New Year’s Eve 2023 In Sarasota: Pineapple Drop, Bayfront Fireworks

SARASOTA, FL — As Sarasota gets ready to ring in the new year, there are a number of events going on around town for those looking to celebrate.

The Pineapple Drop Block Party returns on Dec. 31, kicking off at 1 p.m. and ending at 1 a.m. The festivities, which take place at the intersection of Lemon Avenue and Main Street, include a carnival, live music and entertainment, fireworks, and, of course, the Pineapple Drop at midnight.

Here is a look at some additional events happening in Sarasota:

• Opening Day Polo Match and New Year’s Eve Celebration at Sarasota Polo Club. Gates open for the opening day match at 10 a.m. The first match starts at 1 p.m. and runs until 4 p.m.
• New Year’s Eve Mango Drop, 6 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., at Hotel Venezia in Venice. Tickets include a buffet dinner, music and dancing, and the mango drop at midnight.
• New Year’s Eve at University Town Center, 7 to 9 p.m. This family-friendly event features a live DJ and entertainment, face painting, games, and fireworks.
• New Year’s Eve Party at PopStroke, 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Ticket purchase includes unlimited golfing pass, a buffet-style dinner, music and more.
• New Year’s Eve Rooftop Soiree, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., at The Westin Sarasota includes a DJ and dance flor party, and midnight champagne toast.
• New Year’s Eve Disco, 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., at 3 Bridges Brewing in Venice, featuring appetizers and small plates, a best dressed contest, and a champagne toast at midnight.
• Bayfront Fireworks Spectacular, 11:30 p.m., organized by Suncoast Charities for Children, the best fireworks viewing is at Marina Jack or Bayfront Park.

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year’s Eve traditions is the dropping of the giant ball in New York City’s Times Square. Other U.S. cities have adopted iterations of the ball drop — the Chick Drop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the giant Potato Drop in Boise, Idaho, for example.

The end of one year and beginning of another is often celebrated with the singing of “Auld Lang Syne,” a Scottish folk song whose title roughly translates to “days gone by,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica and History.com.

The history of New Year’s resolutions dates back 8,000 years to ancient Babylonians, who would make promises to return borrowed objects and pay outstanding debts at the beginning of the new year, in mid-March when they planted their crops.

According to legend, if they kept their word, pagan gods would grant them favor in the coming year. If they broke the promise, they would fall out of God’s favor, according to a history of New Year’s resolutions compiled by North Hampton Community College New Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Many secular New Year’s resolutions focus on imagining new, improved versions of ourselves.

The failure rate of New Year’s resolutions is about 80 percent, according to U.S. News & World Report. There are myriad reasons, but a big one is they’re made out of remorse — for gaining weight, for example — and aren’t accompanied by a shift in attitude and a plan to meet the stress and discomfort of changing a habit or condition.