But New York City is far from the only place with a New Year’s drop – and some areas drop things a lot more uncommon than a crystal ball.
Not all of us can fly to New York, but we can travel locally to see a unique New Year’s drop in the Southeastern states. Here are five of the quirkiest items dropped in honor of the new year in our area.
Mobile, Alabama
Before 2009, locals in Mobile, Alabama, knew MoonPies as an item that Mardi Gras revelers throw from floats at the city’s annual Carnival. But after a city councilor raised almost $10,000 to create a 12-foot, 350-pound MoonPie, it’s been the dropped object of choice in Mobile.
Sarasota, Florida
Oranges are usually Florida's famous fruit, but Sarasota decided to change it up a little. They drop an enormous pineapple instead.For 20 years, downtown Sarasota has become somewhat of a block party during New Year’s Eve. As the lighted pineapple hangs from above on a crane, about 20,000 people mill underneath, enjoying amusement rides and multiple live music stages. Food and drink vendors line the streets of Pineapple Square. After the pineapple drops, an enormous fireworks display lights up along Sarasota Bay to the crowd’s delight.
Tallapoosa, Georgia
Tallapoosa began as a gold-mining town in the 1800s and was known by several other names back then – including Possum Snout, Pineville, and Pine Grove.Today, the city welcomes each New Year with a celebration known as The Possum Drop. Don’t worry, no live possums are used in the event! The story behind the possum drop explains that many years ago, the local Taxidermist found a deceased possum by the roadway which he thought would make a nice mount, so he picked it up and added it to his collection.
In the late 1990s, local officials decided to create a New Year’s Eve event inspired by the town’s old name, Possum Snout. The event organizers asked the Taxidermist if he had an opossum they could use, and the rest is history! Every year, taxidermized possum Spencer (named by the locals after one of the town’s founding businessmen, Ralph Spencer) is dropped at the stroke of midnight.
The New Year’s Eve celebration also includes live music, food vendors, and fireworks, and even has a Kids Zone with rides, games, bounce houses, Ferris Wheel, and an early drop at 9:00pm.
Mt. Olive, North Carolina
Mobile and Sarasota don’t have a monopoly on dropping food items for New Year’s. Mt. Olive, North Carolina, has its own tasty tradition – lowering a three-foot-long, brilliantly lit pickle-shaped tank down a flagpole.
The town’s drop of choice makes sense, given that it’s the home of the Mt. Olive Pickle Company, the country’s largest independent pickle seller. Instead of at midnight, though, the pickle drops at 7 p.m. That’s because 7 p.m. EST is 12 a.m. GMT, the time zone where each new day on Earth begins.
Guests enjoy free cookies, hot chocolate, and – of course – pickles as they enjoy line dancing to music. The event also acts as a canned food drive for the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Anyone who donates money or brings goods is entered into a raffle to win fun prizes like a giant inflatable pool pickle.
Folly Beach, South Carolina
South Carolina doesn’t have as many themed drops as other states in the south, but that didn’t stop Folly Beach from establishing a tradition.
Over a thousand people from across the Lowcountry gather to see an 8-foot-tall, 60-pound pair of glittering, LED-lit flip flops drop from a firetruck ladder. It's lowered about 80 feet above the crowd as the attendees count down the last minute of the year. Fireworks explode in the sky to herald midnight, while restaurants and bars stay open late with live bands at almost every establishment. It’s a fun time for everyone – and it’s also probably the only chance you’ll get to see a pair of flip flops this big.