New Year’s Eve TV Schedule: Check Out The Specials And Concerts To Ring In 2016

Each year, many people venture out into the cold (or the hot) to celebrate New Year’s Eve and the changing over to the next year. That will be no different for the end of 2015, but some don’t want to brave the elements and crowds, so for them, there are options. New Year’s Eve television specials will air as usual, and here is the full schedule you need so you know what to watch.

Staying home to celebrate in front of your TV is not a bad thing anymore, and a lot of people wouldn’t blame you. The unpredictable weather and the immense crowds would make anyone wish they were sitting on their couch on New Year’s Eve instead of out in the street.

The only thing is trying to decide which New Year’s Eve special is best to watch because you’re going to get a number of options.

As usual, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve is one of the biggest specials of them all, and Ryan Seacrest is back hosting again this year. As reported by Dick Clark Media, the show will feature plenty of performances from big stars and the premiere of Taylor Swift’s new video “Out of the Woods.”

Others performing will be Pentatonix, Nick Jonas, Macklemore, Jimmy Buffet, Fall Out Boy, Ryan Lewis, and more. All the fun begins Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and will go through the night to ring in the new year.

Jimmy Buffet will be performing “Margaritaville” after the ball drops in Times Square for a Brooklyn concert. Fergie is hosting the Hollywood portion of the telecast, and she’ll be joined by other talents as well.

Over on Fox, you can enjoy Pitbull’s New Year’s Revolution that is going to have a lot of big-time talent starting at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday night. Pitbull is going to get things going, but he will be joined by Yazz, Jussie Smollett, and Timbaland.

NBC is also bringing the New Year’s Eve TV specials with three of them.

At 8 p.m. ET, Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb will host A Toast To 2015 and welcome Eva Longoria, Blake Shelton, and Michael Buble as their guests. At 10 p.m., NBC’s New Year’s Eve Game Night With Andy Cohen follows live.

After the local news airs, you can head to Times Square with NBC’s New Year’s Eve With Carson Daily special. The live telecast will also have some musical talent as Gwen Stefani performs.

For something a little stranger, you can tune into CNN at 8 p.m. ET and watch New Year’s Eve Live with Anderson Coopers and Kathy Griffin. The special is being hosted by the duo for the ninth consecutive year and will have different hosts in numerous cities to show celebrations around the world.

A couple days before, Patch reminds people to check out the Kennedy Center Honors. That special will air on CBS and begin at 9 p.m. ET on the evening of Tuesday, December 29.

In case you haven’t yet gotten enough during the 2015 College Football Bowl season, then there are some great games still to come. Three big games take place on New Year’s Eve, and two of them determine who will move on to the National Championship Game in January.

PEACH BOWL
Site: Atlanta
Date: Dec. 31
Time/TV: Noon ET, ESPN
Matchup: Florida State vs. Houston

ORANGE BOWL
Site: Miami Gardens, Fla.
Date: Dec. 31
Time/TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN
Matchup: Clemson vs. Oklahoma

COTTON BOWL
Site: Arlington, Texas
Date: Dec. 31
Time/TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Matchup: Alabama vs. Michigan State

New Year’s Eve 2015 is going to be a fun one whether you’re out celebrating with thousands of strangers or sitting at home with your loved ones. The TV schedule of concerts, football games, and more will be enough to get you into 2016 and prepare for a brand new year.

[Photo by Cem Ozdel/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images]