New Year's Eve party games printable pack

What is inside

• New Year's Eve bingo: 30 different cards, two to a page, from a pool of 48 squares
• New Year's trivia: 12 multiple choice questions, with answers and sources
• New Year's word scramble: 16 words, with the answer key
• Predictions for the new year: prediction cards, 12 lines each
• Time capsule letters: a letter page with 8 prompts
• Most likely to: ballot with 16 categories
• Act it out: 36 cut-apart cards
• Midnight scavenger hunt: 16 items to find
• Answer keys and host notes on the last page

A plan for the night

New Year’s Eve parties run long, so the games work best as short bursts with breaks in between. One way to plan it:

• 8:00 to 9:00: guests arrive. Bingo cards and the scramble go out first.
• 9:00 to 10:00: trivia in teams, then charades.
• 10:00 to 11:00: the scavenger hunt, then a food break.
• 11:00 to 11:45: predictions and time capsule letters, which are quiet and slow the room down.
• 11:45 to midnight: announce the Most likely to results and the bingo winner, then pour the sparkling cider.

Nothing in the pack needs alcohol, and none of the games are drinking games.

Game 1: New Year's Eve bingo

Time: All night, with a prize at midnight. Best for: Any group size. You need: One card and one pen per guest.

1. Hand each guest a card and a pen when they arrive.
2. Guests cross off squares as the night goes on. Anyone can call out a square for another guest, but she has to mark it herself.
3. First to five in a row calls "Party!" and wins a small prize.
4. Play until midnight for a final winner. Whoever has the most squares when the countdown ends takes the grand prize.

The squares include some that happen after midnight, like "Leftovers get wrapped". Late-night squares keep the game alive.

On the cards: 48 squares in the pool, 24 on each card plus a free space. A few of them: Someone yawns before 11, Someone starts the countdown early, Snack table refill, Someone checks the ball drop, Someone brings dessert, Someone puts on comfy shoes, Someone hands out noisemakers, A resolution to read more, Someone sings along, A dog barks at noise.

Game 2: New Year's trivia

Time: 10 minutes. Best for: Teams of 3 to 5. You need: The question sheet, pens and the answer key.

1. Divide guests into teams of 3 to 5 and hand out the question sheet.
2. Teams answer all 12 questions in five minutes.
3. Swap sheets, read the key and score one point for each right answer.
4. The winning team picks the music for the last hour before midnight.

Every answer is tied to a named source, listed on the key page.

Sample questions:

• In what year did the first New Year’s Eve ball drop in Times Square? (1895 / 1907 / 1925 / 1950)
• About how heavy was the very first Times Square ball? (70 pounds / 350 pounds / 700 pounds / 1,400 pounds)

The other 10 questions, the answers and the sources are in the PDF.

Game 3: New Year's word scramble

Time: 5 minutes. Best for: Early arrivals. You need: One sheet and one pen per guest.

1. Start a five minute timer and pass out the sheets.
2. Guests unscramble as many of the 16 words as they can.
3. Read the key aloud. Guests mark their own sheets.
4. The winner gets the first pick from the snack table.

HOGMANAY is the toughest, and it also appears in the trivia, so guests who play both rounds have an edge.

On the sheet: 16 scrambles, such as NGDIHTMI (MIDNIGHT) and WALRLFEE (FAREWELL). The rest and the full key are in the PDF.

Game 4: Predictions for the new year

Time: 10 minutes, then a reveal next year. Best for: Any group that will see each other again in 12 months. You need: One card per guest, an envelope and pens.

1. Each guest fills out a card with her predictions for the year ahead.
2. Fold the cards and seal them in an envelope. Write the date to open it, next New Year’s Eve, on the front.
3. The host keeps the envelope somewhere safe and brings it to the next party.
4. At the reveal, read each card aloud and let guests judge their own predictions.

Take a photo of the sealed envelope and send it to the group chat as a reminder. Hosts forget where they put things.

On each card: Where I will travel; A new thing I will try; A book I will finish; One habit I will build; One habit I will drop; A song I will play too much; My word for the year; A big thing that will happen at work or home; A friend who will surprise me; A show I will binge; Next year, I will say I was….

