Passaic's tallest building to drop a piñata on New Year's Eve 2018

The city of Passaic is getting into the New Year's game as it plans to usher in 2019 with the lowering of a piñata from the tallest building in town.

"New York has a ball drop. Passaic will have our first-ever New Year's 'Piñata Drop' from our building at 663 Main Ave., with music and celebration to bring in the New Year together," Mayor Hector Lora said.

He added that there will not be any goodies in it, just confetti, but that's not the point. The idea is to get people to come out and celebrate together.

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In doing this, Passaic joins a host of other municipalities that lower items closely associated with their communities or sectors of their communities.

For instance, in Key West, Florida, a bar lowers a drag queen in a ruby slipper, and in Wisconsin there's a town that drops a block of cheese from a 100-foot ladder. There's a musical note in Nashville, and a golf ball is lowered in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The lowering or dropping of items on New Year's traces back to the Times Square ball, first lowered Dec. 31, 1907, to welcome in 1908.

There have been three different balls over the years, and their lowering has been held annually, except in 1942 and 1943 because of a wartime black out.

In addition to the piñata drop, Passaic has waived the outdoor drinking restrictions around MamaSushi, the restaurant that occupies the bottom floor of the 663 Main Ave. building. 

For city Councilman Salim Patel, adding a New Year's component dovetails with the city's overall goal of economic revitalization.

"Recently we opened the doors of 663 Main Ave., which now serves as a beacon for what is yet to come. It is a key piece for continuing the revitalization of downtown," Patel said.

Festivities begin in the early evening, and music is planned to accompany the event. 

Email: fagan@northjersey.com