Sardine Drop at Eastport Maine

TripAdvisor Top 10 Quirkiest New Years Eve Celebrations in America

Key West's drag queen drop is among TripAdvisor's quirkiest New Year's Eve drops
Key West's drag queen drop is among TripAdvisor's quirkiest New Year's Eve drops

 

29 December 2011, Newton, Massachusetts – TripAdvisor, Inc. announced 10 of the top quirkiest New Year’s Eve celebrations in the United States.  These free events provide extraordinary entertainment to herald in 2012.

1. The Maine Event – Sardine and Maple Leaf Drop, Eastport , Maine

Sardine Drop at Eastport Maine
Sardine Drop at Eastport Maine, Photo credit: Tides Institute & Museum of Art, Eastport, ME


Home to the first sardine cannery in the U.S., Eastport has celebrated the industry since 2005 by dropping an eight-foot long, 30-pound sardine made from wood and acrylic at 11 p.m. Eastern Time. After the sardine plunges from the third-story window of The Tides Institute, revelers rush to give the fish a salty smooch in the belief this will bring good luck in the coming year. The festivities don’t end there; at midnight, a four-foot wide Maple Leaf is dropped, to honor Maine’s northern Canadian neighbors.

2. Mammal Madness – Possum Drop, Brasstown , North Carolina

Possum Drop Brasstown, North Carolina
Possum Drop Brasstown, North Carolina, Proto credit: Clay’s Corner Convenience, Brasstown


Brasstown will celebrate its title of “Possum Capital of the World” for the 18th year, with two fun-filled hours of activities. Local men resplendent in feminine attire will compete for the coveted title of “Miss Possum Queen”, while revelers can soak up live music and tasty treats in anticipation of the lowering of a triangular, plexiglass box containing a prized possum. Once the crowd clears, the nocturnal mammal – unscathed from its public appearance – is given a midnight snack and released in to the night.

3. Savory Soiree – Bologna Drop, Lebanon , Pennsylvania

Bologna Drop, Lebanon Pennsylvania
Bologna Drop, Lebanon Pennsylvania, Photo credit: Community Association of Lebanon


As the clock strikes midnight, a 12-foot long loaf of bologna, weighing 200 pounds, swallows the attention of New Year’s revelers as it is lowered to the ground from a crane service. Following its descent to Earth, the salty sandwich staple will be donated and devoured by a local charity. This annual fête is held at the corner of Ninth and Cumberland Streets and includes toe-tapping tunes, complimentary hot beverages, and festive First Night fun.

4. Pest-acular Party – Wooden Flea Drop, Eastover, North Carolina

Wooden Flea Drop, Eastover, North Carolina
Wooden Flea Drop, Eastover, North Carolina, Photo credit: Eastover Town Hall

Until the 1920s, Eastover was known as Flea Hill, due to a pandemic of the pesky insects throughout town. In honor of its former wretched “residents,” the town will ring in 2012 by dropping a 30-pound flea for the second consecutive year. Constructed from fabric, foam, wire and wood, revelers are in no danger of being bitten by the oversize bug as they partake in the family-friendly celebrations, which include a bonfire, refreshments, and old-fashioned fun.

5. Trifecta of Fun – “Sushi” Drag Queen Drop, Key West , Florida

 Pirate Wench Drop, Key West, Florida – Photo credit: Dan Kolbe, Southernmost Photography
Pirate Wench Drop, Key West, Florida – Photo credit: Dan Kolbe, Southernmost Photography


The isle of Key West will be brimming with holiday cheer as it hosts three fun-filled festivities. Travelers can ring in 2012 at The Bourbon Street Pub, where legendary drag queen “Sushi” is lowered to the ground, while seated in a giant, glossy red shoe.

 Conch Shell Drop, Key West, Florida – Photo credit: Sloppy Joe’s Bar
Conch Shell Drop, Key West, Florida – Photo credit: Sloppy Joe’s Bar

Celebrations will also be held at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, where a six-foot tall Styrofoam conch shell is lowered into a sea of revelers – while a “pirate wench” will be dropped from the mast of an old wooden ship at Schooner Wharf Bar, on nearby Williams Street.

6. Marshmallow Madness – MoonPie Drop, Mobile , Alabama

Moon Pie_Mobile_AL
Photo credit: City of Mobile


Home of America’s first Mardi Gras celebration, Mobile celebrates the famous “throw” of MoonPies to masked Mardi Gras revelers by dropping a 12-foot electronic MoonPie from a height of 34 stories. Residents consume more than four million MoonPies annually, hence adopting the mouthwatering marshmallow treat as the town’s informal emblem and even paying homage to it as the clock strikes midnight. Events begin at 7:30 p.m. with a Mardi-Gras style parade, featuring floats, live music and more.

7. Festive Fromage – Cheese Drop, Plymouth , Wisconsin

Cheese Drop_Plymouth_WI_01
Photo credit: Richard Fellenz


Cheese lovers can satisfy their cravings at Plymouth, Wisconsin’s annual “New Year’s Cheese” drop, which pays homage to the local dairy industry. This year will mark the fifth annual dropping of the 80-pound Styrofoam chunk of cheese from a 100-foot ladder truck. Painted and decorated by a local artist, the star of the show is guaranteed to offer flavorsome fun, rounded off with art, games, and complimentary refreshments as hundreds gather to welcome the New Year.

8. Groovin’ in the Gulf – Pelican Drop, Pensacola , Florida

Pelican Drop_Pensacola_FL 01
Photo credit: Pensacola Downtown Improvement Board


The streets of Pensacola will be flocking with fun and games in honor of the New Year with three stages of live entertainment. At 8 p.m., a “Bubble Stomp” will invite children to jump and jive across a vast expanse of bubbly mailing wrap, to mimic the clamor of fireworks – before the real star of the show, a giant, 14-foot pelican, makes its 100-foot descent at midnight. Celebrations will conclude with a dazzling display of fireworks and colorful confetti.

9. Fruity Fun – Watermelon Drop, Vincennes , Indiana

Watermelon Drop_Vincennes_IN
Photo credit: Tom Bartholomew


For the fourth year, Vincennes’ Watermelon Drop will celebrate the local melon-growing industry along with the start of the New Year. Thousands of spectators – many of whom are dressed as the waterlogged fruit – gather to watch the 18-foot, 500-pound watermelon drop 100-feet onto a “splatform.” The man-made melon, crafted from steel and foam, also releases a dozen locally grown watermelons to signal the beginning of a tasty New Year.

10. Midwest Mayhem – Little Apple Drop, Manhattan , Kansas

Little Apple Drop_Manhattan Kansas
Photo credit: Varney’s


For folks who are not able to make it to New York City, Manhattan, Kansas brings the spirit of Times Square to the Midwest. Thousands of revelers gather to join the festivities, which begin at 10 p.m. with a laser light show, accompanied by live music from local artists and a deejay. At the stroke of midnight, a rotund ruby apple, made from aluminum and glass, will shimmy its way to the ground for the ninth consecutive year, as fireworks illuminate the sky.

“These ten quirky drops offer an array of unusual ways to ring in the New Year, and will ensure that 2012 gets off with a bang for those who gather to enjoy the unconventional celebrations,” said Karen Drake, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor.

 

One Comment

  1. Pingback: MTV Sessions With Vanness Wu Premieres Sunday 1 January 2012 | SUPERADRIANME

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.