Let’s face it, we all have at least one unpleasant memory from 2016 that we’d rather forget. So here’s your chance to shred it to bits.
Good Riddance Day is an annual tradition in Times Square, when people from all walks of life can come together to release themselves of any and all unpleasant or embarrassing memories from the past year before allowing for a fresh start in the new one.
The Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment have teamed up with document destruction company Shred-It to give you the chance to rid yourself of these memories in an incredibly satisfying way. You write them down, shred them, move on.
Remember the time you fell down the stairs at that party in Greenpoint and stained your favorite shirt with red wine? Shred it. Are you ready to move on from the ex who broke your heart and left you with nothing but a box full of memories? Shred it. Would you rather forget when you got stuck in the subway doors trying to make your train and your backpack made it to Astoria before you did? Shred it.
Another reason to feel good about shredding your bad memories from 2016: All of the materials are bundled up and sent to recycling plants to be turned into usable items.
The event, now in its 10th year, was first inspired by a Latin American tradition in which revelers on New Year’s Eve set fire to dolls that have been stuffed with items representing bad memories, per the Times Square Alliance.
Good Riddance Day will be held on Dec. 28 between noon and 1 p.m. at the Times Square Broadway Plaza between 45th and 46th streets.
For those who can’t make it to Times Square on Good Riddance Day, you can tweet your submission with the hashtag #GoodRiddanceDay and organizers will shred your memory for you.
