At the stroke of noon on Tuesday, Dec. 31, exactly 2,020 balls will be dropped from the top of the rotunda inside the Science Museum of Virginia for its 2019 Noon Year’s Eve celebration for youngsters.

And if the balls don’t drop, guests will receive a full refund on their ticket purchases.

This money-back guarantee is a showy display of confidence on the part of the museum after a technical malfunction at last year’s Noon Year’s Eve celebration.

“We know guests have come to expect the unexpected with us, but not releasing the balls last year wasn’t what we had in mind,” Richard Conti, the museum’s chief wonder officer, stated in a news release about the celebration.

The celebration attracts a crowd that may not be able to stay awake for the traditional midnight countdown on New Year’s Eve.

In addition to the ball drop, the Noon Year’s Eve celebration will feature craft areas where participants can make masks, decorations and noisemakers. Interactive activities also will be available, along with a a Ping Pong Grand Finale to close the event at 1 p.m. Afterward, participants may visit the museum’s exhibits, including “Bionic Me,” a touring exhibit featured through Sunday, Jan. 5.

Because of the event’s popularity, only 2,500 tickets will be sold for Noon Year’s Eve, museum officials said.

The museum will open at 9 a.m. Dec. 31, 30 minutes earlier than normal.

Tickets are $15.50 for adults, $13.50 for youths and seniors; $10 for preschoolers; and free for museum members and children ages 2 and under.

Details: www.smv.org or (804) 864-1400.