Here’s where to celebrate New Year’s Eve and see fireworks in Sacramento
Sacramento will welcome in 2025 at the Old Sacramento waterfront for its Countdown on the Cobblestones event with live music, countdown and fireworks show Wednesday evening.
Free to the public, the event opens at 4 p.m. and includes a 9 p.m. five-minute ball drop at the Old Sacramento Christmas tree at Front Street and K Street, said Dustin Hollingsworth, the assistant director for the city’s Department of Convention and Cultural Services. The night’s events wrap up at 10 p.m.
The show is put together by Pyro Spectaculars, Inc., and Stage Nine Exhibit. Fireworks will launch from three locations, reaching up to 250 feet.
“There’ll be no other activity from what we’re producing,” Hollingsworth said.
The event will feature NPR’s 2024 Tiny Desk Contest winner, and Sacramento native, The Philharmonik, as well as DJ Epik, Element Brass Band and DJ El Indio. Sacramento’s Poet Laureate Andru Defeye will host the night’s festivities.
Old Sacramento’s celebration will include selfie booths, a lounge area and intention stations where residents can write down their New Year’s resolutions.
Countdown on the Cobblestones will close several streets downtown. J Street, A Street and Front Street between J and L streets will be shut down for the night’s festivities, Hollingsworth said. As a result of these closures, traffic and parking will be affected.
There will be no midnight countdown or festivities associated with Countdown on the Cobblestones.
Firework safety on News Years Eve
Dave Lauchner, battalion chief of Sacramento Fire Department, recommends residents attend sanctioned events, like Countdown on the Cobblestones, to see New Year’s Eve fireworks.
Lighting off illegal fireworks can bring a $1,000 fine.
The only time these pyrotechnics are allowed is during a short period on the Fourth of July, Lauchner said.
“Anybody having those (fireworks) should not be shooting them off,” Lauchner said. “So, theoretically, there should be no fireworks being shot off except for the legal show down in Sacramento.”
To minimize fire-related danger, the Fire Department will increase their presence of fire prevention safety officers, focusing on downtown and specifically Old Sacramento.
“For everybody going into the New Year, we hope everybody is out and enjoys themselves, but we want to make sure that they do it in a safe and responsible manner,” Lauchner said.
