North Texas is gearing up for a dazzling New Year’s Eve as two major celebrations prepare to welcome tens of thousands of revelers with spectacular fireworks, live music, and high-tech light shows that promise to ring in 2026 with style.
In Fort Worth, Sundance Square is bracing for a massive crowd of up to 55,000 attendees at its free New Year’s Eve celebration, which kicks off at 4 p.m. on December 31. The family-friendly event features an impressive lineup of live music spanning multiple genres, from Colombian rhythms to country twang and salsa beats.
“We have a Columbia band, a country band, a salsa band, and we’re bringing out a great R&B and jazz artist from New Orleans, Tanya B. Cannon, to end the night with us,” said director Gregory Newman, who explained that the event will culminate with a midnight fireworks display.
Meanwhile in Dallas, Reunion Tower is preparing for an even more elaborate spectacle — its 10th annual Lone Star NYE fireworks show. The iconic tower is being transformed into a launching pad for what has become one of the largest New Year’s Eve displays in Texas, visible from numerous vantage points throughout the city.
A Rainbow of Fireworks
Crews have been busy installing more than 15,000 pounds of fireworks on Reunion Tower in preparation for the midnight show. The installation process alone is a massive undertaking, with a ten-man crew hauling thousands of pounds of pyrotechnics and equipment up the tower, as footage from previous years shows.
What’s special about this year’s theme? According to Dusti Groskreutz, president of Reunion Tower, the 2025-2026 show will be particularly colorful.
“So it’s our most colorful year yet. Each song has the artist’s name as a color or the title of the song has a color in it, so it’ll be very dramatic because it won’t be multicolored throughout, it’ll go from one color to the next, to the next, with a big finish, of course,” Groskreutz noted while describing the carefully choreographed display.
The technical specifications are impressive: over 5,000 pyrotechnic special effects, a 259 LED light display, and an aerial show featuring 500 drones that will dance across the Dallas night sky in synchronized patterns, all beginning precisely at 11:59 p.m. on December 31st. The drones add a modern, high-tech dimension to the traditional fireworks display, enhancing the visual experience with programmable light patterns.
Exclusive Viewing Options
Looking for a premium view of the spectacle? Reunion Tower is offering exclusive events for those willing to splurge. The Crown Room party — already sold out at $325++ per person — promises gourmet food, premium drinks, and unparalleled views of the 360-degree fireworks show, according to the tower’s website.
But don’t worry if you haven’t secured a spot at one of these exclusive events. The show is designed to be visible from various locations around the city, including downtown rooftops and public spaces with a clear view of the Dallas skyline.
The combination of traditional fireworks, LED lighting effects, and drone technology will transform Reunion Tower into a beacon of celebration as Dallas welcomes 2026 — a fitting crescendo to cap off a decade of increasingly elaborate New Year’s Eve celebrations at the landmark.
Whether you choose the free-spirited community gathering at Fort Worth’s Sundance Square or position yourself for a view of Dallas’s high-tech extravaganza, North Texas seems determined to bid farewell to 2025 with a bang — or rather, several thousand of them.
