Visit Panama City Beach is pleased to announce the return of its New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop, one of the destination’s most highly anticipated events of the year and the most fun countdown to 2022 on the Gulf Coast. Attracting thousands of visitors to the destination, the 14th annual December 31 celebration includes live music, entertainment and not one, but two beach ball drops – both accompanied by spectacular fireworks displays on the streets of Pier Park.

“We are overjoyed to bring this exciting annual event back in its traditional format, following a modified event in 2020,” shares President and CEO of Visit Panama City Beach Dan Rowe. “With this year’s outstanding lineup of live music, the promise of 10,000 inflatable beach balls cascading down and thrilling fireworks, visitors can say goodbye to 2021 in style whether it’s their first visit, or their fourteenth.” 

Families with young children can enjoy the first countdown of the evening at 8:00 p.m., which includes fireworks and the release of 10,000 inflatable beach balls from nets stretched over the crowds at Pier Park. At midnight, guests can ring in the New Year with a final countdown and the lowering of a giant LED-lit beach ball on Panama City Beach’s Celebration Tower in the center of Pier Park. Standing over 80 feet tall, this tower is ten feet taller than the ball drop in Times Square in Manhattan and can be seen from Russell-Fields Pier where the second round of fireworks will be launched over the Gulf of Mexico and the “World’s Most Beautiful Beaches.”

Throughout the night, visitors can enjoy food vendors, games, children’s activities and musical performances by the Barry Fish Band, the Will Thompson Band and the Celebrity All-Star Band building up to midnight. Please see below for a full schedule of events: 

Friday, December 31, 2021

  • Family Fun Activities begin at 5:30 p.m.
  • The Barry Fish Band performs at 5:35 p.m.
  • Kids’ Countdown at 7:30 p.m.
  • Beach Ball Drop at 8 p.m.
  • The Will Thompson Band performs at 8:15 p.m.
  • The Celebrity All-Star Band performs at 10 p.m.
  • New Year’s Eve Countdown at 11:55 p.m.
  • Fireworks at Midnight 

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3on28EO. 

For images of this event, visit https://bit.ly/3mckGF4.