New Year’s revelers celebrated the arrival of 2026 with their favorite Peeps on Wednesday.
Peepsfest continued the annual tradition of dropping a 400-pound, 4-foot-9-inch replica marshmallow Peep to welcome the new year.
The two-day event was at the ArtsQuest Center in Bethlehem.
The Peep drop sold out on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
The lit-up Peep was dropped at 5:35 p.m. each day. A fireworks display followed. Children 12 and under received free Peeps tote bags, and everyone in attendance got a chance to enjoy crafts, food, games and live music.
The event celebrates the iconic product made by Bethlehem-based Just Born.
Peepsfest is one of several events for Lehigh Valley area residents to ring in 2026. Crayola Experience in Easton hosted Jazzberry Jammin’ New Year’s Event on Wednesday afternoon, and Allentown was set to host the first-ever Lehigh Valley NYE Drone Show at 10 p.m. Wednesday at Seventh and Hamilton streets.
In Hackettstown, Steve and Sharon Somers were selected to drop the giant M&M at midnight for the town’s third annual New Year’s Eve celebration.
In Manhattan’s Times Square, epicenter of New Year’s Eve festivities, the annual ball drop was set to take place not once but twice at midnight. This is to celebrate the new year as well as kick off 2026 as the 250th anniversary of America’s founding.
Scroll through the photos above for a flavor of this year’s Peepsfest.