By Leslie Albrecht
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — While some folks see New Year's Eve as an excuse to drink gallons of champagne, it can also be a family-friendly holiday.
Here's a look at New Year's revelry that children can enjoy as much as adults.
Some restaurants are rolling out the bubbly — cider, that is — for kid-themed New Year's Eve events.
Isabella's at 359 Columbus Avenue at West 77th Street is serving up a family party for New Year's, but it's on the early side.
Kids can toast with sparkling cider and get their faces painted between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m at the Mediterranean restaurant. The menu includes specials such as pigs in a blanket, macaroni and cheese and mini hamburgers. Call (212) 724-2100 for reservations.
Keep the party going up the street at Uno Chicago Grill (458 Columbus Avenue and West 81st Street) where kids 12 and under can celebrate starting at 5 p.m. At 7 p.m. the restaurant will let kids drink a ginger ale toast.
Other ways to celebrate New Year's with children include:
See the Big Apple Circus at 9:30 p.m. at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park, then join the ringmaster after the show for a countdown to midnight and dancing inside the circus ring. Kids get goodie bags and non-alcoholic toasts. Tickets run from $25 up to $175 for VIP seating.
Take kids to the Children's Museum of Manhattan to make fireworks collages and New Year's Eve party glasses. The museum, at 212 West 83rd Street, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Dec. 31.
Attend a New Year's Eve peace concert at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine. The 7 p.m. concert features singers Judy Collins, Harry Smith and soprano Laura Flanigan. Audience members will light and hold thousands of candles. Reserved tickets are $60, free seats are available on a first come, first serve basis.
For other kid-friendly New Year's Eve ideas, check out NYCgo, New York Family, Mommy Poppins, and Urban Baby.
