When Is New Year's Eve?
New Year's Eve 2026 is on Thursday, December 31 — in 56 days. It is on December 31 every year; in 2027 it falls on a Friday. That year it is a federal day off: New Year's Day (observed).
Updated · By the YearlyCalendar.org team
New Year's Eve is the last day of the year, celebrated with parties, fireworks and countdowns to midnight. It is not a federal holiday, except when New Year's Day falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, December 31.
December 2026 calendar
New Year's Eve is marked on Thursday, December 31, 2026, along with the other US federal holidays and observances of the month.
- Federal holiday / day off
- Observance
- Weekend
December 2026 – New Year's Eve 2026
| Wk | SundaySun | MondayMon | TuesdayTue | WednesdayWed | ThursdayThu | FridayFri | SaturdaySat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 49 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5Hanukkah (first day) | ||
| 50 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 51 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 |
| 52 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24Christmas Eve | 25Christmas Day | 26 |
| 53 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31New Year's Eve |
New Year's Eve dates 2020–2040
New Year's Eve falls on a weekend in 6 of these 21 years.
| Year | Date | Day | Observed federal holiday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Thursday | — | |
| 2021 | Friday | New Year's Day (observed) | |
| 2022 | Saturday | — | |
| 2023 | Sunday | — | |
| 2024 | Tuesday | — | |
| 2025 | Wednesday | — | |
| 2026 | Next | Thursday | — |
| 2027 | Friday | New Year's Day (observed) | |
| 2028 | Sunday | — | |
| 2029 | Monday | — | |
| 2030 | Tuesday | — | |
| 2031 | Wednesday | — | |
| 2032 | Friday | New Year's Day (observed) | |
| 2033 | Saturday | — | |
| 2034 | Sunday | — | |
| 2035 | Monday | — | |
| 2036 | Wednesday | — | |
| 2037 | Thursday | — | |
| 2038 | Friday | New Year's Day (observed) | |
| 2039 | Saturday | — | |
| 2040 | Monday | — |
Is New Year's Eve a day off?
Normally not: federal offices, banks and post offices are open on December 31. When January 1 falls on a Saturday, though, federal employees get Friday, December 31 off as the observed New Year's Day — the next time is Friday, December 31, 2027.
The New York Stock Exchange has traded on December 31 even in those years: its rules let it stay open on the Friday before a Saturday holiday when that Friday ends an accounting period, which is why it was open on December 31, 2021. SIFMA usually recommends an early 2:00 PM ET close for the bond market.
The Times Square ball drop
- 1904: the first New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square marked the opening of The New York Times' new headquarters and drew more than 200,000 people.
- 1907: the first New Year's Eve Ball, made of iron and wood, about 5 feet across and weighing about 700 pounds, was lowered from the flagpole of the Times Tower, now One Times Square.
- The Ball begins its descent at 11:59 PM ET and reaches the bottom at midnight.
Midnight across US time zones
When the ball drops at midnight Eastern Time, it is 11 PM in the Central zone, 10 PM in the Mountain zone, 9 PM on the Pacific coast, 8 PM in Alaska, 7 PM in Hawaii and 5 AM on January 1 in UTC.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
When is New Year's Eve 2027?
New Year's Eve 2027 is on Friday, December 31, 2027.
Where does the new year begin first?
Kiribati's Line Islands, on UTC+14, are the first inhabited places to reach midnight, 19 hours before New York. Among the last are American Samoa and Niue, on UTC−11, 25 hours after Kiribati.
Was the Times Square ball drop ever canceled?
Yes, in 1942 and 1943, because of the wartime "dimout" of lights in New York City. Crowds still gathered and greeted the new year with a minute of silence followed by chimes.
How big is the Times Square Ball?
The Constellation Ball, introduced in 2025, is 12.5 feet in diameter and weighs 12,350 pounds, with 5,280 crystals.