Events at New Year

Across genres and across America, you'll find fascinating events, cultural experiences, world-class performances, and one-of-a-kind activities to ring in the New Year like never before – all of which are absolutely free! See what BellFest has in store for you.

Stay tuned as we announce experiences for the 2024 National Bell Festival!

100th Anniversary of Big Ben Broadcast
Location: BBC News at the Elizabeth Tower
Time: Midnight on New Year's Eve (GMT)

On December 31, 1923, the chimes of Big Ben resounded not just in the immediate environs of the Palace of Westminster, but far across the British Isles as the BBC broadcast for the first time the 12 strokes at midnight to herald the start of a New Year.
Ring around the World
Location: Multiple Locations
Time: Midnight on New Year's Eve (Local)

This New Year’s Eve, the third annual Ring around the World will invite bells to resound in an international moment of unity and celebration. At midnight local time on 31 Dec. 2023, bells are set to toll the hour near the international date line with a stirring arrangement of “Auld Lang Syne.”
 
Japanese Bell Dedication Ceremony
Location: U.S. National Arboretum
Time: 1:30-2:00pm (Eastern)

Hear the resonant tolls of a sacred Japanese temple bell cast in 1798 ring out for the first time at the U.S. National Arboretum. The bell, a gift from the National Bell Festival, will be dedicated and installed in a new structure along the central courtyard of the three pavilions and special exhibits gallery that comprise the National Bonsai & Penjing Museum.
Nationwide Bell Ringing
Location: Multiple Locations
Time: 2:00-2:20pm (Eastern)

The National Bell Festival invites bells and bell towers across America to ring out together on New Year’s Day, creating a canopy of sound over our nation. Cathedrals and churches, community organizations and historical structures, national parks and memorials, and people from coast to coast are encouraged to gather and contribute to the sound.