| 100% | BOSTON | 6 | First Night ___, a New Year's Eve artistic and cultural celebration, that was first held in 1975 |
| 49% | BALL | 4 | Times Square ___ Drop, New Year event that was first held on New Year's Eve in 1907 |
| 42% | REUNION | 7 | A __ dinner is a New Year's Eve tradition in China |
| 38% | DROP | 4 | With 5-Down and 2-Down, mess up at a critical moment ... or participate in a New Year's Eve tradition? |
| 37% | KINGSLEY | 8 | Actor Ben ___ who played Mahatma Gandhi in the movie "Gandhi" and was born on New Year's Eve |
| 37% | KILMER | 6 | Actor Val ___ who played Tom "Iceman" Kazansky in "Top Gun" and was born on New Year's Eve |
| 37% | PAGE | 4 | "Tomorrow is the first ___ in a book of 365" (common New Year's phrase) |
| 37% | BALLDROP | 8 | New Year's Eve tradition in the Big Apple, and what can be found in 3-, 8-, 33-, and 37-Down? |
| 36% | AULD | 4 | Word in a New Year's Eve song |
| 36% | SOFA | 4 | San Jose arts and cultural district that was a red light district 40 years ago |
| 36% | ONE | 3 | Last number shouted in a New Year's Eve countdown |
| 35% | OCEANS | 6 | "___ 11," 1960 thriller film starring Frank Sinatra that is about a heist on New Year's Eve |
| 35% | ROSE | 4 | ___ Parade, annual New Year's Day parade in California that is known for its floral-covered floats and marching bands |
| 35% | GOALS | 5 | What you score in soccer or hockey, or resolutions that are set as a New Year's tradition |
| 35% | AULD | 4 | First word of a traditional New Year's Eve song |
| 35% | CHAMPAGNE | 9 | New Year's Eve libation whose uncorking sound can be found in the starred answers |
| 34% | AULD | 4 | Word in a traditional New Year's Eve song |
| 34% | JAN | 3 | New Year month to send a wish that is highlighted in this puzzle, for short |
| 34% | FIESTA | 6 | ___ Bowl, annual NCAA game with a name that means "feast" in Spanish and that you may have watched on New Year's Day this year |
| 34% | MARCH | 5 | Month that was the first of the new year in early 3-Down calendars |
| 33% | AZTECRUINS | 10 | Historical site in New Mexico that was declared as a U.S. National Monument in 1923 and has Ancestral Puebloan structures: 2 wds. |
| 33% | FIRSTNIGHT | 10 | New Year's Eve celebration (and SEE TITLE) |
| 33% | TIME | 4 | News magazine that runs a "Person of the Year" feature that released its first issue in 1923 |
| 33% | BALLDROP | 8 | New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square commonly referred to as the ___: 2 wds. |
| 33% | PRIME | 5 | ___ Day, annual deal event that was first held on Amazon's 20th anniversary in 2015 |
| 33% | OLIVERREED | 10 | Actor whose first name is the title of a Best Picture he co-starred in, and whose last name is that film's director |
| 33% | CORK | 4 | Something that goes out with a bang on New Year’s Eve? |
| 33% | CINNAMON | 8 | ___ Toast Crunch, wheat and rice cereal that was first introduced in 1984 |
| 32% | THEBIGAPPLE | 11 | Nickname for New York City that was first popularized by John Fitz Gerald and was a part of an ad campaign: 3 wds. |
| 32% | SOBA | 4 | Toshikoshi ___, noodles eaten as a Japanese New Year's Eve tradition for a long and healthy life |