2025 New Year's Eve Celebrations in Georgia

New Year's Eve celebrations are a time to celebrate the successes of the past year as well as let go of its challenges, to forgive those who might have made 2025 more challenging than it had to be, and to start a new year with others celebrating all the positive possibilities that 2026 can provide. This year, you can dance, play, and watch all sorts of things drop, like a shrimp, a buzzard, and a shamrock, while celebrating the coming of the new year at one of the following special events.

Middle Georgia

Macon

While Macon-Bibb won't have an official New Year's Eve celebration, several businesses and churches will host parties to celebrate the occasion, including the following events. 

 - The New Year Eve Soirée from Switch Macon will take place from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Downtown Macon bar and include an open bar, heavy hors d'oeuvres from Brasserie Circa, a midnight champagne toast, beautiful decor and backdrops from Donna Pilkey, a professional photographer, and a red carpet entrance. Tickets to this event are limited to the first 70 people and cost $125 plus fees and taxes. 

Graphic courtesy of Switch Macon, one of the newer drinking establishments in Downtown Macon

- ALC Macon's New Year's Eve Celebration will feature a 3,000 balloon drop at midnight, a 360 photo booth, a worship service, and finger food and refreshments. This family-friendly event is free to attend and starts at 8 p.m. ALC Macon is a multiracial church located at 630 Wimbish Road. 

- Patrons at The Rose Room, Reboot Retrocade Gaming, and Longleaf Distillery in Downtown Macon will celebrate New Year's Eve with the New Year's Eve Disco Crawl. This event will feature disco music, DJs, dancing, drink specials, giveaways, a punch card that you can use to get one gift card from each of the businesses, and midnight toasts to the new year. 

Perry

The City of Perry will present The Perry Buzzard Drop from 8 p.m. to midnight on New Year's Eve. This free, family-friendly event will feature the streaming of the Goodwill Cotton Bowl Classic on a big screen, free face painting from 8 to 10 p.m., balloon art, a large Middle Georgia Gellyball arena, a unique photobooth from Trailer Flash, and, of course, the celebratory dropping of a buzzard at midnight (don't worry - no buzzards were harmed for this unique New Year's celebration).

Graphic courtesy of the City of Perry Government

Forsyth

The New Year's Eve Ball and Block Party in Downtown Forsyth will take place on Forsyth's historic Courthouse Square. This New Year's Eve celebration will include live music from Mass Affect Party Band (8-10 p.m.), DJ Ron (10 p.m.-12 a.m.), dancing, hot food, Italian Ice, and funnel cakes from Jenny Italianice and Food Factory, and a New Year's Eve Forsythia Ball Drop at midnight. Attendees are invited to bring chairs, blankets, friends, and family, as well as some good shoes for dancing, to this family-friendly, free New Year's Eve celebration.

McDonough

McDonough's New Year's celebration is the New Year's Eve Geranium Drop. This family-friendly event starts at 10 p.m. officially, but live music from Mr. Finesse and Company starts at 8 p.m. McDonough's nickname is The Geranium City, and it has an arts and crafts festival called the Geranium Festival every spring. McDonough's history with geraniums began with a contribution of red geraniums to McDonough's arts and crafts festival, then called the Henry County Chamber Arts and Crafts Festival, by Lois and Kirk Carney of Oglevee Products. 

Atlanta

The City of Atlanta will not celebrate the coming new year with the Peach Drop this year, which first took place back in 1989 when an 800-pound, 8-foot-tall peach made of fiberglass and foam was slowly lowered at Underground Atlanta to mark the coming new year. Instead, the city plans to celebrate with a Countdown Over ATL, which will take place at locations across Atlanta and feature synchronized fireworks displays, a digital drone Peach countdown that should be visible across Downtown and Midtown Atlanta.

Atlanta's Piedmont Park had lots of green space and scenic views where visitors can likely see fireworks this year (Photographer Nate Weeks)

There are also many other events, both large and small, taking place in Atlanta this year, including the New Year's Eve Bash at the Battery Atlanta presented by Xfinity. This family-friendly celebration will include an "Early Innings" celebration from 6 to 8 p.m. with a performance from Uncle Jumbo and a New Year's Countdown at 8 p.m., as well as a celebration later in the evening, from 9 p.m. to midnight with live music from 12 South Band and a midnight fireworks show. Vistors will receive free parking from 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve to 12 p.m. and January 1st, 2026, in the Battery's Red, Green, Purple, Silver, Delta, Truist Deck, and Lot 29. 

Coastal Georgia

Brunswick

The New Year's Eve Shrimp Drop will take place at Mary Ross Waterfront Park and feature live music wiht SQUIRT GUN, food trucks, inflatables, and axe throwing with Matted Ox Axe Throwing. Bob the Shrimp, which pays homage to the importance of the seafood industry in Coastal Georgia, will drop at 8 p.m. to celebrate the new year. Interestingly, Brunswick isn't the only place in Georgia to see a shrimp drop this New Year's Eve: Amelia Island's Frenandina Beach will also drop a lighted shrimp to bring in 2026.

Graphic courtesy of Historic Downtown Brunswick

Savannah

There are many different ways to celebrate New Year's Eve in Savannah this year, including with riverboat cruises and fancy parties on rooftops and ballrooms. Visitors to the oldest city in the state can see a fireworks show at midnight at either Savannah's Waterfront or the Tybee Island Pier and Pavilion. Nearby Tybee Island will present its annual New Year's Eve Fireworks show that will be viewable from anywhere on the island.

South Georgia

Dublin

The Shamrock Drop in Dublin will take place from 7 p.m. until 12:30 a.m. This family-friendly event will take place beside Theatre Dublin and will feature music from the Georgia Chryslers (7:30 to 9:30 p.m.) and 47 by Crow (10 p.m. to midnight). Visitors will also enjoy dancing, food trucks, and a festive shamrock drop to bring in 2026. A silent disco called the Silent Disco Corral will have 3 different stations to dance to, courtesy of Visit Dublin GA, Company Supply, and Crooked Finger Brewing.