New Year's Eve 2022 In Beverly

BEVERLY, MA — It's been three years since many people on the North Shore got together for big gatherings to ring in the new year.

So this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, some New Year's Eve traditions are returning — with new events being launched — to help families and revelers celebrate the start of 2023.

Here is a look at some additional events happening in and around Beverly:

Salem Frozen Fire Festival: The city will host a week of live music, heated igloos, fire pits, ice sculptures, food, craft beer and more from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. The Frozen Fire Festival is open until midnight on New Year's Eve.

Beverly Downtown New Year's Eve: The Cabot Street costume parade and beach ball drop return downtown after a two-year absence.

Rockport New Year's Eve: This family-friendly event includes more than 30 artists and performances at venues throughout downtown Rockport. There are kid-friendly activities and a ball drop in Dock Square at midnight.

First Night Boston: This tradition dating back to 1975 will be back in full force this year for the first time since 2019 with music, arts and performances across the city and a fireworks show at midnight.

Hoppin' New Year's Eve Party at the Danvers Doubletree Hotel: This night of comedy, music and food is traditionally one of the biggest New Year's Eve bashes on the North Shore. This year's event is already sold out.

The Castle's Annual New Year's Eve Party in Beverly: Tickets include passed hors d'oeuvres all night (including desserts!), midnight toast, prizes and games all night long.

(If your organization, business, restaurant or bar is holding a special New Year's Eve event this year that is open to the public, Patch welcomes you to list it in the comments section of this story or email it to [email protected].)

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year's Eve traditions is, of course, the dropping of the giant ball in New York City's Times Square. Various cities have adopted their own iterations of the event — the Peach Drop in Atlanta, the Chick Drop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the giant Potato Drop in Boise, Idaho.

The end of one year and beginning of another is often celebrated with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne," a Scottish folk song whose title roughly translates to "days gone by," according to Encyclopedia Britannica and History.com.

The history of New Year's resolutions dates back 8,000 years to ancient Babylonians, who would make promises to return borrowed objects and pay outstanding debts at the beginning of the new year, in mid-March when they planted their crops.

According to legend, if they kept their word, pagan gods would grant them favor in the coming year. If they broke the promise, they would fall out of God's favor, according to a history of New Year's resolutions compiled by North Hampton Community College New Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Many secular New Year's resolutions focus on imagining new, improved versions of ourselves.

The failure rate of New Year's resolutions is about 80 percent, according to U.S. News & World Report. There are myriad reasons, but a big one is they're made out of remorse for gaining weight, for example, and aren't accompanied by a shift in attitude and a plan to meet the stress and discomfort of changing a habit or condition.