Back in my 20’s when I was single, yes, I used to do New Years Eve parties.
But now, the thought of staying up till midnight and then driving home does nothing for me.
But then tons of other people MUST be doing it because all the clubs advertise these spectacular New Years Eve parties and many of them are packed out.
So I’d like to ask, who here does New Years eve parties till midnight?
I will on occasion. It seems to be every few years I go out, usually to a friend’s house or something. Never to a bar or club. I did that two times, and both were boring.
late 50s — we have a couple friends over and do a 6-8 hour gathering that includes three mini-meals cooked over the grill or smoker (we’re in PA), our annual watching of Rocky Horror, and quite a few laughs. We’ve missed a year or two when they were caught out of town (or we were) but this goes back say 30 years as our tradition.
It’s interesting. In my 20s, NYE was my favorite night of the year.
Now at 46, it’s my least favorite.
We stayed at friends house with two other couples and a recently divorced friend. We’ve all been friends since college, are in our 40s and each have a kid ranging in age from 18 months to 6 yrs.
I generally like NYE house parties, or at worst a restaurant with a NYE special. I have absolutely no desire to go to a large club or other public gathering for NYE. Never did really.
Used to, now I go out most years.
I used to work catering in the kitchen in my late teens and early 20s and I loved working NYE! I would still be signing up for that gig if it was available.
In my 20s and early 30s my friends had a standing party and I always went to that.
Then everyone got old, had kids and/or moved away (the party couple left for CA) so I’ve been a drifter since then. Sometimes I go out, sometimes not. Staying up late and driving does not pose a problem for me. Yet.
Kopek I love your tradition! Sounds great!
I haven’t been to a “ring in the New Year” party (i.e, one that went to midnight and beyond) at a restaurant or club since I was 25 (I’m 51 now). I’m no introvert, but I found them to be loud, expensive, and unenjoyable.
For a few years after that last outing, my wife and I would go out to a restaurant for NYE, but even that would always be really crowded and overpriced.
We now always spend NYE with a group of friends, at someone’s house, which we find a lot more enjoyable. We always stay up until midnight, but the gatherings usually wind down by 1 a.m. or so.
I’m 58. We always see live music, usually blues, for NYE. We either get a hotel room (and struggle to be awake and out by check-out) or arrange other accommodations. This year I was late making plans, so we ended up crashing at the club-owner’s house.
I live in the eastern time zone. Which means midnight UTC happens at 7pm my time. So I have a small house party and we all go “Huzzah!” at 7 pm. Then the guests drift out and I can be cleaned up and in bed by 9:30ish like normal. Some of them carry on to later parties elsewhere. Many don’t.
I especially like greeting the new year A) at sunrise and B) not hung over.
Then again, I’ve always been more of a morning person than a night owl.
high 70s (< 3 weeks till 80). I think I last went to a New Year’s eve party about 30 years ago. My wife and I invite one couple who live about 1/2 mile away and we sit around yakking and drinking bubbly until the ball drops, say Happy New Year and slink off to bed. This year wife had a bad fall on Dec. 29 and they skipped it. I didn’t want to open a bottle of bubbly just for the two of us, so we made egg nog instead.
Here’s hoping that impending birthday bash is epic. You’ve certainly earned it.
My youngest was a New year baby. now teen. We allow her house guests and sleepover NYE. Boys and girls. Boys end up in our son’s rooms at bedtime. I chaperone. Wife works. she gets home just b4 midnight. so yeah we have a birthday party.
I’ve thought about it.
My fiancée and I were originally going to do one of those Navy Pier yacht parties this year, but, when we ran the costs that came in top of the ticket (getting there, getting back, maybe a hotel to make the aforementioned easier), we decided to just stay home & put that money toward a new piece for our art collection.
I ended up getting sick this past week anyway, so it ended up being the right move.
Before they moved up here, my parents and their neighbours used to have a ‘progress’ on NYE. Everyone would start at one house for the first course, then move to the next house for the next course and so on until they ended up at the final house for the turn of the year and fireworks.
This year we were expecting the rest of the family to be away, so I booked myself and my mother into a local club and we had a good time, leaving just after midnight. We had our main New Year celebration yesterday.
I misunderstood your first sentence as you saying the kid was a consequence of NYE festivities, not being born on it. Which made the middle part of your post *very *… ahh … interesting. Got a surprise when I got to the end of your post.
Carry on.
I’m 50.
For the past 20+ years we go to a friend’s place, where they have 20 or 30 people (and now their kids have another dozen), order Vietnamese food, talk, drink, finish off everyone’s Christmas cookies, show off the sweater that you got for Christmas, etc.
Some people leave before midnight. There are always a crew that stays for the New Year. All us elderly folks leave by 1am, but I think some of the young adults and teens stay longer.
Anyone ever try the “First Night” celebrations that many small towns have?
The way it works in the one I sometimes go to is: for the price of a badge (about 10-15 bucks), you can get in to entertainment acts at various venues all over town. There are magicians, comedians, actors, every possible genre of music (there’s almost always a Celtic folk or Celtic rock band of some sort). One year, The Amazing Kreskin put in an appearance. This year, the Trampps were there, but I chose the Celtic band Iona over them. There is a kids’ countdown and fireworks at 9 PM and another countdown at midnight, with a few imported Mummers. (They used to have fireworks both times, but it’s dwindled down to just the 9 PM one. Also, it seemed to me that the midnight countdown was rather sparsely populated–maybe the majority of attendants were families with kids.)
I didn’t think I was going to be able to go this year (I was on caregiving duty for my mother), but my sister and brother-in-law didn’t stay out late and told me to go on out (Haddonfield’s only five minutes away from their house). I was able to see a one-man Beatle tribute show and the Celtic band, did the midnight countdown, and headed on back.
It’s a really nice way to spend NYE if you’re not all that much of a drinker, enjoy the arts, and don’t want to spend the fortune that the hotel parties charge.
Don’t do them, never have, and probably never will.
A friend of mine has hosted NYE parties for the past 10 years or so. They are fairly low key – board games and snacks. This year it was just the two us. Not exciting but better than doing NYE alone.
Brian