New Year's Eve 2026 in Winchester: the Old Town laser show and midnight Apple Drop, First Night at the MSV, Noon Year's Eve and free parking.

Last checked Oct. 19, 2026. This page is updated each year at the same address. The 2026 New Year’s Eve plans had not been announced when we checked, so the details below are from Dec. 31, 2025, unless marked 2026. We will update this page as organizers post them.

New Year’s Eve falls on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2026. Winchester’s tradition is a free night in Old Town that ends with the Apple Drop at midnight, and a daytime First Night celebration for families at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley.

Who to call

  • Old Town New Year’s Eve: Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, 135 N. Cameron St.
  • First Night at the MSV: box office, 540-662-1473
  • Downtown parking: Winchester Parking Authority, 540-722-7575
  • Getting home safely: Winchester Police non-emergency, 540-662-4131; emergency, 911

Old Town: laser show and the midnight Apple Drop (2025)

On Dec. 31, 2025, the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival and its partners, including the city and Friends of Old Town, ran a free celebration from 6 p.m. to midnight:

  • Neon Nights and Laser Light Show, 7 to 10 p.m., free, at the Old Court House Civil War Museum on the Loudoun Street Mall
  • Street performers along the walking mall, including a fire juggler, a balloon artist and a face painter
  • Apple Drop at midnight at the intersection of Loudoun and Boscawen streets
  • Downtown restaurants and shops open for dinner, shopping and live entertainment
  • Free parking in Old Town from New Year’s Eve through New Year’s Day

(2025 listing)

First Night Winchester at the MSV

The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, 901 Amherst St., carries on the First Night Winchester tradition at its own site. On Dec. 31, 2025, it ran 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with admission to the galleries, gardens and Glen Burnie House by donation and a day of family activities, including a Blue Ridge Wildlife animal demonstration at 1 p.m. and magic shows by Johnny-O at 2:30 and 4 p.m., with reserved seats offered (2025 schedule).

For 2026, the museum is already running its free First Night Winchester Coloring Contest with a magic theme: sheets are available from Nov. 1 at the Guest Services Desk and online, and entries are due by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 29. Winners in five age groups get a one-year family membership (contest page).

For kids: Noon Year’s Eve (2025)

The Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, 19 W. Cork St., held Noon Year’s Eve from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Dec. 31, 2025, with cookies, hot chocolate, sock skating, bingo, crafts and a “ball” drop at noon; tickets were $15 a person (2025 listing).

Winchester Brew Works, 320 N. Cameron St., held a family New Year’s Eve from 3 to 4 p.m. in 2025 with crafts, sparkling apple cider and a balloon drop for kids (2025 listing).

Music and parties (2025)

  • Backseat Events Center, 114 Full House Drive: “Blues, Brass and Bubbly” with Terry Oates and the Mudcats, a seated show with a midnight champagne toast (2025 listing).
  • Bright Box, 15 N. Loudoun St.: a DJ party from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. (2025 listing).
  • First Night Middletown, Town Office, 7875 Church St., Middletown: a free, alcohol-free family evening from 6 to 9 p.m. (2025 listing).

Restaurant New Year’s Eve dinners are listed here only when the restaurant announces one. Our date night guide and live music and nightlife guide list the regular options.

New Year’s Day (2026 events)

  • Briede Family Vineyards, 450 Green Spring Road, opened noon to 7 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2026 (2026 listing).
  • Winchester Beer Mile, Escutcheon Brewing, 142 W. Commercial St., 1 to 4 p.m. on Jan. 1, 2026, for runners 21 and up (2026 listing).

City services

  • Trash: The city’s holiday schedule lists New Year’s Day, Friday, Jan. 1, 2027, with yard waste canceled. Christmas trees are collected with yard waste in January; in 2026 the date was Friday, Jan. 16. See our trash and recycling guide.
  • Parking: The Parking Authority lists New Year’s Day as a free meter holiday.
  • After-school care: the city’s HIVE program is closed Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

What this means for you

  • Plan on the Loudoun and Boscawen intersection for the midnight Apple Drop, if it returns as in past years; we will post the 2026 details as soon as they are announced.
  • For young children, the daytime events (the MSV and Noon Year’s Eve) end well before dark.
  • Arrange a ride home before you go out; our getting around guide covers downtown parking and transit.

Related: holiday lights and Christmas events and things to do this month.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a New Year’s Eve Apple Drop in Winchester in 2026?

The 2026 plans had not been announced on Oct. 19. On Dec. 31, 2025, Old Town held a free laser light show from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Old Court House and the traditional Apple Drop at midnight at Loudoun and Boscawen streets.

Is First Night Winchester still held?

The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley carries on the First Night tradition with a family day on Dec. 31. In 2025 it ran 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with admission by donation. For 2026 the museum is running a First Night coloring contest, with entries due Dec. 29.

Is parking free in Old Town Winchester on New Year’s Eve?

In 2025 the organizers said Old Town parking was free on New Year’s Eve through New Year’s Day. The city’s Parking Authority lists New Year’s Day as a free meter holiday.

Is there trash pickup on New Year’s Day in Winchester?

The city’s holiday schedule lists New Year’s Day, Friday, Jan. 1, 2027, with yard waste canceled. Friday is the city’s yard waste day.