- Light-only pre-shows: the Needle has lit up with 10-minute light shows at 10, 10:30, 11 and 11:30 p.m., a good preview for anyone who cannot stay up for midnight.
- Live broadcast: KING 5 and KONG carry the show in Seattle, with partner stations KGW in Portland, KREM in Spokane and CW 8.2 in San Diego and streaming on KING5+ and the partner apps.
- Radio soundtrack: if you are watching from somewhere in the area, the show's soundtrack has been simulcast on HITS 106.1.
- The tower itself: on December 31 the Space Needle has offered extended daytime hours but closed to visitors in the evening, so the observation deck is not a midnight viewing spot. See our Space Needle guide for a daytime visit.
Watching from Seattle Center
New Year's Eve at the Center is the free grand finale of Seattle Center's Winterfest season, and it spreads across the grounds around the Needle. In recent years the night has followed this shape:
- 8 p.m.: a live band starts in the Armory Food & Event Hall and plays on toward midnight.
- 9 p.m.: a DJ dance party kicks off at the International Fountain, with video projections on the fountain's water from about 10 p.m.
- 10 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.: light-only shows on the Needle every half hour.
- Just before midnight: the drone and fireworks show.
Armory eateries have served until 11:30 p.m., and the building has stayed open until 1 a.m. for restrooms and monorail riders. Venues on the grounds, such as McCaw Hall, have also hosted ticketed shows that night. Plan around the safety exclusion zone: Seattle Center warns that access from entrances near the Needle becomes progressively limited from about 4:30 p.m. on December 31, and that heavy foot and car traffic means a long trip home afterward. See our Seattle Center guide for more on the campus.
Other places to watch the fireworks
Because the fireworks launch from the top of the Space Needle, you can watch from viewpoints around the city with a clear line of sight to the tower. One important catch: most Seattle parks post closing times before midnight, so check each park's hours and any New Year's Eve notices before you plan to stand in one at 12 a.m.
Kerry Park, Queen Anne
The classic postcard view of Seattle, with the Space Needle front and center, downtown behind it and Elliott Bay off to the side, comes from Kerry Park on W Highland Drive, according to Wikipedia. It is a small viewpoint of about 1.26 acres on a residential street, so walk or take a bus up the hill instead of hunting for parking. Seattle Parks lists its hours as 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Gas Works Park, Wallingford
On the north shore of Lake Union, Gas Works Park offers what Seattle Parks calls a beautiful view of the city from its kite hill, and it has long hosted one of Seattle's big Fourth of July fireworks shows. Its posted hours are 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Alki Beach, West Seattle
Alki Beach Park stretches along Elliott Bay between Alki Point and Duwamish Head, across the water from downtown, with a wide waterfront path and plenty of street parking on Alki Ave SW. From October through April, Seattle Parks lists its hours as 4 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.
The downtown waterfront
Along Elliott Bay downtown, Waterfront Park, which now stretches from Pioneer Square to Pier 62, adds open space and elevated views of the bay, with posted hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Farther north, Myrtle Edwards Park at 3130 Alaskan Way runs along the bay with a walking and biking path and is listed as open 24 hours, one of the few waterfront parks where staying past midnight fits the posted hours.
Getting there and home on transit
Driving near Seattle Center on New Year's Eve means closures and slow traffic, so transit is usually the easier choice. Recent years have followed a reliable pattern:
- Fare-free rides: King County Metro, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Everett Transit, Pierce Transit and the Seattle Streetcar have offered free rides on December 31, according to the most recent King County Metro announcement.
- Late Link trains: Sound Transit has extended Link light rail service on the 1 Line with trains about every 15 minutes late into the night and last trips leaving around 2 a.m., per its New Year's Eve service notice. The 2 Line was not extended last time, so check before you rely on it.
- Monorail: the Seattle Center Monorail charges its regular fare, runs from Westlake Center to Seattle Center until the fireworks safety pause in the late evening, then runs back downtown from about 12:20 or 12:30 a.m. until a final departure around 1 a.m., boarding through the Armory's southwest doors.
- Buses: Metro buses have run their regular schedule for that day of the week rather than special late-night service.
Each December the agencies post the year's plan, so check Sound Transit service alerts, the King County Metro Trip Planner and the Seattle Monorail site before you go.
Family-friendly ways to ring in the new year
- Catch an early light show: the 10 p.m. light-only performance on the Needle gives kids a show without a midnight bedtime.
- Stay inside the Armory: warm, with food and restrooms, it is an easy base for families during the evening program at Seattle Center.
- Watch from home: the KING 5 broadcast lets little ones see the fireworks from pajamas, and anyone in the area can tune the radio to the soundtrack.
- Make a day of December: fill the days before with lights and seasonal events from our guide to Seattle in December.
