New Yorkers Celebrate "Good Riddance Day" in Times Square, Tossing Out 2025 Negatives

Times Square Tradition: Good Riddance Day

• 🥳 New Yorkers and visitors gathered in Times Square to participate in the nearly 20-year-old tradition of "Good Riddance Day".
• 🗑️ This event allows people to figuratively get rid of things they don't want to carry into the new year, symbolizing a fresh start.

What People Are Leaving Behind

• 🎭 Participants expressed a desire to leave behind abstract concepts like perfectionism, doubt, and fear.
• 💬 Other common themes included shedding "bad vibes and drama".
• 💸 Some focused on financial burdens, with debt being a frequently mentioned item to discard.
• ⏰ Procrastination was also highlighted as a habit people wanted to leave in the past.

Looking Ahead to the New Year

• ✨ Alongside discarding the old, attendees also wrote "confetti wishes" for 2026.
• 🎯 These wishes included aspirations to be more ambitious and to spend more time with family.
• 🎉 The confetti wishes are traditionally released at midnight after the annual ball drop, marking the official transition into the new year.