New Year’s Eve revelers pay $650 for seat at Applebee’s, $12,500 at Times Square lounge to watch ball drop
Would you pay $650 for a table at Applebee’s in Times Square to watch the ball drop?
Apparently many New Year’s Eve revelers are willing to fork over just that and even more — including $12,500 for a luxury couples package at the Marriott Marquis — to ring in 2024, according to events entrepreneur Joshua Perla.
Perla, founder of events sites BallDrop.com and NewYears.com, said business has been brisk for the 30 different Times Square packages.
“We are seeing an uptick in the price consumers are spending on New Year’s Eve tickets that include a live view of the ball drop in Times Square,” Perla told Side Dish.
That includes the $650 per person seating at one of the two Applebee’s locations in Times Square, which will offer a menu that goes beyond the fast-food chain’s usual fare of bottomless salad and pasta options.
“You are really paying for the real estate, to be in the area and ultimately to get a view of the ball drop at midnight,” Perla said.
Evan Lund, a 36-year-old cyber security manager from Loveland, Colo., and his wife, Julie, a 36-year-old teacher, attended the Applebee’s New Year’s Eve festivities last year with a foreign exchange student who was staying with them.
They loved it so much they are back to watch the countdown this year with another foreign exchange student they are hosting from Poland.
“We had to find a party that was for all ages, since the exchange students are under 21, and we wanted to find one with a live view of the ball drop. Others offered streaming but not a live view,” Lund said. “The atmosphere and the different kinds of people who are there is great.
Other packages include $499 to enter the AMC 42nd Street movie theater, which will be converted into a nightlife space along its four floors with the option to walk onto one of two terraces with sight lines of the Swarovski-encrusted ball. The event is limited to 400 people from the theater’s usual capacity of 1,500 to 2,000, Perla said.
Those willing to break the bank can head over to the Broadway Lounge at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square, where the “prime couples’ package” – for $6,250 per person – provides a table overlooking Times Square, an open bar, dinner and a concert by former Kool & the Gang member Skip Martin.
The Renaissance New York Times Square is selling tickets to its R Lounge from $1,950 to $6,500 per person. The latter option provides a front row “iconic view of the live ball drop and the revelers around you,” Perla said.
Many city dwellers, however, said you couldn’t pay them to step foot anywhere near the Crossroads of the World on New Year’s Eve.
“Who are these crazy people? They must be out of their minds,” restaurant consultant Donny Evans said. “They are obviously out-of-towners. I don’t care who you are. I just think New Year’s Eve is such a rip-off in terms of prices. I wouldn’t go to Times Square on New Year’s Eve. I’d rather have a good meal on the East Side or downtown for a third of the price.”
Good, and pricey meals, can be found away from Times Square. The Chef’s Table hidden inside a grocery at Brooklyn Fare on W. 37th St. in Manhattan will serve up a $430 per person, French and Japanese influenced 13-course tasting menu.
Chef Michael Lomonaco’s Porter House, a staple since it opened in 2006, will offer NYE lobster ravioli with lobster tail and vodka sauce, while Chef Camille Becerra’s As You Are at the Ace Hotel Brooklyn, will serve up specials like a $60 lobster thermidor.
Other festive spots include Columbus Circle’s ever-popular Bad Roman, Chef Marc Forgione’s newest eatery, Trattoria One Fifth, and NoLita’s Epistrophy.
One of the least expensive options – aside from watching the annual “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” – might be at Clinton Hall’s Williamsburg location, which is selling general admission tickets for $20.
The deal includes an open bar from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. and a champagne toast at midnight.
We hear… The Times Square Edition hotel and Michelin-starred Chef John Fraser is offering two elevated options: a seven-course meal at 701West or a cocktail soireé in the “all-seasons” gardens at The Terrace. For $3,500 per person at 701West, there’s a seven-course dinner with a wine pairing by Esquire’s beverage director of the year, a five-hour open bar, curated wine and cocktail list, live music, a champagne toast at midnight — and VIP access to the live ball drop.
If that’s a tad high, the “Garden Party” is $2,500 per ticket with canapés at the Terrace and Outdoor Gardens, an open bar and specialty cocktails, live music, a champagne toast, an afterparty including a two-hour open bar from midnight to 2 am — and coveted VIP access to the live ball drop.
