This year’s Good Riddance Day event in Times Square offers participants the opportunity to close the curtain on any unhappy memories from 2025 and usher in the new year, allowing all to enter 2026 feeling lighter and with a clean slate. Jonathan Bennett, host of the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration, leads the event where participants join him in tossing out bad, unpleasant memories. Participants write their bad memories on oversized tickets that they tear (as a theater usher would at a show), toss the larger portion into a trash can, keep the smaller portion as a memento, and take a bow. As a grand finale, a large, theater-style curtain literally and symbolically closes on 2025.
00:00The 19th annual Good Riddance Day here in Times Square was such a success because to celebrate New York City and Broadway we did something different this year and we closed the curtain on 2025 so people were able to come up, tell us the things they wanted to say good riddance to in 2025, rip it up, throw it away and take their bow as the curtain closed on 2025 and they got a new ticket for a new year and a new life in 2026.
00:28So you know what's so special about that is that we're just tying in what makes New York City so great which is things like Broadway and the Broadway community and so we got to let everyone have a little taste of being on Broadway, it was really fun.
00:40What are you saying goodbye to?
00:42I'm saying goodbye to self-doubt, limiting myself, all the haters and anything holding me back.
00:48Alright, it is time April for you to rip it up, throw it away, we're getting rid of it, yeah, there it is April, that ticket admits one for a new year and a new life in 2026 and you got a front row seat April for your new year.
01:05If you look at our good riddance day board, you'll see that people want to get rid of anything from divorce to negativity to debt, it runs the gamut.
01:14We are here in Times Square, New York City and we are celebrating good riddance day and officially closing the curtain on 2025.
01:233, 2, 1, goodbye 2025!
01:29We had people from Norway, Iceland, I think Denmark, so many people from Denmark this year which is great because it just proves that Times Square really is the place to be on New Year's Eve.
01:38It's where the entire world turns to to bring in the new year and we couldn't be happier to have everyone here from all over the world to celebrate it with us.
01:45What's been going on since we last saw each other?
01:48So more of the same, every year I've been coming back and kind of saying good riddance to my sister's cancer journey.
01:54Oh, that's a great thing to do.
01:55But 2025 is going to be different because that's the year I actually donated my bone marrow to her, we were a perfect match, we're each other's only siblings.
02:04So 2025 we're saying goodbye to cancer and my father's just got into rehab from COVID.
02:11So just all illnesses, 2026 here we come, health and happiness for everyone.
02:16Let's say goodbye to her, rip that ticket up, say goodbye illnesses 2025.
02:21That's your new ticket, your new year and your new life for 2026.
02:24Take your bow right here on Broadway Center Stage.
02:27Here we go in five, four, three, two, one, 2026.
02:33Yes, welcome 2026 here in Times Square.
02:38Good riddance Day, the 19th annual Good riddance Day is sponsored by Times Square Alliance and one Times Square.
02:44And it has been our pleasure to help you say goodbye to the negativity and the things you want to say good riddance to in 2025 to welcome a brand new 2026.
02:57I'm happy to see you.
02:59Thank you very much.
03:05Thank you so much for watching, so let's go there.
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