Philly families ring in 2026 before bedtime at the Please Touch Museum

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At the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia on Wednesday morning, the kids got the New Year’s Eve party started well before the clock struck midnight.

The museum welcomed more than 3,000 children, parents, friends and family members at its annual countdown to New Year’s Day. Attendees were able to ring in 2026 twice, at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., all while enjoying a dance party and activities throughout the museum.

“You can be any age, from 1 to 99, you can come here to enjoy yourself and have fun in a safe environment with your family,” said Kristina Haye, senior manager of events at the museum.

Cherelle Moore and her son, Qadir, were celebrating another milestone in addition to the new year: Qadir’s second birthday.

“He’s not going to be up when it’s the countdown,” Moore said. “So I wanted to make it festive.”

Moore said traditions like the new year’s countdown are important for her to do with her son.

“They get one childhood, right? And you want to make it special,” she said. “I just think about all the moments when I was a kid that I did with my mom. So I want to make sure I do that for him, too.”

Ritvi, 3, came to the countdown with her parents and twin sister. Her favorite part of the event was singing songs. Her new year’s wish: more playtime.

Her mother, Moksha Laxmi, said celebrating New Year’s Eve together as a family is especially meaningful after recently moving to the United States.

“The best part, we feel here, [is] we get to spend so much time with them, personally,” she said. “We have twins, so double the trouble, double the fun and triple the excitement.”

Alice, 6, said she’s most excited about starting gymnastics in the new year.

Her father, Trevor Higginson, said he brought Alice and her three siblings to the countdown to ring in 2026 together.

“It’s a great time for us to be able to have a celebration that’s not at night time, which is great so that we can help them get excited about the new year and the events we’ll be doing and the goals,” he said. “We were just talking about goals the other day, and we’re excited for them to be able to try to accomplish those — so it’s fun.”

Nearby, the Montler family picked up New Year’s decorations ahead of the 11 a.m. countdown. Ryan, 7, an aspiring scientist, said the best part of the party was navigating a maze. His brother Colin, 6, enjoyed play cooking because he wants to be a chef when he grows up. His goal for the new year is to get more Pokémon cards.

The countdown event is one way for children to start the new year finding joy and curiosity through play, Haye said, which is at the heart of the museum’s mission.

“This is a place where families can explore different activities with our exhibit spaces,” she said. “We can just enjoy each other’s moments, just talking and sharing a smile with one another, and also learning and growing as we’re playing.”