New Year's Eve events in and near West Jordan, Utah

Adult Night Out: New Year's Gala at the Viridian Event Center

The only New Year's Eve party actually inside West Jordan on this list, run by the Salt Lake County Library at its Viridian Event Center on 1825 West. It is a late, grown-up evening: a live band, dancing, karaoke and photo stations from 10 p.m., ending with a balloon drop and a toast. It is put on with the City of West Jordan and Excellence in the Community as part of the library's quarterly Adult Night Out series. The catch is capacity: the room is limited and you have to register in advance, which in past years opened in early December and filled quickly.

Last Hurrah at The Gateway

The big free one, and the default answer for most of the Salt Lake Valley. The Gateway and the Downtown Alliance close the outdoor blocks off for a street party from 8 p.m. to midnight with DJ sets on an outdoor stage, buskers, pop-up bars and a game room with kid activities, then the only midnight fireworks show downtown. Because it is free and outdoors it is also the coldest and the most crowded option here, and there is a strict bag policy with security screening at every entrance. About 25 minutes up I-15 from West Jordan.

After Noon Year's Eve at Clark Planetarium

The answer for families who want a countdown that does not run past bedtime. Clark Planetarium, right at The Gateway, throws a free afternoon party from noon to 4 p.m. with a DJ, a ball-drop engineering challenge, disco ball crafts and LED fireworks, and the exhibit floors stay free all day. It pairs naturally with Last Hurrah next door if the adults want to come back later. Theatre and dome shows are ticketed separately, so the free part is the activities rather than the films.

BALLDROP at the 801 Convention Center

The indoor alternative to standing outside at The Gateway, and the biggest ticketed midnight party in the valley. It runs in a 70,000 square foot hall near the airport with four DJs, a festival stage, a laser show and a confetti and balloon drop at midnight, plus a walled-off 21 and up area so it works for mixed groups. Organizers say 2025 was its eighth consecutive year. Free parking on site, which matters on a night when rideshare surges.

New Year's Eve Torchlight Parade & Fireworks Show at Solitude Mountain Resort

The prettiest option and the only one on this list whose page is already dated for December 31, 2026. Solitude staff ski down the mountain in a synchronized torch-lit line and the run finishes with fireworks over the lower slopes, all free and all done by 7:30 p.m., so you can be home before midnight. The resort builds a whole afternoon around it with an alphorn concert, a magic show, an avalanche dog demonstration and a lasagna dinner at Last Chance Lodge. The real cost is the drive: Big Cottonwood Canyon in winter means snow tires or chains, and canyon traffic and road closures are common.

Noon Year's Eve at Loveland Living Planet Aquarium

The closest family option to West Jordan, about fifteen minutes down Bangerter to Draper. The aquarium runs confetti countdowns at noon and again at 3 p.m., so small kids get the countdown moment twice without staying up. It is folded into normal aquarium admission rather than being a separate ticket, and it is free for members, which makes it the cheapest way to give young children a New Year's Eve. Parking on site is free. Expect it to be busy: it is one of the best known kid events in the valley that day.

Big Boom Bash at Millcreek Common

Millcreek's city plaza splits New Year's Eve into two events on the same night, which is the useful thing about it: a cheap early session from 4 to 8 p.m. with fireworks at 8, and a separate, pricier late session from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Families can get a real fireworks show and be home by nine, and the same venue turns over for adults who want to stay out. The plaza is an outdoor skating and gathering space, so dress for standing on ice in December. It is the longest drive of the valley options from West Jordan, across to the east side.

Club 90's Presents: New Year's Eve 2000's Night at The Depot

A themed indoor dance night at The Depot, the Live Nation room attached to The Gateway, running 9 p.m. to midnight. The draw is the Y2K format: Kesha, Pitbull, Usher, Rihanna and Lady Gaga era pop rather than a DJ set of current music. Its best feature is the location, since you can walk out the door into the free Last Hurrah street party and the midnight fireworks without moving your car. The Depot does not publish a single house age policy, so check the specific show listing before buying for anyone under 21.

Luminaria at Ashton Gardens, Thanksgiving Point

Not a countdown party at all, but it is on the December 31 lists every year and it is the softest landing on this table: a walk through fifty acres of Ashton Gardens under about eight million lights, with a fireworks show at 7:30 p.m. that you can catch and still get the kids home. Entry starts at 4 p.m. and it is timed-entry ticketed, so buy ahead. It is the furthest south option here, in Lehi rather than Salt Lake County, which from West Jordan is a straight run down I-15.

Laser Maestro's Cosmic Countdown at Clark Planetarium

The evening half of Clark Planetarium's New Year's Eve, and a good middle option if a street party is too much and noon is too early. A laser show runs on the hour from 6 to 10 p.m. in the dome, the building stays open until 11, and tickets are cheap enough that a family can do it without much planning. It is the same address as the free afternoon party, so some people do both. Being indoors and seated, it suits people who want an occasion without cold, crowds or a midnight bedtime.