New Year's Eve, New York City- with the kids

[user1494670108]

What to do? We have the rest of the visit beautifully planned but don't know what to do on the evening. It's my birthday (a big one!) just to complicate matters!
We've a pretty big budget and want to party and see the New Year In in a memorable way. Kids are 11 and 13.
Any ideas please? 💡

NOT Times square !

Central Park or Union Square or maybe Top of the Rock

it is BITTERLY cold in NYC at night at that time of year
(did it with my kids when they were that age)
so you need to be able to move to shelter and do things

It might be worth seeing which hotels around mid town have good parties going
skate till it gets dark and then retreat indoors

PS we went to Times square at noon so we got pics of the clock showing 12

Would concur - absolutely not Times Square on NYE.

If the weather this time around is anything like it was last New Years Eve you will need to be inside.

NYE parties on boats and the like tend to be aimed at adults; children are not generally permitted. Many are also likely to be fully booked out by now.

I noticed too that many restaurants closed early last NYE unless there was a private event being held. You will certainly need to book a table in advance.

We went out for dinner on 2nd Avenue and headed back to our apartment to drink champagne
it overlooked the Empire state so we watched the lights and crashed out
still UTTERLY memorable

It will be hard with kids, a (covered/heated) rooftop bar could be ok, but very expensive (everything will be ticketed) and obviously won’t allow kids. I would do something during the day, I absolutely hate NYE in NYC, it is full of people with nothing to do and just too cold.