Here's how you can celebrate New Year’s Eve in North Texas
The countdown to 2020 is on and big parties in Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington means there's something close by for everyone in North Texas.
Downtown Dallas is one of the many places where people can celebrate New Year’s Eve with a fireworks show.
Crews have been prepping the roof, as well as the load-in on the Reunion Tower GeO-Deck for the fourth year in a row. The “Over the Top NYE” show is the only 360-degree, panoramic fireworks spectacular in the Central time zone.
Just before the clock strikes midnight, the downtown Dallas skyline will go dark for one minute and then there will be a 10-minute combined fireworks and LED light show synchronized to music on 103.7 FM.
More: www.reuniontower.com/NYE
"Lots of ways to see it but we've built this show to be 360 degrees panoramic. So really, anywhere people are, they can... if they're in their car, at the Trinity River, one of the high rises or apartment buildings downtown. Any place you see it, it will be a spectacular show," said Reunion Tower President Dusti Groskreutz.
The official watch party for the event will be on the steps of Dallas City Hall. The free party starts at 7 p.m. with food trucks, live entertainment and a New Year’s Eve countdown.
In Fort Worth’s Sundance Square, the free party starts at 7 p.m. Revelers can enjoy live music on four stages, food vendors, an interactive light show and confetti at midnight.
“This is the biggest New Years Eve event we’re aware of that’s ever happened in the state of Texas,” said Walter Kinzie, Encore Live.
Organizers say this year’s New Year's Eve celebration in Sundance Square has grown since last year. It has added 19 more musical performances on multiple stages, art installations and a special countdown to midnight. Officials say it puts a Texas twist on the traditional ball drop.
“We’re not gonna drop the ball, we’re not going to do anything like that, we’re going to raise our hat to the city of Fort Worth,” Kinzie said.
Tuesday night’s festivities will also feature a light show to usher in the new year to an expected crowd of more than 20,000 people.
“Our production is so significant that as we started working on it, Homeland Security notified DFW airport and they’ve had to re-route air traffic tonight because we’re making such a bright light into the air,” Kinzie said.
More: www.sundancesquarefwnye.com
In Arlington, Texas Live! will host its own Lone Star-style ball drop. There will also be live music starting at 8 p.m., a fireworks show and party that lasts until 2 a.m.
“We’ve got four big confetti cannons, we doubled up from last year,” said Jim Watry, Texas Live!
Organizers there are also looking to make their celebration bigger and better.
“It’s our biggest night of the year, so we built this building knowing we’re going to have a big New Year's Eve and we planned a lot of it with the stage and the screens and all that,” Watry said.
Organizers say they’ve learned from feedback after their first New Year’s Eve last year. There’s more entertainment and attractions, including everything from karaoke and casino games to Vegas showgirls, a DJ and live bands to make the night special.
“It’s just going to be a world class party, we’re building on what we did last year,” Watry said.
More: nye-live.com/texas/
For those looking to get around, Dallas Area Rapid Transit is offering free rides starting at 6 p.m. until the end of the festivities on New Year's (about 1 a.m.).