How to Enjoy New Year's Eve During the COVID 19 Pandemic

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: December 29, 2021 References

New Year’s Eve is traditionally the time to gather with a bunch of people, share some food and drinks, and kiss your crush at midnight. Unfortunately, these are precisely the kind of things you can’t do while COVID-19 is still around. Even if you wanted to, most of the bars, events, and clubs will be closed this time, so you’re best off staying home and finding other ways to celebrate. Luckily, there are tons of easy options when it comes to bringing in the New Year in style. Read on to find the inspiration you need to enjoy New Year’s Eve a little differently this year.

1

Host a small celebration with the people you live with.

While a large party is out of the question, you can still celebrate with others! If you have roommates or you live with your family, talk to them about throwing an exclusive party just for residents of the home. Treat it as an opportunity to dress up, eat a delicious meal, and throw on some tunes. You could play games, relax, or watch a New Year’s Eve event on TV. This is a great way to spend the night celebrating with your friends or family.^{[1]
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- Unfortunately, it’s still not safe to go out and party with a bunch of friends and family members. It’s perfectly fine to celebrate with the people you live with so long as everyone has been responsible and nobody has any symptoms, though!^{[2]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
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- Treat it like a regular party. Decorate the home with streamers and dress up the same way you normally would. This will go a long way toward making it feel like a normal event.
- If you have children, you can get some props and have fun taking fancy “photo booth” selfies, or mix up some mocktails so they can celebrate with you.

2

Have a virtual celebration with friends and family.

The safest way to party it up on New Year’s Eve is to do it digitally. Talk to friends and family about hopping on Zoom or Google Hangouts for the night so everyone can enjoy the night together.^{[3]
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Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source} Get excited, dress up, and toast to a wonderful night among friends or family. You could have everyone tune into the same virtual New Year’s Eve event to count down together.^{[4]
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- You could do a theme party and encourage everyone to get into their best suit or dress or ask everyone to dress up as their favorite movie character.
- You could play a party game while you’re waiting for the digital ball drop. Something like “never have I ever” or “2 truths and a lie” is a great way to share some laughs together.

3

Tune in to a live event on TV.

Most of the major New Year’s Eve events are going digital this year. Times Square may be closed, but they’re still hosting a virtual celebration if you want to go for the most iconic option on New Year’s Eve.^{[5]
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Research source} London plans on hosting a virtual celebration as well.^{[6]
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Research source} Tune into your local news station if you want to see whatever your local community is up to for New Year’s Eve. The odds are high they have something planned.
- If you’re going to be missing out on some local fireworks, you can always tune in to a livestream of fireworks. Many major cities are still hosting firework celebrations, even if people aren’t going to be physically attending.^{[7]
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4

Break out the confetti and streamers at home.

Regardless of how you plan on celebrating, do it with a bang. Put up some streamers around the house to get into the festive mood. Pick up some party poppers and pull the string to let out a bang when you hit midnight. If you’re trying to be more conscious of the noise, confetti is a great option. These little noisemakers will really go a long way to making your New Year’s Eve feel exciting.^{[8]
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- You could also go with some fun kazoos, maracas, or cowbells depending on how far you want to take it with the noise.^{[9]
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- This will be especially fun if you’re celebrating with children! Kids tend to really love noisemakers.

5

Step outside to enjoy fireworks in your area.

Many major events are cancelled, so other residents may make up for it. If you live in a major city or in an area where fireworks are especially popular, local residents are likely going to set off a serious light show around midnight. Step out on your porch or head up to the roof if you’ve got a deck. Enjoy a warm drink on a cool night and watch the show.^{[10]
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- You can light some fireworks off yourself if it’s legal where you live and you’re responsible. Just make sure you only light off 1 firework at a time, keep a bucket of water nearby to put out potential misfires, and light the fireworks off from a responsible distance.

6

Go for a relaxing holiday at home.

