2025 New Year’s Eve things to do in RI, from fireworks to comedy

Susan McDonald
| Special to The Journal

The season of merriment isn’t over until you’ve rung in the New Year, and Rhode Island venues are beckoning with activities for all ages, pocketbooks and appetites.

Check out some of these local New Year’s Eve events:

Family-friendly

Bonfire. Ninigret Park (tinyurl.com/ytfmxn6r), 5 Park Lane, Charlestown. The fire department lights – and supervises – a towering bonfire from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Enjoy food truck fare, music, hot cocoa and an entertainment zone for the kids. Everything but the food is free.

Noon Year’s Eve. Let’s face it – kids peak early, so get over to the Providence Children’s Museum (providencechildrensmuseum.org), at 100 South St., Providence, for fun from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In addition to the museum’s amazing exhibits, there will be jamming with Rock-a-Baby, party crown making and tricks by Circus Dynamics. The day peaks with a ball and confetti drop at noon. Admission is $17; under age 1 admitted free.

WaterFire and fireworks. Trek to the Michael Van Leesten Pedestrian Bridge and 195 District Park, Providence, (providencenye.org), where festivities begin at 5 p.m. with live music, food trucks, an adult beverage garden and an after-dark playground. At 5:30, WaterFire braziers are lit and musicians and entertainers begin to roam. Fireworks start at 8:30 p.m. Activities are free.

Laugh the night away. End your year chuckling along with The Bit Players, an improv troupe with three shows at Firehouse Theater (firehousetheater.org), 4 Equality Park Place, Newport. All ages are invited, but the nature of improv means that anything is possible. Tickets for the shows – at 7, 9 and 11 p.m. – are $25.

Adults only

The Countdown Celebration. Gas Lamp Grille (gaslampgrille.com), 206 Thames St., Newport, 9:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Bring your energy and don “chic and stylish” attire for this DJ-fueled dance party. Tickets are $28. Feeling extra festive? Start in the restaurant for the $40 three-course dinner. The menu includes steak tips, glazed salmon and other delicacies.

We’re Poppin’ into 2026. The 21+ house party at Gpub (gpubrestaurants.com), 61 Orange St., Providence, runs from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. A DJ and the club’s new sound system pump up the excitement. There are also raffle prizes and a late-night kitchen. Tickets are $30 for standing, $40 for tables, with complimentary champagne.

Move, Magic and Manifest. Start work on your resolutions early at Pivotal Brewing Company, 500 Wood St., Building 111, Bristol (pivotalbrewing.com). Offerings include a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout from 11 a.m. to noon, vision board making from noon to 5 p.m., and tarot card readings and sessions with mediums from 1 to 5 p.m. The HIIT class is $40 but other activities are free.

Chinese food and blues. Chan’s, 267 Main St., Woonsocket (chanseggrollsjazz.com), has the food and music you need to welcome in the New Year. Boston’s Fat City Band brings its signature blend of jump blues, swing and New Orleans music. Buffet opens at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $70 in advance, $80 at the door and include hats, noisemakers and champagne toast.

‘90s vs Y2K. Bally’s Lincoln Casino Resort, 100 Twin River Road, Lincoln (tinyurl.com/2v3mj4m9). No matter which decade you fall into, the 21+ evening of dinner, music, dancing and a mentalist/magician show promises memorable fun. Dinner stations open at 7 p.m. Black tie is optional. Tickets start at $69.

10th annual Courthouse party. Neal & the Vipers take the stage at the Courthouse Center for the Arts, 3481 Kingstown Road, South Kingstown (courthousearts.org) for their annual New Year’s Eve bash. The show starts at 9 with a playlist of blues, rock, surf and rockabilly that basically encourages audience dancing. Tickets start at $27.

Midnight in Paris. The Event Factory (theeventfactoryri.com), 144 Metro Center Blvd., Warwick, transports you to the City of Light to celebrate the New Year from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Enjoy heavy passed hors d’oeuvres, three rooms of entertainment and two DJs. Dress to impress. General admission is $145 with VIP tables available.

‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’