Emerald Coast New Years Events

Your Destin, 30A, & PCB New Years Guide to Fun!

Posted on 12/27/2022

It is time to "Make the New Year Bright," and there is no better place than to enjoy a magical holiday vacation along the Emerald Coast! This is also the time of the year that heralds the arrival of our "sweater season" with sunny days and comfortable, cool temperatures. They do call us "the sunshine state," after all. The sun sets right over the Gulf this time of year, providing spectacular heavenly displays on the water, rejuvenating the spirit, and soothing the soul. It is the perfect time of year to enjoy a round of golf or tennis, take a serene walk down the beach, or just eat, drink and be merry! There will be plenty of festivities to do so no matter where you are staying as one of our esteemed Ocean Reef Resorts guests.


HarborWalk Village New Years Eve

HarborWalk Destin

A great New Year's Eve celebration will be held at the golden Americana-styled HarborWalk Village. This place is Destin's crown jewel and sits beside the marina, home to North America's largest private charter fishing fleet. It is a captivating setting with a wide array of great restaurants, bars that play live music, specialty shops, family amusements, outdoor concerts, and seasonal firework extravaganzas.

Live music begins on the dockside Events Stage at 7:00 pm and continues until midnight. At that time, a giant ball drop will start a countdown, and right at midnight, the sky over East Pass at the end of the harbor will light up with a brilliant display. The fireworks are synchronized to lively music providing an exciting, wonderful experience. Besides seeing the fireworks, many are out on their lighted boats, which bob up and down below the fireworks in the sky. Our Ocean Reef Resorts guests who are staying at one of our Holiday Isle vacation rentals may choose to watch the fireworks from that locale since they may be seen easily from the western end beside the jetties.


Village of Baytowne Wharf New Years Eve

Village of Baytowne Wharf

For those of you residing with us in Miramar Beach, the enchanting Village of Baytowne Wharf is close by at Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, with lots planned for New Year's Eve. We have quite a few rental offerings at this world-class resort, and if you have stayed with us before, you are probably aware of this delightful village. It resembles the French Quarter of New Orleans, which inspired its creation. This is the clean Disneyesque version filled with unique family fun, including a zip line, an elevated obstacle course, an old-fashioned carousel, and even an ice skating rink. The village straddles a lovely lagoon and is anchored by a long wharf that juts out into the beautiful bay near the Sandestin Yacht Club. It is filled with restaurants, bars with live music, specialty shops, outdoor concerts, and seasonal fireworks celebrations.

The New Year's Eve festivities begin with a family-oriented experience from 6 pm to 8 pm. Expect to see lots of fun kid's activities, balloon sculptures, and face painting. The first of two fireworks celebrations start promptly at 8:00 pm as a grand finale to this part of the evening. A live band plays on the events stage from that time till 1:00 am. Right at midnight, the fireworks celebration begins, and it is choreographed to surround sound music throughout the vivid display. There are some great spots to watch the fireworks, including the bridge that crosses the lagoon and anywhere on the long wharf out in the bay. The band will continue to play afterward, so you can continue to dance the night away until 1:00 am. It should be noted that those under the age of 21 are not permitted to stay after 10:00 pm without an adult guardian.


Seaside New Years Eve

Seasdie FL

For those of you staying at one of our wonderful Ocean Reef Resorts rental homes along Scenic 30A, you may want to check out fireworks being fired off at Seaside. Guests staying in Grayton Beach and Seagrove are just minutes away from this iconic coastal village. It has a distinct setting due to its iconic pedestrian-friendly design, which resembles a "seaside" village circa 1895. It is home to galleries, fashion boutiques, specialty shops, restaurants, and beach bars. Fireworks will be fired off from a barge a short distance out in the Gulf, so you can find a spot to watch them anywhere along the beach. The timing of this could be perfect since they shoot off at 5:30 pm. Since the sun drops down right into the Gulf at around 4:55, you may get there early to experience a double perk! Bring down your chairs, picnic basket, and a cooler to experience the golden orb as it majestically descends into the Gulf in majestic fashion, and then watch the sky light up with fireworks afterward.


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30A New Year

Pier Park New Years Eve

For our guests staying at one of our fine vacation rentals in Panama City Beach, prepare for a humongous New Year's Eve celebration at Pier Park. This has become a grand tradition since 2016 when they built a Ball Drop Tower that is ten feet taller than the famous one in Times Square in New York City. The 11,500 linear foot long "pier" at this "park" is the longest on the entire Gulf Coast and was newly rebuilt in 2009. Palm-lined pedestrian-friendly boulevards extend from the pier to a giant shopping outlet complex anchored on Highway 98, which includes a Dillard's Department Store, JC Penney, Old Navy, Marshalls, and a Grand Imax Theatre, to name a few. A wide assortment of retail shops, restaurants, friendly beach bars with live music, and outdoor cafes line each side of the main palm-lined boulevard leading to the pier. This entire area is roped off from vehicles beginning in the afternoon to provide a safe pedestrian-friendly setting to enjoy the New Year's fun-filled festival.

The festivities begin at 5:30 pm with a free concert at the Celebration Tower performed by the "Barry Fish Band," a local favorite playing popular tunes from the 1960s to today. Everyone will have their choice of food and specialty shop venues, along with activities for kids of all ages. At 8:00 pm, there will be a countdown to the first Beach ball Drop and fireworks display. Over 10,000 beach balls will drop down on revelers below to delightfully bounce around while fireworks light up the sky. At 8:15, the "Will Thompson Band" will take the stage performing his popular polished country rock music. At 10:00 pm, the "Great Grand Finale" group out of Atlanta will perform their amazing assortment of dance tunes to bring the party into full gear! This group includes male and female vocalists, a rhythm section, drums, saxophone, horns, and dancers. Just before the stroke of midnight, thousands of partiers will join in on the exciting chanted countdown to 2023. The giant ten-foot wide beach ball lighted up with a rainbow array of colors at the top of the tower will begin its descent. As soon as it hits the bottom, a spectacular vibrant fireworks display will fill the sky with abundant color, accompanied by a crescendo of booms.


New Years Guests Ocean Reef

Make plans now to enjoy a New Year's vacation filled with magical, memorable merriment! Our state-of-the-art Ocean Reef Resorts website will provide you with a look at great rental accommodations near each New Year's celebration. You will see detailed descriptions, vivid property images, aerial views of each location, rental rates, and calendar dates still available to make a reservation. We wish you a safe and wonderful New Year!

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