MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. — South Florida will welcome the New Year under unusually cool conditions Tuesday night, as thousands gather for longtime holiday traditions in Miami and Fort Lauderdale despite temperatures dipping into the 40s.
In Miami, crowds are expected to fill Bayfront Park and the surrounding downtown area for the annual New Year’s Eve celebration at the InterContinental Hotel. The event features live performances by Marshmello, Nicky Jam and Flo Rida, followed by fireworks at midnight.
The centerpiece of the Miami celebration is the Big Orange, also known as the “Grand Naranja,” which will rise along the side of the InterContinental Hotel as the clock strikes midnight. Unlike the ball drops held in other major cities, Miami’s Big Orange ascends to the top of the building to mark the start of the New Year.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Big Orange, which first appeared in Miami in the mid-1980s and has since become a South Florida New Year’s Eve tradition. The creator of the Big Orange said the milestone highlights the event’s lasting place in the region’s holiday celebrations.
Fort Lauderdale is also hosting its annual New Year’s Eve festivities, including the city’s signature Anchor Drop. At midnight, an 800-pound, 20-foot-tall anchor outfitted with more than 12,000 LED lights will be lowered from a crane in the heart of downtown.
The Fort Lauderdale celebration will include live music, DJs, food vendors and a family-friendly kids zone, which will feature an early countdown at 7 p.m. Events there are scheduled to begin in the late afternoon.
Officials in both cities say law enforcement will have a strong presence throughout the night to ensure public safety, and they are urging revelers to celebrate responsibly as South Florida counts down to the New Year.
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