Depending on where you are in the commonwealth when the clock strikes midnight tomorrow, you could be watching a giant bologna or wrench drop from the sky. Or maybe a giant yellow Peep. 

Larger cities and smaller towns across Pennsylvania have some fun New Year’s Eve by putting a local spin on the time-honored New Year’s Eve tradition of dropping something at midnight. From pickles and Kisses, to mushrooms and potato chips, Pennsylvanians drop (or, in some cases, raise) some of the most unusual items in the country. 

Below is a sampling of some of the purely Pennsylvania year-end celebrations held throughout the state.

Bethlehem commemorates the beginning of a new year with the dropping of a 400-pound yellow Peep. (Courtesy of SteelStacks)

🍾 Bethlehem commemorates the beginning of a new year with the dropping of a 4-foot-9, 400-pound yellow Peep during PeepsFest, a two-day event (Dec. 30-31) celebrating the marshmallow candies made in the Lehigh Valley. And you don’t have to wait until midnight to watch the Peep drop. The dropping of the Peep takes place at 5:35 p.m. each night.

🍾 Gettysburg started a new tradition a few years back, the raising of Abraham Lincoln’s stovepipe hat at the stroke of midnight in Lincoln Square. The event, From Lincoln Square to Times Square, features family-friendly activities like face painting and balloon animals, as well as live entertainment. 

🍾 Just before midnight, a giant, lit strawberry starts its descent in Harrisburg. Why a strawberry? It’s in recognition of Harrisburg’s Strawberry Square shopping center. The celebration begins at 9 p.m. this year.

The giant Hershey’s Kiss is raised on Dec. 31, 2024, in Hershey. (Courtesy of Hershey)

🍾 Hershey, aka “The Sweetest Place on Earth,” puckers up for a decadent new year with the raising of a Hershey’s Kiss at midnight. The festivities begin at 7:30 p.m. in downtown Hershey, with the night culminating in a Kiss countdown with the Hershey’s characters, the Kiss raising, and then a fireworks display.

🍾 Kennett Square, aka the “Mushroom Capital of the World,” drops a 700-pound stainless steel mushroom at the stroke of midnight as a nod to the town’s acres of fungus farms. The festivities begin at 7 p.m. on State and Union streets.

🍾 At midnight, Pittsburgh raises the “Future of Pittsburgh” ball, a 1,000-pound orb made of 100% recycled materials, symbolizing the Steel City’s dedication to conservation. This New Year’s Eve, the festivities begin at 7 p.m. in the Cultural District.

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Thanks for reading. This newsletter was written by Patrick Berkery with reporting by Ashley Adams. It was edited by Paula Solis.

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