantic getaway.
New Year’s Eve Ball Drops in Southeast Michigan
Metro Detroit Mitten Drop – Canterbury Village, Lake Orion
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- Detroit
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.
Wyandotte Rockin’ NYE – Canceled for 2023
Bring the family and head to Celebration Square, at the corner of First and Elm Streets. 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.
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