The last night of the year
New Year’s Eve is December 31, the last day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. This page counts to the start of the day. If you want the moment the year changes, use the New Year’s Day countdown, which ends at midnight on January 1.
Traditions are familiar: parties, fireworks, a toast at midnight and the song “Auld Lang Syne”, with words credited to the Scottish poet Robert Burns. The song was popularised on North American radio and later television by the bandleader Guy Lombardo, who was born in London, Ontario. The Times Square ball in New York has dropped at midnight since 1907.
The date
December 31 is fixed, so there is no rule to work out. It is not a statutory holiday in Canada, so offices are usually open unless the date falls on a weekend, though many businesses close early. The countdown ends at the first moment of December 31 on your device’s clock and moves on to the next year when the day is over.
Midnight in steps
Because Canada spans six time zones, the new year arrives first in Newfoundland, half an hour later in the Atlantic provinces, and then once an hour across the country, reaching the Pacific coast about four and a half hours after Newfoundland. To count down to midnight in a particular city, set December 31 at 23:59:59 or January 1 at 00:00 with the countdown to any date and choose that city’s time zone.
Getting home safely
Plan how you will get home before the evening begins. Some cities adjust transit service for the night, so check local schedules, and if you will be drinking, arrange a taxi, a ride-share or a designated driver in advance. Setting a reminder with the countdown timer for the last bus or train is one way to keep the evening on track.
Planning the party
The countdown timer runs the evening’s schedule, the full-screen clock is handy as midnight approaches, and you can embed a countdown on an event page. Christmas comes six days before, and Boxing Day five days before.
More countdowns
Need a different date? Use the countdown to any date or count up with time since a date.
Questions
What date is New Year’s Eve this year?
New Year’s Eve is always December 31. The countdown above always shows the next one, so it is right for the current year without any lookup. Only the weekday changes, which affects how the evening is spent.
How is this different from the New Year’s Day countdown?
This page counts to the start of December 31. The New Year’s Day page counts to midnight at the start of January 1, the moment the year changes. Use that one for the midnight countdown.
Which time zone does the countdown use?
Your device’s own. To count down to midnight in another city, use the countdown to any date, choose that city’s time zone and enter the date and time you want.
Is New Year’s Eve a holiday in Canada?
No. It is not a statutory holiday, so most offices and schools follow their normal calendar unless the date falls on a weekend. Many businesses choose to close early, so check local hours.