Countdown

	; The Countdown after midnight in the northern hemisphere in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.;
Occurrence
	December 31st
Time	11 PM — 1 AM ; 11 PM — 2 AM
Host	Tortimer ; Isabelle ; Tom Nook
Main appearances
	DnM DnM+ AC DnMe+ iQue; WW CF NL NH
Other appearances
	Film HHD aF PC
	Names in other languages カウントダウン; 倒数; Compte à rebours; cuenta atrás; Conto alla rovescia; Отсчет 카운트다운; 倒數; Compte à rebours; Cuenta regresiva; Countdown; Aftellen

The Countdown, also known as New Year's Eve, is a celebration of the new year in the Animal Crossing series that appears in all games to date. It is the first part of the two-part New Year celebration, with the following day, New Year's Day, being the second part. An outdoor countdown party is held for the villagers in town, with fireworks going off once the new year starts at midnight.

The holiday is analogous with the real world holiday of the same name. The villagers in the town will get excited about this event and how they celebrate it varies in all the different Animal Crossing games. Traditionally in many western countries, people sing "Auld Lang Syne," translated from Scots as "Times Gone By," which the villagers will sing in Doubutsu no Mori.

Appearances[edit]

In Animal Crossing[edit]

Maple announcing the new year.

In Animal Crossing at exactly 11 PM, Pelly announces from the train station's loudspeaker that the celebration is beginning. Once control returns to the player, Tortimer appears near the pond along with the countdown board. Special music plays in the background and the animal villagers begin to congregate about the pond. If the player speaks with Tortimer before midnight, he will give them a Noisemaker; in the original Japanese version, he instead gives them the New Year's Eve Noodles. As time passes, the villagers become more and more excited in their conversations. At 11:59 PM, with only a few seconds left in the old year, the music stops and the board begins emitting beeps upon each new second.

With a loud beep, the board beckons in the New Year at 12 AM. As the town clock plays the town tune, the hour long fireworks display begins and each of the villagers begins to celebrate, whistling a tune that resembles "Auld Lang Syne." Players can see the fireworks by watching their reflections in the pond. At this point, Tortimer stops handing out party poppers. The New Year's Eve celebration ends at exactly 1:00 AM, but the New Year celebration continues the next day with the New Year's Day events.

In Wild World[edit]

In Animal Crossing: Wild World, beginning at 6 AM, the first time a player comes out of their house, Pelly announces from the town hall's loudspeaker that the countdown has started. A large board appears in front of the town hall, counting down the hours/minutes/seconds to go until the New Year. Tortimer appears next to the countdown board, and will give out Party Poppers if spoken to. Players may stock up on these items for the big event.

At exactly 11 PM, a cutscene plays, in which Pelly announces from the town hall's loudspeaker that it's time to start the celebrations. The cutscene will also play if a player begins play after 11 PM. Special music plays in the background at this time. Several animal villagers may congregate around the board at this time, but only if this is their first New Year's Eve celebration in the town. As time passes, the villagers become more and more excited in their conversations. At 11:50 PM and 11:55 PM, the music changes. Finally, at 11:59 PM, the music stops and the board begins emitting beeps upon each new second.

At 12 AM, the town clock plays the town tune and the board changes to a scrolling "NEW YEAR!" message. A 2-hour long fireworks display also begins - players can see the fireworks in the top screen of their Nintendo DS systems. Unlike the original, the villagers don't prance around and celebrate, although they will wish players a happy new year if spoken to. At this point, Tortimer stops handing out party poppers, and will begin to hand out fortunes for the new year. The fireworks end at exactly 2:00 AM, but the celebration continues the next day with the New Year's Day events.

In City Folk[edit]

Countdown in City Folk

In Animal Crossing: City Folk, beginning at 6 AM, a large board appears in front of the town hall, counting down the hours/minutes/seconds to go until the New Year. Tortimer appears next to the countdown board, and will give out Party Poppers if spoken to. Players may stock up on these items for the big event.

At exactly 11 PM, Pelly announces from the town hall's loudspeaker that the final countdown has begun. The cutscene will also play if a player begins play after 11 PM. Special music plays in the background at this time. The animal villagers do not seem to congregate anywhere, although they will be excited if spoken to. As time passes, the villagers become more and more excited in their conversations. At 11:50 PM and 11:55 PM, the music changes. Finally, at 11:59 PM, the music stops and the board begins emitting beeps upon each new second.

At 12 AM, the clock plays the town tune and the board changes to a scrolling "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" message. At this point, players lose control over their character. Pelly will then wish everyone a happy new year from the loudspeaker in the town hall. A 2-hour long fireworks display also begins.

