New Years Eve in Hershey, PA!

We decided to send off 2023 in style with a full day of fun and a late night party in the sweetest town on earth, Hershey, PA! From breakfast to midnight, we spent an entire day on Chocolate Avenue taking in everything this quaint town has to offer for the holiday. We started our day with breakfast at First Watch, a breakfast chain we have come to love for their fresh foods and rotating menu options. We made it just in time to try the gingerbread spice donuts that were only available for another week. We then took a stroll down Chocolate Avenue to down to the historic Hershey Theatre where our car was parked for the day. The Hershey Theatre is public access free parking for events in Hershey, PA and is one of the parking areas recommended by the NYE event committee. That said, we also happened to be seeing a show at the Theatre after breakfast - so we had a proper excuse to use the lot!

After a wonderful performance in the theater, we proceeded to the Hershey Story Museum for a unique experience, the around-the-world chocolate tasting. For $13, you receive a flight of six sipping chocolates from places such as Ghana, Tanzania, and Hershey PA. You can share your flight with your family and it portions were certainly big enough for two people to share. After we finished our tasting, we went to Houlihan’s for our early evening dinner reservation. Don’t forget, Hersheypark season passholders can also get a dining discount here! On our way out the door, we ran into our friend and former Hersheypark team member, JBH Adventures. At this point, we still had several hours to go until midnight, but we decided to join the building crowd that was waiting for the stage area to open in Chocolatetown Square. At 8:00PM, the festivities really kicked off with a Hershey mascot dance party, featuring Hershey Bar, Reeses, and Jolly Rancher! Kids were invited to participate in the final “bubble wrap stomp” of the evening - and, unfortunately, that was about the time it started raining.

 Without any precipitation in the forecast, we were not prepared with any rain gear or appropriate footwear. We stuck it out for the first band that took the stage, but eventually, we had to seek shelter inside of various buildings and/or our own car. We remained determined to see the year out with a bang, and when the time came, we ventured back out into the cold, wet rain for the last hour of 2023. After a late night food truck snack, we made our way through the crowd to the perfect spot to view the iconic Hershey Kiss raise. Despite the poor weather, there was still a party going on around us, and the crowd was awaiting midnight with great enthusiasm. We thought for sure the fireworks wouldn’t go off due to the rain, but just as the gigantic kiss hit the top of the building, fireworks exploded into the night sky. We really enjoyed the pyrotechnics and laser show, and it was well worth staying up late in the rain for the big countdown. We would love to return to Hershey for future New Year’s celebrations…hopefully without the rain next time! For more information about all that Hershey has to offer for NYE, check out our vlog below! Thanks to the Hershey New Year’s Eve Committee for use of their high-resolution images for this publication.