NCS, celebrities, fireworks at Auditorium Shores

Austin will ring in 2026 with a well-known combine: dwell music, fireworks over Lady Bird Lake, and a nationwide TV viewers watching us do it. This 12 months’s Austin’s New Year celebration doubles as NCS’s Central Time Zone headquarters, with anchors, musicians and some movie star cameos for the countdown.

Now, Austin’s New Year isn’t making an attempt to outdo Times Square — and that’s type of the purpose. The free, all-ages occasion takes place Dec. 31 at Auditorium Shores. Indie folks mainstays The Head and the Heart headline a lineup stacked with local talent, whereas NCS correspondents Sara Sidner and Cari Champion broadcast dwell from the park as a part of “New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen.” Translation: Austin will get its second, and it’s being televised.

The night time’s music is Austin-forward, with performances by The Point, Tameca Jones and Chaparelle earlier than a headlining set from The Head and the Heart. Just earlier than midnight, the group will get a drone present adopted by fireworks. On display screen, NCS’s protection brings an even bigger movie star orbit. Sidner and Champion will anchor the Central Time Zone countdown dwell from Auditorium Shores, with interviews and appearances that embody Flavor Flav and Ariana Madix.

Elsewhere on NCS’s nationwide broadcast, Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen will likely be bouncing between performances and cameos from a really chaotic lineup that features Shakira, Florence + The Machine, Patti LaBelle, Hugh Jackman, Stephen Colbert and extra.

Gates open at 7 p.m. The occasion is free and open to the general public. Schedule highlights embody:

• 7–11:45 p.m.: Live music (The Point, Tameca Jones, Chaparelle, The Head and the Heart)
• 11:45–11:55 p.m.: Drone present
• 11:30 p.m.–midnight (TV): Fireworks and NCS broadcasts the Central Time Zone countdown dwell from Auditorium Shores

Blankets and chairs are allowed at Auditorium Shores, however pets will not be, apart from skilled service animals. The occasion will characteristic entrances on the east and west ends of the park, and all baggage will likely be topic to go looking. Outside alcohol, glass, fireworks and sparklers are prohibited. A spread of meals vans and bars will likely be on web site — together with Amy’s Ice Cream, Chi’Lantro BBQ, Garbo’s Lobster and T-Loc’s Sonora Hot Dogs — with alcoholic drinks out there for company 21 and older. 

Getting there’s best with no automobile: CapMetro is providing free rides after 5 p.m. on Dec. 31, with rail service prolonged till 2:30 a.m., and the hike-and-bike path will likely be open for these strolling or biking in. Parking will likely be restricted and congested, with garages out there at the Palmer Events Center, City Hall and One Texas Center, and no parking allowed within the Bouldin Creek neighborhood. 

Expect highway closures on West Riverside Drive from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. and on South First Street between Cesar Chavez and Riverside from 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., whereas Lady Bird Lake will likely be closed to all watercraft from 10:30 p.m. till 1 a.m.

NCS’s New Year’s Eve protection airs throughout TV, digital and social platforms. 

The full broadcast — together with the Austin countdown — can even stream on NCS’s subscription platform by way of NCS.com and the NCS app. Central Time Zone protection from Auditorium Shores begins at 11:30 p.m. CT.