{"id":84587,"date":"2025-12-30T14:00:12","date_gmt":"2025-12-30T14:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/84587\/"},"modified":"2025-12-30T14:00:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-30T14:00:12","slug":"a-new-year-in-old-new-york-a-history-of-celebration-from-times-square-to-chinatown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/84587\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Year in Old New York: A history of celebration from Times Square to Chinatown"},"content":{"rendered":"

PODCAST\u00a0The ultimate history of New Year\u2019s celebrations in New York City.<\/p>\n

This is the story of the many ways in which New Yorkers have ushered in the coming year, a moment of rebirth, reconciliation, reverence and jubilation.<\/p>\n

In a mix of the old and new, we present a history of early New Year\u2019s festivities, before heading to the city\u2019s most famous party \u2014\u00a0New Year\u2019s Eve in Times Square.<\/p>\n

Why did Times Square become the focal point for the world\u2019s reflection on a new calendar year? And how did Times Square\u2019s many changes in the 20th century influence those celebrations? Featuring Dick Clark, Guy Lombardo, Three Dog Night \u2014 and Daisy Duke.<\/p>\n

THEN\u00a0Greg brings you the story of the\u00a0Chinese New Year\u00a0which has been celebrated in Manhattan\u2019s Chinatown since\u00a0before\u00a0there was even a Times Square! The celebration has been at the bedrock of the Chinese experience in New York. But in the 19th century, the customs of the season were met with curiosity, bewilderment and sometimes harsh disapproval.\u00a0 And what\u2019s up with the fireworks?<\/p>\n

Listen Now: A New Year in Old New York Podcast<\/p>\n

Or listen to it straight from here:<\/p>\n

________________________________________________________<\/p>\n

The Bowery Boys: New York City History podcast is brought to you \u2026. by you!<\/p>\n

We are now producing a new Bowery Boys podcast every other week. We\u2019re also looking to improve the show in other ways and expand in other ways as well \u2014 through publishing, social media, live events and other forms of media. But we can only do this with your help!<\/p>\n

We are now a member of\u00a0Patreon, a patronage platform where you can support your favorite content creators for as little as a $1 a month.<\/p>\n

Please visit\u00a0our page on Patreon<\/a>\u00a0and watch a short video of us recording the show and talking about our expansion plans. If you\u2019d like to help out, there are five different pledge levels (and with clever names too \u2014 Mannahatta, New Amsterdam, Five Points, Gilded Age, Jazz Age and Empire State). Check them out and consider being a sponsor.<\/p>\n

_______________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Visit\u00a0Times Square NYE<\/a>\u00a0for details about this Tuesday\u2019s party in Times Square.\u00a0 For general information about this year\u2019s Chinese New Year, check out\u00a0this handy web guide<\/a>.\u00a0 And visit\u00a0Better Chinatown<\/a>\u00a0for a map of this year\u2019s parade route.<\/p>\n

New Years Day celebrations have evolved since the days of New Amsterdam when visitations symbolized a \u2018fresh start\u2019 to the year.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>Courtesy NYPL<\/p>\n

A decorative cigar box from the 1890s, ringing in the new year with a winsome damsel and wholesome scenes of winter beckoning you to smoke a cigar.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>Courtesy Museum of the City of New York<\/p>\n

The crowds outside Trinity Church on 1906 gathered to usher in the new year. The church was traditionally the place people gathered before the Times Square celebration took off.<\/p>\n

\"1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Fated to be the centerpiece of New Years Eve, One Times Square once wore some beautiful architecture until much of it was ripped off to accommodate a frenzy of electronic signs.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>Courtesy NYPL<\/p>\n

Times Square in 1905 for the very first New Years Eve celebration albeit one with fireworks, not a ball drop.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>Courtesy NYPL<\/p>\n

The party offerings at the Hotel Astor in Times Square in 1926.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>Courtesy Museum of the City of New York<\/p>\n

The view of Times Square from the Empire State Building.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>Courtesy NYPL<\/p>\n

New Years Eve 1938<\/p>\n

\"AP<\/a>AP photo<\/p>\n

The throngs in 1940 with the\u00a0Gone With The Wind\u00a0marquee in the background (not to mention Tallulah Bankhead in the play\u00a0The Little Foxes!)<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>Courtesy New York Daily News<\/p>\n

Ushering in 1953:<\/p>\n

\"9\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Celebrations were also held for a time in Central Park, like this festive group from 1969:<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<\/a>Courtesy New York Parks Department<\/p>\n

An electrician from the Artkraft Strauss Sign Corporation tests out the lighting effects that will greet the new year in 1992.<\/p>\n

\"MARTY<\/a>MARTY LEDERHANDLER\/ASSOCIATED PRESS<\/p>\n

Images of Chinese New Year celebrations in Chinatown from the early 20th century, courtesy the Library of Congress.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"[1900] Library of Congress<\/p>\n

\"\"Chinese child with an adult on step outside of building, Chinatown, New York City, 1909. Library of Congress<\/p>\n

\"\"[Jan. 30 1911] Library of Congress<\/p>\n

The parade in 1936.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Museum of the City of New York<\/p>\n

The Chinese New Year Parade of 1943 was decidedly more patriotic<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Museum of the City of New York<\/p>\n

FURTHER LISTENING<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PODCAST\u00a0The ultimate history of New Year\u2019s celebrations in New York City. This is the story of the many…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":84588,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[9098,9,11,10,2027,41293],"class_list":["post-84587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-chinatown","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-news","tag-times-square","tag-trinity-church"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/84588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}