5 things to do this weekend to celebrate the new year

As we say goodbye to 2025 and look to the year ahead, we have a few ideas for ways to celebrate. From Boston’s annual First Night celebration to classical music from Boston Baroque, there are many festive and creative options. When you’re not at the New England Aquarium looking at elaborate ice sculptures and meeting sea creatures, you might also catch the last few days of an exhibit at Harvard Art Museums. See all of our recommendations below.

Greater Boston Stage Company welcomes the Firebird Pops Orchestra to its home in Stoneham for a memorable night of music, humor and hope for the new year. Known for performing music from films, Broadway, video game soundtracks and more, the Firebird Pops will be joined by acclaimed vocalists Kathy St. George, Stephen Markarian and Ceit Zweil on a program of seasonal classics. Audience members are invited to a 3 p.m. or 7 p.m. performance, and tickets start at $70.

This iteration of Boston’s New Year’s celebration, First Night, is a special one — 2026 marks its 50th anniversary. Beginning at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, a variety of free events will be held throughout the city, including Boston Common, Copley Square, Boston Inner Harbor and other locations. For those looking to hear live music, they’ll find local artists such as kei, Sons of Levin and Veronica Robles. Ice sculptures will decorate City Hall Plaza starting at noon, and the Skating Club of Boston will present its annual Frog Pond Ice Skating Spectacular. Fireworks will light up the night sky at 7 p.m. and midnight, the perfect way to welcome the year ahead. [For more First Night details, check out our guide here.]

Boston Baroque ushers in 2026 with two showcases of classical music. On New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, listen to Handel’s complete “Water Music,” originally commissioned by King George I for a performance on the River Thames, known for its “lively dance rhythms, regal fanfares, and infectious energy.” Attendees will hear selected arias by Mozart, as well as what the group calls “a musical surprise.” Conductor Marc Minkowski and mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey will lead the program, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 and 3 p.m. on Jan. 1 at Harvard's Sanders Theatre. Standard tickets start at $25.

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The New England Aquarium ends its Holiday Break this weekend, signaling the last chance visitors have to enjoy shark-themed programming, winter snacks (including dressed-up hot chocolate), films, an annual ice sculpture carving and shark storytime. On Wednesday, guests can view ice sculptor Don Chappelle’s creation, designed to look like the Aquarium’s nurse shark Ciri, between 1-5 p.m. Cabot Center scientists and animal care staff will also be on hand to answer questions. Tickets start at $39 for adults and $30 for children ages 3-11 years old.

Catch the final days of Harvard Art Museums’ exhibition of 20th-century abstract artist and educator Edna Andrade, who was active in the modernist movement. More than 200 of her works were gifted to the museum by the Edna Wright Andrade Charitable Trust, and while not all are available to view, many of her finest masterpieces are on display now. Her drawings, prints and paintings feature geometric compositions, inspired by her study of nature, mathematics, astronomy and structures found in other disciplines. The exhibit includes unique works such as the painting “Pale Star,” sketches from her “Philadelphia Festival Study” portfolio, drawings from “Studies Based on Navajo Designs,” and the collage “Triptych Acadia.” Admission is free. (The museum is closed on New Year’s Day.)