Suffolk's 'Midnight' Is Back On New Year's Eve After 3-Year Absence

PATCHOGUE, NY— Patchogue Village's Midnight on Main" New Year's Eve ball rise is set to come back after a three-year absence due to COVID-19.

Greater Patchogue Chamber of Commerce Executive Director David Kennedy said the event, which draws hundreds, had been canceled in 202o, and then again in 2021, after there was a spike in the region's positivity rate, but officials do not expect it this year.

The event has moved from the four corners to the intersection of West Main Street and West Avenue to accommodate the crowd. It will include a special tribute to LFG Rigging's Louis Giancontieri, who pioneered the event and died earlier this year.

Giancontieri's family has maintained his business and they have agreed to continue to provide the rigging that makes the event possible, Kennedy said, adding that "the chamber has invited them to come up into the staging area and kind of push the button that will begin the rising of the ball and the pyrotechnic display."

"It's just a way to honor them and thank Louis for his incredible contribution to this event," Kennedy said.

The event will kick off at 7 p.m. on Dec. 31 in front of the Carnegie Library where JVC Broadcasting's DJ Charlie Lombardo, the event's official emcee, will be playing "some dance music to get everybody into the festive mood, and dancing and moving."

Revelers can visit the chamber's booth and get some party hats and noise makers, and he expects the mood to pick up more as it gets closer to 9 p.m. when the lighted ball will rise.

"Nine o'clock is the official Patchogue midnight," Kennedy said. "We like to say that Patchogue is ahead of its time. And 9 p.m. lends itself to be the perfect time to do this. Because it's a family event and we try to provide a Times Square-like experience without having to travel all the way to Times Square and it allows families to come."

"Parents can come with their children at a reasonable hour and enjoy it," he said.

Starbucks will be on hand to provide hot beverages and there will be a food truck from Gina's Wieners.

If you don't have a family, it's also a great way to start your night by checking out your favorite restaurant or bar in the village, according to Kennedy.

"Stick around till midnight and ring in the year with the rest of the world," he added.

Also at the event will be the 30 Days of Dining in Patchogue raffle for the chance to win one of two gift baskets with gift certificates from over 30 different restaurants in Patchogue.

Raffles are $20.

"It makes a great Christmas gift," Kennedy said, adding that the raffle gives the person a chance to win a full month of dining in Patchogue.