After the announcement, players can move their characters again. The animal villagers will occasionally look up and applaud the fireworks, and will also wish the player a happy New Year if spoken to. At this point, Tortimer stops handing out party poppers. The fireworks end at exactly 2 AM, but the celebration continues the next day with the New Year's Day events.

In New Leaf[edit]

In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, at the beginning of the day, there will be a board for the countdown for the New Year. At 11:00 PM, villagers and Isabelle will get more excited about it. It will also be announced on the loudspeaker as the player walks out of their house. Redd, who will be by the Town Tree, will give players a New Year's top hat or a New Year's party hat (colors vary from yellow, red and blue). Also, players may receive a Party popper. The balloons displayed on the countdown sign will display an image of an animal that relates to the current Chinese year.

The town hour theme will change at 11:00 PM, which begins to sound eager and changes as the New Year gets closer. At the last minute, the Countdown clock will beep for every second left. When the New Year comes, the town tune will play and a giant Party Popper will burst from the Countdown clock. The Countdown clock will give a scrolling message wishing a happy new year. The fireworks will display the (new) year at first, and a fireworks show similar to City Folk follows.

The fireworks end at 2 AM, at which point the hour theme changes to a calmer version of the earlier New Year's theme. Villagers will still be out and about to wish the player a happy New Year, and Redd will still be selling his wares.

Isabelle stands by the town tree and will give the player gifts if the player talks with her, such as a Sparkler and Sparkling Cider.

If the Countdown falls on any day of the week other than Saturday, DJ KK can be heard at Club LOL playing a club remix of the New Leaf main theme.

In New Horizons[edit]

Fireworks spelling out the year at midnight in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Isabelle, Tom Nook, and the player outside Resident Services during the Countdown in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

In Animal Crossing: New Horizons, there is an island broadcast on December 31 announcing that it is the last day of the year. A countdown clock, lights, and balloons will appear on the Resident Services plaza. Isabelle will hand out Light Sticks, and Tom Nook will offer five Party Poppers for free and will sell either the New Year's Hat or the New Year's Silk Hat. Each hat variation cycles through every four years, though others can be obtained on other islands. Throughout the day, Resident Services is closed, and group stretching will not be available.

At 11 PM, special hourly music will play, and villagers will get ready for the Countdown. At 11:30 PM, the music changes again, and villagers will head to the Resident Services plaza. During this time, if the player talks to a villager while wearing a New Year's Hat or Silk Hat after talking to them for the first time, the villager will notice they are not wearing a New Year's hat, and will put on a New Year's hat of their choosing. At 11:55 PM, every villager will pull out a Light Stick. When the clock has only 1 minute left, it will beep for every second until it reaches zero; the music during this time will fade when this occurs. At 30 seconds remaining, a new tone is added to the beep. During the last ten seconds, the beeps get very loud and another low tone is added to the beeps. The villagers present will wave Light Sticks in rhythm with the countdown while counting down in Animalese. When the clock reaches zero, a cutscene occurs where the town tune will play and fireworks will display the new year. Villagers and players alike will wave their Light Sticks around when the fireworks are launched. The player can also see the start of the fireworks while on Kapp'n's boat tour.^[1]

After the cutscene, a fireworks show begins, and villagers (holding their Light Sticks) will be dancing along to the town tune, occasionally waving their light stick or using a party popper. The fireworks show continues until 2 AM, when it will stop and the music switches to a calmer version of the earlier New Year's music. All villagers will stop dancing and will leave the plaza. Isabelle and Tom Nook will still hand out Light Sticks and sell Party Poppers and hats, respectively.

In addition to the event itself, several seasonal items are sold via Nook Shopping from December 22 to December 31^{[nb 6]} to celebrate New Year's Eve in various regions. The items include the New Year's Noodles, Berliner, Twelve-Grape Dish, and since 1.6.0, the Olivier Salad and Sparkling Cider. If it is the player's first time celebrating New Year's in the game, they will complete the Nook Miles achievement Countdown Celebration and earn 1,000 Nook Miles when the countdown reaches zero.

	カウントダウン Kauntodaun	Countdown

	카운트다운 kaunteudaun	Countdown

	倒数 Dàoshǔ	Countdown

	倒數 Unknown	Countdown

	Отсчет Otschyot	Countdown

	Aftellen	Countdown

	Countdown	-

	Cuenta atrás	Countdown

	Cuenta regresiva	Countdown

	Compte à rebours	Countdown

	Conto alla rovescia	Countdown

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Countdown

Appearances[edit]

In Animal Crossing[edit]

In Wild World[edit]

In City Folk[edit]

In New Leaf[edit]

In New Horizons[edit]

Gallery[edit]

Artwork[edit]

Screenshots[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Notes[edit]

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