New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop in Panama City Beach

The New Year's Eve Beach Ball Drop in Panama City Beach, FL is one of the most exciting annual events on the Gulf Coast. Each year, tens of thousands of visitors head to Panama City Beach to ring in the New Year, "Real. Fun. Beach" style with not one but two countdowns, fireworks, live music and 10,000 inflatable beach balls raining down from the sky over the streets of Pier Park.

For those who are too excited to wait until midnight or want to conduct the countdown twice, there are two separate ball drops at both 8:00 p.m. and midnight. The 8:00 p.m. ball drop also gives kids the chance to experience the fun before they head to bed and let their parents continue the celebration. More entertainment and live music will follow during the buildup to midnight, when a dazzling fireworks display will accompany the lowering of a giant LED-lit beach ball to signify the beginning of the new year.

The first celebration begins with live music by Barry Fish Band as revelers enjoy the largest street festival for miles in and around Pier Park, with plenty of shopping, food vendors and activities. As the clock ticks closer to midnight and the 8:00 p.m. ball drop lights up the sky, Celebration Tower becomes the epicenter of activities as revelers join in the chorus of the final ten-second countdown and a second round of showstopping fireworks illuminate the night over the "World's Most Beautiful Beaches."