The Long Island Children’s Museum is the perfect place for families to celebrate the New Year with their 14th annual Countdown to 12 event, giving little ones an opportunity to share in the fun without having to stay up past their bedtimes. Two ball drops will take place on December 31 – one at Noon and one at 4:00 pm.
This year’s theme is “Neon 19” and the LICM will be hosting a range of fun and interactive programming to get kids into the spirit of the holiday. All the Countdown to 12 activities are free with a regular Museum admission.
The Long Island Children’s Museum (LICM) will be aglow as 2018 comes to a close as it celebrates with its annual “noon” year’s eve party, “Countdown to 12!” The annual family-friendly event allows visitors to take part in all the traditional elements of the holiday, including confetti and counting down to the new year, on a schedule designed for children… and exhausted parents. Activities start at noon on Monday, December 31 and feature themed crafts, face painting, a DJ-led dance party and two ball drops!
“Neon ‘19” is the theme of the 2018 year-ending celebration at the Museum. “The Museum’s 25th birthday has been front and center for our programming this year,” explains LICM Director of Education & Visitor Experience Aimee Terzulli. “We wanted a theme that not only captured the party atmosphere associated with New Year’s celebrations, but also that ‘highlighted’ an event that has become a Long Island holiday tradition for families,” she adds. “Neon represents the brightness and excitement of the event, while serving as a bit of nostalgia for many of the parents in attendance,” she added.
LICM created “Countdown to 12!” in 2005 to provide families with the opportunity to celebrate this special occasion together. Family-focused New Year’s celebrations were lacking in the area, but families looking to celebrate certainly were not. Countdown to 12! has become an immensely popular visitation day on the Museum’s calendar. During this year’s celebration, the Museum will cross (appropriately enough) the 25,000 mark in visitor attendance for the day. The lucky visitor will receive a family membership to mark the museum milestone.
Families have the opportunity to take part in all the traditional elements associated with year-end revelry — with the simple substitution of “mid-day” instead of “midnight.” The celebration starts … and concludes … with Times Square-style ball drops (noon and 4 p.m.). In between those iconic moments, families will be able to design neon “highlight hats” and “shimmer and shake” noisemakers, craft commemorative “superstar necklaces,” make “shine slime” and decorate a tasty treat to bring sweetness into the new year. Visitors can also stop by the Face Painting Station to add some extra glitz to their celebratory look. DJ Mike from All Star Party will be on hand to help visitors dance into the new year. All Countdown to 12! activities are included with Museum admission on Monday, December 31.
All activities are held at the Long Island Children’s Museum, 11 Davis Avenue, Garden City, NY. For the safety of our visitors, Adults are not permitted in the Museum without children; Museum visitors under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Museum Hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 10 am.-5 p.m. and most school holidays. Museum admission: $14 for adults and children over 1 year old, $13 seniors, FREE to museum members and children under 1 year old. Additional fees for theater and special programs may apply.