6 Quirky New Year’s Eve Countdowns in Ohio

A new year is a time for a fresh start. It’s when we make resolutions (that we really try our hardest to keep) like eating better, going to the gym and spending less time on our screens. As 2026 approaches, it calls for sending off 2025 in style. Instead of watching the ball drop in New York City on TV at home, pay a visit to these four towns to ring in the new year in ways that only they can. 

New Year’s Eve at Winterfest | Dec. 31
Thrillseekers, this one’s for you. Visitors to this event at Mason’s Kings Island can ride rollercoasters until 11 p.m. before saying hello to 2026 with a firework show. Enjoy specialty snacks and drinks while admiring a 314-foot-tall Christmas tree that transforms into a clock a minute before the new year. Plus, for those who can’t make it to midnight, a 10 p.m. countdown is available at the amusement park’s Festhaus restaurant.

New Year’s Eve Donut Drop | Dec. 31
Often visited in the summer months for its waterfront activities, aquatic center and pickleball courts, Lakeside Chautauqua is honoring its warm-weather pastimes with an inflatable donut ringing in 2026. Beginning at 11 p.m., visitors can celebrate with live music, cups of hot chocolate and, of course, complimentary “Patio Donuts” from the campus’ Patio Restaurant. Meals from Kansha Hibachi Express will also be served from 5 p.m. to midnight while supplies last.

Port Clinton Walleye Drop | Dec. 31
Check out this 600-pound, 20 foot-long fish drop in the Walleye Capital of the World in Port Clinton. This huge celebration on North Madison and East Perry Streets starts in the afternoon with kid-friendly festivities like games with the mayor, “touch a truck” and a minnow drop. Adults can enjoy the annual Bar Swim, with stops in Catawba, Marblehead and Port Clinton, as well as live music downtown. Make sure to be back for the evening’s main event: Wylie Walleye dropping to ring in 2026. The night concludes with a fireworks show over Lake Erie.

Glass Town Countdown | Dec. 31
Lancaster has a rich glass heritage thanks to companies like Anchor Hocking and Gay Fad Studios. That heritage is celebrated in a dazzling way every Dec. 31. A giant glass ball made up of more than 700 individual blown-glass orbs serves as the centerpiece of the Glass Town Countdown in Zane Square. Locals create the blown-glass pieces throughout the year at the Ohio Glass Museum, and the colorful collaboration is the centerpiece of a midnight countdown topped off by a show from Jerry’s Fireworks.

New Year’s Eve Sausage Drop | Dec. 31
The northwest Ohio village of Elmore drops an 18-foot sausage made out of lights during its annual New Year’s Eve countdown that began as a tribute to Tank’s Meats, a local institution since 1907. A countdown perfect for littles ones who can’t make it to midnight, the event runs from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Elmore Historical Society and includes snacks, bingo, a sausage-eating contest and live music culminating in the sausage drop and fireworks to cap off the evening.

Rockin’ Popcorn New Year’s Eve Celebration | Dec. 31
Ohio is also home to the Popcorn Capital of the World; Marion has a rich history in manufacturing and exporting the beloved movie theater snack. Since 2008, this annual celebration pays tribute by dropping a massive, illuminated popcorn ball, made to look like a kernel, as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. Visitors can stay warm and cozy at Marion’s Xcel Sport Academy while playing games, perusing craft and food vendors and participating in pizza and hotdog eating contests in anticipation of 2026.

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