TAMPA, Fla. — You don’t need to be in Times Square to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a big way. There are various events happening in the Tampa Bay Area to close out 2022 with a bang.
Armature Works’ annual New Year’s Eve celebration is all day long. It kicks off with the free Noon Year’s Eve event at 11 a.m.
“Which is geared toward our kids. It's very family-friendly. It's free to attend and see the fireworks,” said Amanda Wregg, Armature Works spokesperson. “There are some costs involved, such as we have unlimited wristbands. We’re bringing in 6 to 7 different bounce houses and an obstacle course.”
Later that night, adults can raise a glass to 2023 in two new VIP experiences. Last year Armature Works limited its New Year's Eve capacity because of COVID. This year's celebration will be on a larger scale.
“Fireworks are definitely going to be bigger and better based on the location and where they’re shooting off from. We’re just able to do larger shells. So it will be a bigger production which is really exciting,” said Wregg.
The City of St. Petersburg is hosting NYE on the Pier, followed by a fireworks show at midnight. It is a free event, starting at 8 pm until 1 am.
“Will be great food, great entertainment, live music, food trucks lined up along the pier. So, we want to give people the chance to begin celebrating before midnight,” said Erica Riggins with the City of St. Pete.
If you are participating in New Year's Eve festivities, plan to have a safe ride before going out drinking.
“At this point, everybody knows that it’s unsafe to drive impaired and yet people still do it. Every single year thousands are killed on the road because of it,” said AAA spokesperson Mark Jenkins.
AAA offers a free Tow to Go program to anyone who is impaired. When you call (855) 2-TOW-2-GO or (855) 286-9246, AAA will take you and your vehicle up to 10 miles to your home or a safe location.
“If you’re in a tough situation, and you’re tempted to drink impaired, don’t do it. Call AAA and we’ll make sure you have a safe ride,” Jenkins said.
