Bethlehem, PA Celebrates The New Year With 10th Annual PEEPSFEST®

Just Born Quality Confections and ArtsQuest Ring in 2019 By Dropping 400 Pound PEEPS® Chick

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Dec 27, 2018, 07:37 ET

BETHLEHEM, Pa., Dec. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Every year friends and family gather together on New Year's Eve to celebrate and watch the famous Times Square ball drop, and with every tradition comes a few quirky twists. In Memphis, TN, they drop a giant guitar, while Boise, ID drops a giant potato, but the sweetest New Year's Eve drop in the U.S. occurs in Bethlehem, Pa. Home of the beloved PEEPS® candy brand, Bethlehem drops a giant illuminated PEEPS® Chick each year to spread cheer and encourage family-friendly celebrations.

The PEEPS® Chick rings in the new year at the 7th annual PEEPSFEST® at SteelStacks Thursday, December 31, 2015 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The annual 2-day festival consists of family-friendly activities and a PEEPS® Chick Drop along with fireworks at dusk. Jeff Fusco/AP Images for Just Born Quality Confections

The PEEPS® drop is the highlight of PEEPSFEST®, a 2-day festival, which celebrates the fun and excitement of the PEEPS® brand at the iconic SteelStacks in Bethlehem, PA. Weighing in at 400 pounds and standing tall at four feet and nine inches, the PEEPS® Chick will descend for the countdown to the New Year on Dec. 31 at 5:15 p.m.

Dedicated to providing inclusive family fun for all, Just Born Quality Confections and Arts Quest announced a new PEEPS® Chick rising ceremony on Dec. 30 at 5:15 p.m. The rising ceremony encourages families to come out to enjoy the fireworks and festivities without concern for larger crowds on New Year's Eve.

"The PEEPS® Chick is an iconic symbol that represents the PEEPS® brand, our company and our community," says Meg Dowd, Corporate Affairs Specialist at Just Born Quality Confections. "We look forward to celebrating with fans, some of who travel from all over the country, at PEEPSFEST®!"

Along with the popular Chick Drop, this year's PEEPSFEST® also has several exciting events for the entire family to enjoy. The PEEPS® Olympics, a free kid-friendly competition tests their skills and knowledge to cross the finish line. New this year, the "PEEP This! PEEPS® Sculpture Competition" will feature local fans expressing their PEEPSONALITY® and displaying sculptured masterpieces made with PEEPS®.

Just Born Quality Confections is dedicated to helping its community start the new year off on a sweet note. In 2019, PEEPS® is partnering with The United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley to kick off the PEEPS® Helping Peeps Sweepstakes! For the first time ever, the PEEPS® brand will open its factory doors to the public, giving one lucky fan the chance to win a V.I.PEEPS® factory tour experience for four while donating to a great cause.

For more information on this annual celebration and ways to get involved with the festivities, visit www.steelstacks.org/peepsfest.

About Just Born Quality Confections:
Just Born Quality Confections is a third-generation family-owned company. Just Born is the maker of some of America's most beloved and iconic brands – PEEPS®, MIKE AND IKE®, HOT TAMALES® and GOLDENBERG'S® PEANUT CHEWS®. In 1923, the founder, Sam Born, opened a small candy-making and retail store in Brooklyn, New York, where he marketed the freshness of his daily-made candy with a sign that declared, "Just Born." Together with Born's brothers-in-law, Irv and Jack Shaffer, the company thrived in spite of the economic depression of the 1930s and, in 1932, moved its operations to Bethlehem, PA, which is still home to their iconic candy brands. All Just Born candies are proudly made in the U.S.A. For more information, please visit www.justborn.com and see the breadth of candy and high-quality branded items at www.peepsandcompany.com. Follow us: facebook.com/JustBornInc, twitter.com/JustBornInc.