The Fort Lauderdale Orange Bowl Downtown Countdown has been touted as one of the largest New Year’s Eve celebrations in Florida, this year’s free street festival is full of fun and excitement for both children and adults. The spectacular celebration will feature a variety of activities for the whole family until 8:30 p.m. including a kids countdown at 7:00 p.m. The festivities for kids include bounce houses/inflatables, face painting and games, contests and dancing with the DJ. Then live music kicks off at 8:00 p.m. for the adult crowd who will wait with anticipation for the larger-than-life illuminated anchor to drop at midnight. Ring in 2017 this Saturday night with hundreds of excited, happy party goers.

SAMPLE SCHEDULE

4:00 p.m.        Orange Bowl Game

Fans are welcome to arrive early and watch the Orange Bowl game live on two giant LED screens located at S.W. 2 Street and S.W. 2 Avenue (outside Tarpon Bend) and at Esplanade Park (across from the Museum of Discovery & Science).  Kickoff is at 4 p.m.

4:30 to 8:30 p.m.        Family Fun Zone

-4:30 to 8:30 p.m.  Inflatables, face painting, DJ with music, games & contests

-6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  Special appearance by OBIE, the Orange Bowl Mascot

-7:00 to 7:30 p.m.  Line dancing

7:00 p.m.        Kids Countdown to illuminate the Anchor

      

8:00 p.m.        Live music on the east stage

T minus 15 minutes (11:45 p.m.): Find last minute ball drop watch positions

Revelers should make their way toward the main stage for the midnight ball drop – it will be elbow room only.

T minus 1 minute 10 seconds (11:59:50 p.m.): Countdown begins

City officials will count down the final seconds of 2016 out and usher in 2017 as the new Downtown Countdown illuminated Anchor descends from the sky.

Midnight: Welcome 2017

A five-minute pyrotechnic display will brilliantly illuminate the sky above Downtown Fort Lauderdale. Bursts of custom-mixed colors light up the night sky as confetti descends on partygoers. And the band plays on…

TRANSPORTATION AND PARKING OPTIONS

The City of Fort Lauderdale reminds everyone to celebrate responsibly and get home safely by using one of the transportation options below.

Parking Locations

Below is a list of parking locations in downtown Fort Lauderdale conveniently located near the event site.

City Park Garage

150 SE 2nd Street

Broward Governmental Garage

151 SW 2nd Street



County Lot II

100 SW 1st Avenue



Riverfront Garage

305 S Andrews Avenue

Riverhouse Lot

220 SW 3rd Avenue

200 Las Olas Circle Garage

200 SW 1st Avenue

Sun Trolley

The Sun Trolley Las Olas Link will operate from 6:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Fares are $1 each way or $3 for an all-day pass. Track Sun Trolley in real time by downloading the app at SunTrolley.com.



Taxi Cabs | Uber | Lyft

There will be two designated pick-up/drop-off areas for Taxi cabs, Uber, and Lyft vehicles: (1) SW 5th Avenue south of Broward Boulevard and (2) SW 1 Avenue south of Broward Boulevard. Any other locations used for pick-up/drop-off will be strictly prohibited and citations will be issued. The designated areas are for Broward County permitted Taxi cabs, Uber and Lyft vehicles only.  All other transportation services are prohibited.



Additionally, Uber is offering users a free ride (up to $20) to or from Downtown Countdown. Follow these simple steps to get $20 off your ride:

1) Download the free Uber iPhone/Android/Windows app (or sign up at http://t.uber.com/NYEFTL)

2) Enter your information in the Uber app and promo code "NYEFTL" when you sign up.

3) Request a ride 5-15 minutes before you need one. $20 will be applied towards your first ride on uberX, uberXL, LUX, or LUX SUV. 

Questions? Check out uber.com/miami or email supportmiami@uber.com

ROAD CLOSURES

Beginning Thursday, December 31, 2015 at 7 a.m. the following traffic restrictions will be in place: (1) SW 2nd Street will be closed from SW 7th Avenue east to SW 1st Avenue; (2) Eastbound SW 2nd Street from SW 7th Avenue to SW 5th Avenue will be restricted to Broward Center for Performing Arts employees and VIP/valet customers only with no parking garage access; (3) SW 2nd Avenue will be closed south of Broward Boulevard; (4) Access to SW 3rd and SW 4th Avenues south of Broward Boulevard will be restricted to residents who live in the area and employees of businesses on those streets; (5) SW 5th Avenue will be restricted to vehicles entering and exiting the Performing Arts Center garage. Roads will reopen at 8 a.m. on Friday, January 1.

The City of Fort Lauderdale Orange Bowl Downtown Countdown is sponsored by Corona Light, Florida Prepaid, MetroPCS, Sunshine Health, and Tarpon Bend.