Local businesses in downtown Macon make preparations on Monday for their own New Year’s Eve bashes to ring in 2013.

Workers at night club, Element, blew up balloons to prepare for the expected thousands of people to come celebrate the beginning of a new year.

"We're going to drop 2013 balloons, give away 2013 dollars in cash, 213 pounds of confetti," Element Co-Owner Phillip Sinclair said,

Sinclair knows New Year’s Eve is a big night, not only for his venue but for the other establishments up the street from the Cherry Blossom Drop.

"There's a lot of great clubs and bars downtown,” Sinclair said. “We have the Hummingbird, Bottoms Up, Fowl Play, of course Element night club, there's the Rookery,” Sinclair said. ”There are lots of things to do."

Hummingbird and the Cox Capital Theater will be showcasing live music while bars like Fowl Play, Bottoms Up and club Element will have DJ’s. Asylum on Plum St. will have hip hop artist Trinidad James to sing people into 2013.

"It's going to be a great night down here for everybody,” Main Street Macon manager, Mechel McKinley said. “Restaurants are still taking dinner reservations for this evening, a few of them have a few reservations left."

Even though New Year’s Eve fell on a Monday, downtown workers said they expect more than 2,000 people to ring in the New Year."

"I think people have really had a great holiday season and they're really looking forward to getting out and enjoying the different venues in downtown," McKinley said.

“It's a Monday and I mean we've had people even contacting us going are you open?” Sinclair said. “Of course we're open, it's the best night of the year to be open."

Whether people are at the Cherry Blossom Drop or up the street at the different venues, Sinclair said he expects downtown Macon to be lively as people say goodbye to 2012 and hello to 2013.

"We're going to do it big," Sinclair said.

Bars and clubs will continue their celebrations after midnight. Some will be closing at 2 a.m. with others like Element will be staying open until 3 a.m.