I can't wait for New Years Eve!

[Bubblyzzz]

I get nervous anticipation when I get ready to go out for New Year's Eve. I have a mixture of feelings - wanting to see lots of balloons, to play with and bat them, get some for myself, to pop some and watch other do the same

Am I right in assuming that most looners love New Years Eve?

I remember watching the TV shows as a little girl, waiting anxiously for the balloon drops. They never lasted long enough, but I watched and watched.

My parents sometimes either had parties or went to parties, and it seemed there were always balloons around during these. My sister, cousin and I would gather balloons during and after the parties.

I remember my first New Years eve when I was old enough to go to a dance club/ bar, and they had balloons there. I was trying to be discrete, but then saw all the other girls popping balloons, so I realized I could "play." It was also the first balloon drop I was "in."

Do you all have New Years Eve "things" you love, or do you have past New Years experiences you can share?

Thanks - Bubblyzzz

[Meililoon]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

Lots of balloons on new years eve is an American thing I think. At least we don't have any balloons over here in Norway that I'm aware of. Just lots of fireworks instead.
Either way I'm not a fan. Even as someone who has popped countless balloons over the years, I'm still scared of loud noises. Doesn't matter if it's from balloons or fireworks.

[JR Looner]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

I haven't gone out on New Year's Eve for many years. I usually just take the day to myself, as it is my birthday. I would like to eventually go out to a place that has balloons and just watch to crowd. See if there are any B2Ps or other ways to pop balloons going on.

[Barcelona33]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

Hello everyone

I do not wait for the arrival of New Year's parties with special interest; I am not very prone to the accumulations of people and if there are fireworks I do not approach.

Although I must admit that what I have seen is the event of the year, it is easier to see decorations with balloons and have a balloon drop, people are encouraged and it will be easy to persuade some girl to do a B2P (or that counts).

I have only attended a couple of events of this type and it was with my parents when I was quite small, when my phobia of balloons was quite great and my fondness for them was to play with them carefully, without them exploding; I remember playing with the daughter of my parents' friends, picking them up and accumulating them after a balloon drop, the thing did not end very well, because the friendly friends of my parents, it was funny to burst them with cigarettes, to do other things to betrayal to scare the children ...

[Kiltieman]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

Hi Bubblyzzz.
Yes I can identify with that mix of feelings at new year time. Here in Scotland its called Hogmany and back in the day we would all get our kilts on and go to a dance or ceilidh and of course there would nearly always be a balloon drop for the 'bells' ie the stroke of midnight. At that stage in life I still wasnt comfortable with balloons in other peoples hands especially at a drop where the main object seemed to be to burst the balloons which to me at that time was just a waste of good balloons which someone had taken great trouble to blow up. Like you I always watched balloon drops on tv and at new years eve I used to eye up the balloon net all night to pick out the tightest blownup balloon and the one with the longest necks eetc etc. I always liked to arrive early and watch the staff blow the balloons up to fill the net. I was fascinated by that. I still didnt like the near popping of balloons so I always had a few drinks and when time came it didnt bother me just so much. Also, it was normal for there to be party novelties on the tables which would include uninflated balloons and that meant that members of our own group would blow them up for fun as the night went on. That sometimes made me nervous as there was always someone who just wanted to blow the balloon up till it burst. My then girlfriend didnt mind balloons and always blew them up but didnt pop them. I gained confidence through that and was reasonably at ease with her doing it but she did have a habit of tying them then fiddling about with the balloons making screechy noises and generally making me very nervous. I always liked the end of it all because we would collect as many balloons as we could carry and take them home with us. That was really good.
So yes, New Years eve was always a very balloon intensive time around here

[BYGavia]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

Balloons have never been a part of my New Year's experience. However, when there's a drop on TV, I'm always curious to see if I can spot people deliberately popping them. I've never been to a balloon drop personally, so I wonder if I could stand to be there when it happened...

[Bubble Boy :-P]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

Oh, hella yes! It's the best time of year to be in NY times square! They're literally thousands of balloons being batted & popped by hordes of New Yorkers! ...though it's not an event i would recommend for non-poppers
But yes, absolutely! We Americans LOVE our balloons during new years! Especially us New Yorkers!!

[Bubblyzzz]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

I didn't know they dropped balloons in Times Square On TV they always show people holding the long balloons but never drops, always confetti

[Bubble Boy :-P]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

It seems like after Ryan Seacrest took over for Dick Clark that they've been using more balloons for the new year's celebration. Ryan Seacrest even commented about the balloons one year: " It's freezing out here but the crowd seems to be enjoying the balloons!" Every one was batting around big, orange 36 inch rounds... As for them coming from an actual balloon drop i can't be sure...its pure pandemonium & the balloons just seem to come out of nowhere.

But they're definitely people selling & handing them out...i just feel sorry for the port authority who always has to deal with the mess the next day!

[LoonerCat]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

There have been two years where my New Years Eve's involved balloons. The first was traumatic and my friend chased me down with balloons threatening to pop them. At that age I was very phobic and spent the whole night hiding in fear. My second experience was a few years later and it was a lot better. There was a big bouquet of different colored balloons and at the end of the night the family throwing the party asked me if I wanted one. I went home with a yellow balloon and I was so happy.

[LoudPop]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

I love NYE Balloon drops! I've been in a few at Dance Clubs. It's always great to be in the middle of the drop with balloons raining down and people popping all around you. Women in tight party dresses and high heels and popping balloons!!!

One NYE drop I was in with my SO many years ago. Balloons were coming down and covering the floor, we were popping them and a couple near us; the guy was popping but the girl was flinching every time a balloon exploded near her whether it was him popping or my SO popping them. My SO was a little "wicked" that night and purposely popped a few balloons near the "jumpy" girl just to see her flinch...playful fun not mean...obviously the girl knew there was going to be a balloon drop and lots of popping.

[Loonatic]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

I've always wanted to go to a huge NYE balloon drop! The idea of all the balloons floating down on top of me is sublime! I just have yet to do it because of the issue with there being fireworks about. I am deathly afraid of them and have a bit of PTSD so the mix keeps me from venturing out and I'm usually trying to get to sleep pretty quickly to avoid the firework sounds around me. But I always enjoy all the videos of balloon drops afterwards, hopefully one day I can be a part of one!

[Casey88]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

I plan to attend a balloon drop this time during NYE. How loud will they be any idea?

[BalloonBoyUK]

Re: I can't wait for New Years Eve!

I plan to attend a balloon drop this time during NYE. How loud will they be any idea?

Take 2500 to 5000 air-filled balloons (between 11" and 16" in size, maybe bigger) and then have them all get popped within 2-5 minutes, in a small, crowded indoor area, amongst 1000+ people....

Loud, doesn't even come close to describing how it will be. (And I'm genuinely NOT being sarcastic here.)