Which New Year's Eve celebration is marked by the dropping of a lit pinecone in Flagstaff, Arizona?

The Great Pinecone Drop marks New Year’s Eve in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Flagstaff’s celebration uses a large illuminated pinecone as its symbolic countdown object. The pinecone reflects the city’s location in the ponderosa pine forests of northern Arizona and gives the event a local identity rather than copying the more famous ball drop in New York City.

The object is lowered at midnight during a downtown celebration. Flagstaff is a high-elevation city near the San Francisco Peaks, and its forest setting helps explain why a pinecone became the chosen emblem. Local New Year events can include music, family activities, and an earlier “noon” countdown for children.

This tradition is easily mixed up with other novelty drops across the United States, including an illuminated peach in Atlanta and a guitar pick in Memphis. Those objects belong to different cities and celebrations.