What's Open, What's Closed Around New Year's Day in Westport

Governments, all or nearly all businesses, including banks in Connecticut and most other institutions (except for the Maritime Aquarium) are closed on Thursday, New Year’s Day, Jan. 1.

For Catholics, Jan. 1 is the Solemnity of Mary and a Holy Day of Obligation (that obligation is waived in years when the holiday falls on Saturday or Monday — but this year it’s a Thursday).

A reminder: Start writing dates with the year “2015,” especially on checks and other important documents.

Wednesday, Dec. 31, New Year’s EVE

If you want a gift to a tax-deductible charity to count for this year’s income taxes, today is the last day to give that donation.

CLOSED

• Westport Town Hall
• Westport Public Schools (on holiday recess since Dec. 23, classes resume Monday, Jan. 5, 2015)
• Norwalk Community College
• University of Connecticut-Stamford (classes resume Jan. 20)

OPEN for regular hours

• Westport Recycling Center
• Norwalk Transit District announced no changes to its regular schedule for this day.
• CT Transit (including I-Bus) will operate on a regular schedule.
• Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• New York Stock Exchange
• Connecticut state government offices, including the Connecticut Lottery, the Department of Motor Vehicles and AAA offices that process some state motor vehicle forms
• U.S. government offices
• Crossroads Cards & Gifts in Norwalk, a high-tier claim center for the Connecticut Lottery, will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., the Connecticut Lottery has announced.

CLOSING EARLY

• Most U.S. post offices will close at noon, but individual office hours may vary. The U.S. Postal Service has announced: “Need services later in the day? Just visit one of our Self Service Kiosks, listed below. These Self Service Kiosks allow customers to do almost any transaction that can be done at a service window, except money orders and passports.”
• Westport Library closes early at 6 p.m.
• Westport Family Y closes early at 2 p.m.
• Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk closes early at 3 p.m.

METRO-NORTH CHANGES

From an announcement on the Metro-North website:

For New Year’s Eve (Wednesday, Dec. 31), we will operate a special weekday schedule with:

• Reduced AM peak and PM peak service, to match service and train crew resources with the reduced passenger demand;
• Additional inbound trains in the afternoon/early evening (for those of you preparing to “party hearty” in the city);
• Hourly service outbound after 8 PM (for those who prefer to “party early”);
• Our traditional post-midnight outbound service between midnight and 5 AM (for all of you professional party goers).

Please remember that drinking alcohol on Metro-North trains and at our stations is banned from noon New Year’s Eve until noon New Year’s Day. (Because there comes a time when the party really does have to end...)

As in past years, those traveling home “early morning” (after midnight) on New Year’s Eve must resolve to purchase your train tickets in advance. Tickets will be collected prior to boarding trains at Grand Central.

Free parking is available at many stations on New Year’s Eve. Look for station signs or visit our Stations page.

Thursday, Jan. 1, New Year’s DAY

Metro-North fares in Connecticut rise by 1 percent, starting this day.

CLOSED

• Westport Town Hall
• Westport Public Schools (on holiday recess since Dec. 23, classes resume Monday, Jan. 5, 2015)
• Westport Library
• Toquet Hall Teen Center
• Westport Recycling Center
• Norwalk Community College
• University of Connecticut-Stamford (classes resume Jan. 20)
• Connecticut state government offices, including the Connecticut Lottery, the Department of Motor Vehicles and AAA offices that process some state motor vehicle forms
• U.S. government offices
• Post offices
• New York Stock Exchange
• Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk
• Banks in Connecticut are allowed to open on state holidays if they post an announcement about opening. In practice, all banks that we know of (including TDBank, which stays open for quite a few holidays) will be closed.
• Norwalk Transit District

OPEN

• Westport Family Y is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more details, follow the link.
• Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Crossroads Cards & Gifts in Norwalk, a high-tier claim center for the Connecticut Lottery, will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. (although the Connecticut Lottery headquarters will be closed). Connecticut Lottery has announced: “Winning Lottery tickets for prizes up to $599 can be validated and cashed at any Lottery retailer open that day. High-Tier Claim Centers are able to cash CT Lottery prizes up to $5,000.”

METRO-NORTH CHANGES

From an announcement on the Metro-North website (and remember, fares in Connecticut go up 1 percent starting New Year’s Day:

On New Year’s Day (Thursday, Jan. 1, 2015), we will operate hourly service, with two additional mid-day trains to New Haven to accommodate higher demand between noon and 2 p.m.

Friday, Jan. 2

CLOSED

• Westport Public Schools (on holiday recess since Dec. 23, classes resume Monday, Jan. 5, 2015)
• Norwalk Community College
• University of Connecticut-Stamford (classes resume Jan. 20)

OPEN

• Westport Town Hall
• Westport Library
• Westport Family Y
• Westport Recycling Center
• Toquet Hall Teen Center drop-in night from 6 to 10 p.m.
• Post offices
• Norwalk Transit District announced no changes to its regular schedule for this day.
• CT Transit buses (including I-Bus) will operate on a regular schedule except for reduced commuter connection services.
• Maritime Aquarium in Norwalk
• Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk
• Connecticut state government offices, including the Connecticut Lottery, the Department of Motor Vehicles and AAA offices that process some state motor vehicle forms
• U.S. government offices
• New York Stock Exchange

METRO-NORTH CHANGES

From an announcement on the Metro-North website (and remember, fares in Connecticut went up 1 percent starting New Year’s Day:

On Friday, Jan. 2, we will operate a Saturday schedule with additional AM inbound and PM outbound trains.

See our special Christmas/New Year’s Eve Holiday Timetable for full details or visit ourschedules page. Or download our free Train Time APP for train times on the go.

Picture: From a postcard with a 1912 postmark, according to Wikimedia Commons