Ring In 2023 In Sarasota: Downtown Pineapple Drop, Sharky’s Beach Bash

SARASOTA, FL — Sarasota County residents and visitors alike will find plenty of fun parties and events to say goodbye to 2022 and welcome 2023 on Saturday night.

This includes the infamous New Year’s Eve Pineapple Drop. This annual block party, which takes place at the intersection of Lemon Avenue and Main Street in downtown Sarasota, celebrates the new year as a giant, glowing pineapple comes down at midnight. Enjoy a fireworks display just after midnight.

Throughout the day, starting at 1 p.m., there’s various entertainment and attractions — live music, carnival rides, games, food and drinks, and special offers from local bars and restaurants.

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

• New Year’s Eve Food Truck Rally, Big Top Brewing Company, 975 Cattlemen Road, Sarasota
• NYE Beach Bash, Sharky’s on the Pier, 1600 Harbor Drive S., Venice
• New Year’s Eve Bash, Fraternal Order of Eagles, 8347 Lockwood Ridge Road, Sarasota
• New Year’s Eve Celebration, Kadampa Meditation Center, 730 N. Washington Blvd., Sarasota
• Caffeine and Gasoline New Year’s Eve, BMW of Sarasota, 5151 Clark Road, Sarasota

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year’s Eve traditions is, of course, the dropping of the giant ball in New York City’s Times Square. Various cities have adopted their own iterations of the event — the Peach Drop in Atlanta, the Chick Drop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the giant Potato Drop in Boise, Idaho.

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.