Fireworks are released over the downtown skyline during Austin’s New Year at Auditorium Shores, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023.
SARA DIGGINS/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Austin will ring in 2026 with a familiar mix: live music, fireworks over Lady Bird Lake, and a national TV audience watching us do it. This year’s Austin’s New Year celebration doubles as CNN’s Central Time Zone headquarters, with anchors, musicians and a few celebrity cameos for the countdown.
Now, Austin’s New Year isn’t trying to outdo Times Square — and that’s kind of the point. The free, all-ages event takes place Dec. 31 at Auditorium Shores. Indie folk mainstays The Head and the Heart headline a lineup stacked with local talent, while CNN correspondents Sara Sidner and Cari Champion broadcast live from the park as part of “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.” Translation: Austin gets its moment, and it’s being televised.
Article continues below this ad
Who’s performing — and who’s popping up on TV
Flavor Flav attends the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 22, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
David Becker – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
The night’s music is Austin-forward, with performances by The Point, Tameca Jones and Chaparelle before a headlining set from The Head and the Heart. Just before midnight, the crowd gets a drone show followed by fireworks. On screen, CNN’s coverage brings a bigger celebrity orbit. Sidner and Champion will anchor the Central Time Zone countdown live from Auditorium Shores, with interviews and appearances that include Flavor Flav and Ariana Madix.
Elsewhere on CNN’s nationwide broadcast, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will be bouncing between performances and cameos from a truly chaotic lineup that includes Shakira, Florence + The Machine, Patti LaBelle, Hugh Jackman, Stephen Colbert and more.
Article continues below this ad
When and where
Downtown Austin fireworks closing out the 2016 and welcoming the New Year 2017 for the tens of thusands attending the festivities at Auditorium Shores on Saturday December 31, 2016. JOHN GUTIERREZ / FOR AMERICAN-STATESMAN
JOHN GUTIERREZ, JOHN GUTIERREZ / FOR AMERICAN-ST
Gates open at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Schedule highlights include:
7–11:45 p.m.: Live music (The Point, Tameca Jones, Chaparelle, The Head and the Heart)
11:45–11:55 p.m.: Drone show
11:30 p.m.–midnight (TV): Fireworks and CNN broadcasts the Central Time Zone countdown live from Auditorium Shores
Article continues below this ad
How to attend, what to know before you go
Blankets and chairs are allowed at Auditorium Shores, but pets are not, except for trained service animals. The event will feature entrances on the east and west ends of the park, and all bags will be subject to search. Outside alcohol, glass, fireworks and sparklers are prohibited. A range of food trucks and bars will be on site — including Amy’s Ice Cream, Chi’Lantro BBQ, Garbo’s Lobster and T-Loc’s Sonora Hot Dogs — with alcoholic beverages available for guests 21 and older.
Getting there is easiest without a car: CapMetro is offering free rides after 5 p.m. on Dec. 31, with rail service extended until 2:30 a.m., and the hike-and-bike trail will be open for those walking or biking in. Parking will be limited and congested, with garages available at the Palmer Events Center, City Hall and One Texas Center, and no parking allowed in the Bouldin Creek neighborhood.
Expect road closures on West Riverside Drive from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. and on South First Street between Cesar Chavez and Riverside from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., while Lady Bird Lake will be closed to all watercraft from 10:30 p.m. until 1 a.m.
Article continues below this ad
How to watch from your couch
CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage airs across TV, digital and social platforms.
The full broadcast — including the Austin countdown — will also stream on CNN’s subscription platform via CNN.com and the CNN app. Central Time Zone coverage from Auditorium Shores begins at 11:30 p.m. CT.