DENVER — In just a few hours, downtown Denver will be buzzing with New Year’s Eve celebrations.

Denver7 spoke with staff at The Cherry Cricket in Denver’s Ballpark District who said they were getting ready for the busy crowds.

General Manager Griffin Yarbenet said they are making sure to have more staff — and more champagne, ready.

“We got to make sure we have a lot of champagne flutes and a lot of booze ready, you know? People like to celebrate. Sometimes this is the last two hurrah before ‘Dry January,’” Yarbenet said. “We’ve noticed throughout the years that, especially after COVID, that these kind of events are creating more draw, more people are more comfortable with going out.”

Bars and restaurants aren’t the only ones who are gearing up for a big night — The Denver Police Department (DPD) said you can expect to see a lot more officers across the city, especially in spots where there will be large events.

“We do plan to make sure we have enough (patrols) based on just regular call load, but also enough to handle the firework shows that are downtown,” said Jay Casillas, public information officer for DPD.

Casillas said there will be both on-duty and off-duty officers. He said several off-duty officers are in charge of working at some of the NYE events across the city.

“They’re officers that aren’t on the clock, but they’re getting paid by the event holder, right? The people that are organizing the event, they paid them, and they’re just there to provide security for that event,” Casillas added.

DPD is reminding everyone: No matter how you plan to celebrate, do so safely.

“Plan for a safe and sober ride going to and from these areas, using designated drivers, designated sober drivers, utilizing ride shares, utilizing public transportation,” he said.

The Cherry Cricket in LoDo said it will be open until around 1:30 a.m. depending on how busy it is. They are not charging a cover fee.