New York may be famous for its 11,875-pound, 12-foot diameter Waterford crystal ball that drops over Times Square every New Year’s Eve, but it’s no longer the only for revelers wishing to count down the minutes to the new year. For the second consecutive year, Panama City, Florida will celebrate New Year’s Eve by dropping an 800-pound glowing beach ball at Pier Park.

Watch the video below of last year’s event, which attracted more than 12,000 attendees:

Festivities, all of which are free and open to the public, begin at 5:30 p.m. with family entertainment that will include bounce houses, party favors, street performers, stilt walkers and face painters, and culminates at 8:30 p.m. with fireworks and a drop of 7,000 inflatable beach balls.

Streets will be closed for the countdown celebration from 9:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m., and the 120-foot descent of the beach ball will begin just before midnight, followed by a midnight fireworks display over the Gulf of Mexico. Southwest Airlines is sponsoring this year’s event in celebration of the May opening of Panama City’s new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport and their entry into the market. In addition to the lineup of events, Southwest has donated six pairs of round trip airfare tickets as prize giveaway.

Panama City Beach is also offering great packages on accommodations, with rates at select properties start at $99 per night for gulf-front accommodations when reservations are booked online using promo code: NYE. It’s a novel, family-friendly event, and best of all, there’s no freezing temperatures to endure.

Video courtesy of Panama City Beach

Article by Barbara Weibel at Hole In The Donut Travels