VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — People in Virginia Beach can ring in the new year at Last Night on the Town in Town Center.
In just a couple of days, most of Columbus Street in Town Center will be shut down for bands, a laser show and, of course, the beach ball drop.
The kids party kicks off at 6 p.m. and the main event in ‘Countdown Square’ will start at 9:15 p.m. with live performances. 13News Now proudly sponsors the event.
"Times Square doesn’t have anything over on Virginia Beach. We may not have a crystal ball, but we have a beach ball," said organizer Jeanne Evans-Cox.
The free, family-friendly event was canceled last year, but organizer Evans-Cox says this year, the party is on despite rising COVID-19 cases.
"We debated as to whether or not to have this and we spent many hours talking with the city officials about it and they just felt that it was okay for us to move forward."
But, as the omicron variant spreads across the country, some are rethinking their New Year’s Eve plans.
Just on Tuesday, Virginia recorded almost 7,500 new COVID-19 cases.
Dr. Brandy Darby with the Virginia Department of Health recommends keeping it to small gatherings and masking up if you're going to be in a public setting.
Dr. Anthony Fauci recommends staying away from large New Year’s Eve parties where you do not know everyone’s vaccination status.
Anywhere between 4,000 and 10,000 people will show up Friday night, according to Evans-Cox.
However, she says there are no strict COVID-19 precautions in place.
"We follow all the rules and regulations set forth by the city of Virginia Beach. The city of Virginia Beach has not provided any mandates to me."
Evans-Cox says you can wear a mask and social distance if you want to at the outdoor event.
They are limiting the number of people who can go inside the VIP tent.
She says organizers are using common sense and they’re asking others to do the same.
"We just want people to enjoy themselves. We want them to feel comfortable with it. If they’re not comfortable with it, then they should not attend this event."
Most of all, she says they’re happy the event is back on this year.
"People want to get out and they want to celebrate and so we’re trying to give them that opportunity," says Evans-Cox.