Vero Beach rang in the New Year with a big bang at festivities ranging from intimate gatherings of family and friends to parties spilling out into the streets. There was something for everyone and attire ran the gamut from sequins to shorts and everything in-between. The one constant: Everyone was excited to welcome in 2018.

Early birds headed over to the Heritage Center for a VIP pre-party to meet and greet members of the Landsharks band. Afterward, partiers sat by a roaring fire as they listened to trop-rock tunes and competed in a Parrothead costume contest. Proceeds from the evening supported Vero Heritage Inc. and its efforts to preserve and manage the Heritage Center and adjoining Indian River Citrus Museum.

Catering to the stout of heart, Walking Tree Brewery hosted a Brew Year’s Eve celebration where party-goers danced to the music of Man Made Weather and played games as they waited for a barrel drop at midnight and lifted their steins to a better 2018.

Rough seas fizzled out the planned beachside fireworks sponsored by Costa d’Este, Vero Beach Hotel and Spa and Waldo’s, but smaller displays up and down the beach still lit up the night sky. And revelers made their own sparks, taking advantage of the proximity of various venues by stopping for dinner at favorite haunts before wandering from one party to the next.

At the Vero Beach Hotel guests had the best of both worlds; sitting inside at Cobalt to enjoy the sounds of the Shanaphy Family Band or heading outside to dance the night away under the stars. Costa d’Este down the street drew quite a crowd poolside as the band Jahzilla got things going while next door at Waldo’s the gathering was energized by Uproot Hootenanny. Just across the street, a spotlight drew people like moths to the flame at Grind + Grape, where merrymakers rocked in 2018 to the sounds of East Harbor.