Game 5: Time capsule letters

Time: 10 minutes of quiet writing. Best for: A calmer corner of the party, or a smaller group. You need: One letter page per guest, an envelope and pens.

1. Give each guest a letter page and an envelope. They write their name on the front.
2. Everyone writes privately for about ten minutes and seals the envelope.
3. The host collects them in a box and stores it until next New Year’s Eve.
4. Hand the envelopes back at the next party, or mail them in January for a surprise.

Hosts who plan to mail the letters can collect addresses on a separate sign-in sheet.

The prompts: Right now I feel…, The best thing that happened this year was…, Something I am proud of is…, Something I want to let go of is…, A goal for next year is…, A person I want to spend more time with is…, A small joy I want to keep is…, If I could tell you one thing in 12 months, it would be….

Game 6: Most likely to

Time: 10 minutes to vote, 5 to read the results. Best for: Friend groups who know each other well. You need: Ballots and pens.

1. Hand each guest a ballot with 16 categories and ask for one name per line.
2. Collect the ballots, then tally them quietly.
3. Announce the winners by countdown: read the category, then the name after a beat.
4. Each guest can win up to two awards. Give any extras to the next highest vote.

Hold the reveal for after dessert so everyone is in a good mood.

A few categories: Most likely to start the countdown early, Most likely to cry during Auld Lang Syne, Most likely to be asleep before midnight, Most likely to keep a resolution all year, Most likely to forget a resolution by Tuesday. All 16 are in the PDF.

Game 7: Act it out

Time: 20 to 30 minutes. Best for: Groups of 6 to 16. Two teams work best. You need: The cut cards, a bowl and a timer.

1. Cut the pages into 36 cards and drop them in a bowl.
2. Split into two teams. One player draws a card and acts it out with no words or sounds.
3. Her team has 60 seconds to guess. One point for each correct guess.
4. Teams take turns. The team with the most points when the cards run out wins.

Actions such as "Ringing a bell 108 times" and "Eating twelve grapes" tie back to the traditions in the trivia.

A few cards: “Dropping the ball” “Starting the countdown” “Making a resolution” The full set of 36 is in the PDF.

Game 8: Midnight scavenger hunt

Time: 15 to 20 minutes. Best for: Hosts with a home that can handle a bit of roaming. You need: A sheet per guest or team, pens and a timer.

1. Give each guest or team a hunt sheet and a 15 minute timer.
2. Guests find or photograph the 16 items on the list. Photos can be taken on a phone, and finds must stay in the room where the host can see them.
3. Team members check off each item with initials.
4. Most items wins. If there is a tie, the team with the funniest find takes the prize.

Pick one or two items from the list to make sure you actually own, such as "Something blue", so the hunt works in any home.

A few items: Something sparkly, Something that starts with the letter M, Something you would wear to a party, A photo that makes someone laugh, Something you can read, Something round. All 16 are on the sheet.

Midnight traditions to try

The trivia includes a few customs from around the world that make easy add-ons for your countdown. All of these are described on the Wikipedia page for New Year’s Eve.

• Spain: people eat twelve grapes at midnight, one for each chime of the clock, said to bring luck and prosperity.
• Scotland: at Hogmanay, the first person to enter a home after midnight is expected to bring a gift. This is called first-footing, and traditional gifts include shortbread and coal.
• Denmark: people jump off a chair at midnight, as a leap into the new year.
• Japan: Buddhist temples ring their bells 108 times at midnight.

Auld Lang Syne has words by the Scottish poet Robert Burns, who wrote the poem in 1788 and sent a copy to the Scots Musical Museum that year. The Scots title can be translated as “old long since”, or “times long past”.

Where the trivia facts come from

• Scripps News, history of the ball drop for the 1907 start, the 700 pound first ball and its 100 bulbs.
• Wikipedia, Auld Lang Syne and Britannica, Auld Lang Syne for Burns and the year 1788.
• Wikipedia, New Year’s Eve for the customs and the time zone questions.

Printing tips

The PDF is set for US Letter. On A4, choose “fit to page” in the print dialog. Choose grayscale for black and white printing. Light cardstock suits the charades cards.