SeeCalifornia.com

California isn’t as well known as the Big Apple for its New Year’s Eve celebrations. Times Square Ball Drop claims to attract one to two million people, though recent studies by scientists say those numbers may be 10 times higher than reality would allow.

Mathematician and professor Charles Seife of New York University said the city has an interest in promoting a bigger number because it “helps cement the image of New York City as the center of the universe at a certain date and time.” He and several other academicians based their analyses on the physical size of Times Square and calculations of just how many people can actually fit into the 50-75 pens set up for New Year’s Eve Ball Drop there.

So, when we learn that Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows Ski Resort in California claims to host the World’s Largest New Year’s Eve Torchlight Parade, then offers skiers ages 5+ years to sign up to help break the World Record this year, we’re just going to roll with the claims, realizing they make for great sound bites.

There are several torchlight parades in California with places such as Mammoth Mountain and Mount Shasta Ski Park hosting events weeks before New Year’s Eve.

Two standouts for the December 31st tradition are Big Bear’s Snow Summit Mountain Resort Torchlight Parade and Squaw Alpine’s World’s Largest Torchlight Parade. If you happen to be in the San Bernardino mountains in Southern California or Sierra Nevada mountains Lake Tahoe region, you may be able to participate in or watch two great California NYE traditions. You may even help set a World Record in Squaw Valley–it’s free to participate!