There was a variety of celebrations honoring different cultures and heritages throughout San Joaquin County to ring in 2026.

First up was an early afternoon, Scottish-themed party in Lodi featuring bagpipes and kilts.

"We celebrate the ball dropping in Scotland, so that's at 4 in the afternoon here," Grant Hamilton, founder of Lodi's Hogmanay at his brewery, said. "It's a real new year. It's just a couple of time zones away."

Grant and Angela Hamilton own a brewery in Lodi. Brewing beer is something Grant is passionate about, along with his Scottish heritage.

"I was born and bred in Scotland and so, I missed it, you know, living in Lodi's a great town but bringing a little bit of Scottish to the town is also nice," Grant said.

They've been hosting Hogmanay, a traditional Scottish New Year's Eve celebration at their location in Lodi for nine years. Angela isn't Scottish but has embraced her husband's tradition.

"So this is all new to me," Angela said. "The first year he wanted to do it, I thought, 'Nobody's going to come, nobody's going to care, they're not Scottish.' And I left to run an errand for about 15 minutes and came back and it was packed."

Because it started at 1 p.m. and they celebrated New Year's Eve at 4 p.m., it gave families an opportunity to celebrate early, including the Coxbrots, who welcomed their 9-month-old Savannah into the world in 2025.

"It was a big gap between the kids and so having another baby around was like absolutely amazing," Alcia Coxbrodt said.

Their New Year's resolutions? For Christopher Coxbrodt, it's to get back to the gym. For Alicia, it is to go hiking. For two members of the City of Sacramento pipe band, who played at the event, they'd like to get better at the bagpipe. For Grant, it's to spend more time with his wife, while Angela hopes to be more present, away from her phone.

The key to their marriage? "I just have to do as I'm told," Grant joked. Alicia replied, "Not true."

"I mean, I try, you can't always succeed, but I try," Grant said.

Next up, there was a '90s-themed party in Stockton at Victory Outreach Center, going through midnight, taking it back to a nostalgic era.

"There's a lot of crazy things going on right now (inside) the city of Stockton, all the neighborhoods and everything, but for us to be able to open a door for people to come like the kids and just have a safe place just to come play, to come and have a great time with entertainment and fun, everyone has a blast here and we're so excited to celebrate and to invite people out, to have them come through, just be a part," Mike Rodriguez, Victory Outreach full-time staff member who helps the church in a lot of ways, said.

"Fresh Prince of Bel Air," "Friends," and "Full House" memorabilia, CDs, VHS tapes, and lots of other themed gear were worn by the community and families who embraced the theme to ring in 2026.

"We're excited because it's not just us, as a church family, that come here and celebrate," Anthony Varela, Victory Outreach leader and volunteer who's turned his life around from the streets and gangbanging to faith, said. "We also open it to the public and we know with a lot of things that are going on within our city, we give the city a chance to come out here and find a safe place to be able to enjoy themself for the evening."

Down the street, Victory in Praise Church held a Jeans and Bling theme with a church service, potluck meal, and games. And for these communities, it's about embracing one another, entering 2026.

"The Scottish heritage is so deep and so strong and doesn't matter what heritage you come from, hold on to it," Grant said. "Hold on to it with really just vindication because it's important. It's who we are and, you know, your neighbors may have a different heritage, embrace them."