Families ring in the New Year early at Friendship Fountain

Despite the cold weather, sunshine filling the Southbank, families gathered at Friendship Fountain to celebrate the New Year a little early during Jacksonville’s Noon Year’s Eve celebration. The family-friendly event, running from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., offered an alternative to late-night fireworks, giving kids and parents a chance to welcome 2026 at noon instead of midnight.