Watching the ball drop in Times Square? Bethlehem, Penn. has another tradition. The home of the beloved PEEPS candy brand drops a giant illuminated PEEPS Chick to ring in the new year!
The PEEPS Chick drop is the highlight of PEEPSFEST, a 2-day festival, which celebrates the fun and excitement of the PEEPS brand at the iconic SteelStacks in Bethlehem. Weighing in at 400 pounds and standing tall at four feet and nine inches, the PEEPS® Chick will descend for the countdown to the New Year on Dec. 31 at 5:15 p.m.
Just Born Quality Confections and ArtsQuest will also host a performance by “We Kids Rock” at 4:30 p.m. just before celebrating with the PEEPS Chick rising ceremony on Dec. 30 at 5:15 p.m. The rising ceremony encourages families to come out to enjoy the fireworks and festivities without concern for larger crowds on New Year’s Eve.
“PEEPSFEST is an event that we look forward to each year, as it allows the community to come together and celebrate in such a fun and unique way,” says Meg Dowd, Corporate Affairs Manager at Just Born Quality Confections. “The PEEPS Chick drop has become synonymous with New Year’s Eve in our area, and each year we meet more and more fans who travel from all over the country to join in the fun!”
Just Born Quality Confections is a third-generation family-owned company that has grown into the 10th largest candy company in the U.S. Just Born is the maker of some of America’s most beloved and iconic brands – PEEPS, MIKE AND IKE, HOT TAMALES and GOLDENBERG’S PEANUT CHEWS. In 1923, the founder, Sam Born, opened a small candy-making and retail store in Brooklyn, New York, where he marketed the freshness of his daily-made candy with a sign that declared, “Just Born.”
www.steelstacks.org/peepsfest.