2015, 2016 New Year’s Hours: What Stores And Restaurants Are Open On New Year’s Eve And New Year’s Day?

Finding somewhere to eat or shop on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day won’t be nearly as hard as it was for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Still, there are some places that will be closing early on December 31, 2015, and some that won’t be open at all on January 1, 2016. With that, you need to know what’s open, what’s closed, and the store hours for anywhere you may want to visit later this week.

New Year’s Eve may see a number of places close early so employees can ring in the changing of the year with family and friends. On New Year’s Day 2016, however, you can expect to find a lot of businesses operating with regular hours.

Most stores and restaurants are going to be open on New Year’s Day but don’t expect a lot of federal or government buildings to be open. A few places you won’t find open are listed below.

• United States Post Office
• Department of Motor Vehicles
• Social Security Office

Please remember that New Year’s Day is a federal holiday and falls on a Friday this year. That being said, if you don’t head out on the last day of the year to get your business done, then you probably won’t be able to do so until they open again on Monday, which is January 4, 2016.

Don’t expect mail delivery on Friday either. The official website for the United States Postal Service says they won’t deliver on New Year’s Day, but Saturday will resume regular delivery and routes.

A lot of banks are going to be closing early on New Year’s Eve 2015, so if you need to do any transactions, do them early in the day. Most branches will be closing by 2 p.m., with some staying open a little later than that. However, always call ahead to check and be sure.

As for New Year’s Day 2016, all branches of all banks are scheduled to be closed. Don’t look to do any business whatsoever from New Year’s Day through the weekend.

For New Year’s Eve, many pharmacies will be closing early, with some stopping business as of 6 p.m. If you need to get any medications for that night, be sure to do it early. However, they will be open regular business hours on New Year’s Day.

Retail stores, including local malls, are going to have some limited hours on New Year’s Eve and will be closing earlier than usual. Most stores, such as Best Buy, Target, Kohl’s, and even Walmart, will be shutting down operations by 10 p.m., but most by 8 p.m.

If your Walmart is a 24-hour location, call ahead to be sure, but it should still be open through the night as normal.

This goes for grocery stores as well. Many chains, such as Publix and Albertsons, will be closing at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively. Kroger locations are closing at 6 p.m.

New Year’s Day is great for sales, and retail stores are going to be open once again with bargains to be had. Call ahead to see what time your favorite stores are opening, but you shouldn’t have trouble finding a place to shop.

According to Time, there are some Target locations opening as early as 8 a.m. on New Year’s Day, but reps for the company say some locations are starting things later.

Looking for a late meal on New Year’s Eve? You will likely be in luck because many restaurants know that New Year’s Eve means a good bit of partying, and big tips are to be had from countless patrons.

Call ahead to be sure, as restaurant locations are usually franchised out and don’t always follow the same hours announced by the main office. Here are just some of the dining locations you can check out on New Year’s Eve, but beware of hours for some may close early.

• Applebee’s
• Baskin-Robbins
• Boston Market
• Burger King
• Country Buffet
• Dave & Buster’s
• Denny’s
• Dunkin’ Donuts
• IHOP
• Hardee’s
• HomeTown Buffet
• Jack in the Box
• McDonald’s
• Old Country Buffet
• Panda Express
• Pizza Hut
• Ruby Tuesday
• Ryan’s
• Sonic Drive-In
• Starbucks Coffee
• Subway
• Taco Bell
• TGI Fridays
• Waffle House

When it comes to New Year’s Day, though, the majority of restaurants will follow regular business hours like normal. Some places may open a bit late, but by January 2, everything will be back to regular business hours.

New Year’s Eve 2015 and New Year’s Day 2016 are almost here, and it’s time to push out the old and bring in the new. When doing that, though, you need to know what’s open, closed, and what the hours are for stores, restaurants, and other businesses. Now you do, and you can do all that needs to be done on your own schedule.

[Photo by Isaac Brekken/Getty Images]