The Long Island Children’s Museum will be aglow as 2018 comes to a close and it celebrates 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.
The festivities and activities start at 12 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 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,” says 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. Neon represents the brightness and excitement of the event, while serving as a bit of nostalgia for many of the parents in attendance.”
The Long Island Children’s Museum 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 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 at 12 and 4 p.m.
In between those iconic moments, families will be able to create neon highlight hats, shimmer-and-shake noisemakers, and craft-commemorative superstar necklaces, as well as 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.
The Long Island Children’s Museum, is located at 11 Davis Ave. in Garden City. For the safety of visitors, adults are not permitted in the museum without children, and museum visitors under 18 years of age must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
