The following Southeastern events each pop the cork on the new year with their own unique, bubbly personalities.
The Ballantyne
The posh hotel hosts an annual bash in its Carolina room specifically for hotel guests ages 21 and older. A DJ sets the audio tone as guests move on the dance floor. Drink specials, party favors and a Champagne toast come with the territory. Live TV coverage of the countdown in New York City’s Times Square will be shown. The New Year’s Eve package includes hotel accommodations and dinner for two in the Gallery restaurant.
8 p.m. Dec. 31. Free for hotel guests. 10000 Ballantyne Commons Parkway, Charlotte, N.C. 704-248-4000, theballantynehotel.com.
Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville
The free event at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in downtown Nashville promises live music and fireworks. The lineup illustrates a diversity of musical styles. Keith Urban, Styx, A Thousand Horses, Moon Taxi, Charlie Worsham and the Fisk Jubilee Singers share the stage. Music starts at 6 p.m. After the 15-foot-tall music note drops at midnight, confetti cannons explode and fireworks take to the sky.
4 p.m. 600 James Robertson Parkway, Nashville, Tenn. 1-800-657-6910, visitmusiccity.com.
Crescent City Countdown
A fireworks display highlights New Orleans’ annual bash. Bands rock throughout the evening on a nearby stage. At midnight, a large fleur-de-lis descends a giant pole to usher in 2017. Fireworks synchronized to music blast above the Mississippi River. Rather not brave the crowd at Jackson Square? The fireworks can be seen from both banks of the Mississippi River from Riverwalk to Artillery Park across from Jackson Square.
9 p.m. Dec. 31. Free. Jackson Square, 700 Decatur St., New Orleans, La. crescentcitycountdown.com.
New Year’s Eve: Party on the Bluff
The Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tenn., uses its choice view of the Tennessee River to its advantage. At this annual soiree, revelers can see the water through massive windows as they dance the night away to the DJ’s soundtrack. Tickets include access to catered bites and an open bar. Tickets go on sale the first week of December.
9 p.m.-1 a.m. Dec. 31. $140. Hunter Museum of American Art, 10 Bluff View, Chattanooga, Tenn. 423-267-0968, huntermuseum.org.
Yorktown Countdown
Billed as the largest New Year’s Eve party in the Charleston, S.C., area, the lavish bash takes place on the USS Yorktown, the famed aircraft carrier. Live bands and DJs serve up rock, hip-hop, Top 40, ’80s tunes and more on three stages. Enjoy the finger food and a free open bar, but no falling overboard. The general admission ticket allows guests on the airplane hangar level. Spring for the VIP ticket for additional access to the Yorktown’s rooftop flight deck, which features heated tents.
9 p.m.-1 a.m. Dec. 31. $100-$175. USS Yorktown Aircraft Carrier, 40 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant, S.C. yorktowncountdown.com.
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