Nobody said you have to do something big for New Year’s. Throw on some pyjamas, indulge in something sweet, and spend the night relaxing at home. If you live with roommates, kids, or a significant other, you could pick out a few movies to watch together. If you live alone, binge your favorite show or crack open a good book. This is a great way to take the pressure to do something fancy off and bring in the year with some positive self-love.^{[11]
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- You can break out some board games to play with your family or roommates. If you live alone, you could always get a few friends together for some online video games.
- Another option is to treat New Year’s Eve as an opportunity to start 2022 right. Go through your wardrobe and pull the stuff you don’t wear out to give it to charity. Throw on an interesting podcast or some music and clean your home. Go to bed ready to wake up to a fresh start at home!

7

Hang out with your neighbors from your porch.

Many of your neighbors are probably going to spend New Year’s at home as well. Ask your neighbors if they’d be interested in having a “block party” where everyone socializes from the safety of their front porch. Alternatively, you can bundle up and hang outside and just say hello to neighbors as they pop out to get some fresh air or watch the fireworks. This is a great way to get some social time in with the people in your area.^{[12]
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- This is also a good idea if you live in a densely populated area where there’s bound to be lots of noise and fireworks going off in the background!

8

Treat yourself to a fancy dinner and drinks.

Celebrate in style by buying yourself something delicious. If you love cooking, spend a few hours crafting something truly elaborate before midnight. If you don’t like cooking, order from your favorite restaurant and indulge yourself a little. Treat yourself to a fancy bottle of whiskey or a case of your favorite craft beer. Get the good stuff this year! Quarantine has been difficult on everyone and you deserve it.^{[13]
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- Remember, you’re probably saving a bunch of money this year with all of the bars, festivals, and concert venues cancelling any events you would normally be interested in. If you can afford it, treat yourself and splurge a little.

9

Take a drive around the town.

If you’re feeling cooped up, hop in your car or get on your bike. Take a ride around your local downtown area and take the sights in. A lot of stores and homes should still be set up from Christmas, and a beautiful night cruising around town is a great way to get out. There may also be drive-through events with live music or light shows depending on where you live.
- Sometimes it helps to just get outside. Quarantine hasn’t been easy, and getting out and seeing what’s going on in your city may be a great way to spend a few hours.
- If you live in a rural area, you could head out and do some stargazing.

10

Usher in a better year with a positive resolution.

A good resolution is a great way to start 2022 outright. Think about something you’d really like to change in your life. You could commit to working out at home more frequently or make a promise to reach out to your friends more often while everyone is still stuck in quarantine. Whatever you choose, try to pick something realistic that you can reasonably accomplish while you’re still social distancing and quarantining.^{[14]
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- You could also make an activity out of this if you’re hosting a virtual party or celebrating with your family. Ask everyone to jot down their resolution or discuss your plans for the new year as a group.^{[15]
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11

Have a socially-distanced, small in-person gathering.

While it still isn’t recommended, you could host a small get together if you take precautions. Invite only a handful of people, tell everyone to bring their own drinks and food, and maintain 6 feet (1.8 m) between you while you’re hanging out. Gather outside if possible to minimize the odds that anyone gets sick. Keep your masks on while you’re hanging out and enjoy the New Year together.^{[16]
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Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source}
- The risk of spreading the virus at a small gathering like this varies depending on where you live (some communities have higher levels of COVID-19 than others), how long the gathering lasts (longer gatherings will increase your risk) and how responsible the attendees have been about social distancing prior to the gathering.
- Do not do this if you or anyone you know has had any symptoms of COVID-19. This includes fever, cough, a loss of taste or smell, difficulty breathing, fatigue, sore throat, or body aches.^{[17]
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  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
  Go to source}

Community Q&A

Question

How can I help the poor on this time during New Year?

Mollie Snyder

Community Answer

Look for a charity to donate to. For example, there is an online business called InvolveMN that helps homeless people. You can find them on Facebook.
Question

How can I enjoy the New Year when every new year is worse than the old year?

Iris8989

Community Answer

Be on the bright side of things! Maybe the next new year will be better than the old year! Do the steps in this article, and even if you are reading this during the COVID pandemic, we will still find a way out of it. Look at the many good things we have done in history. You will get through this year.

Warnings

If you do see anyone on New Year’s Eve, self-quarantine for at least 14 days to ensure that you don’t accidentally spread the virus in the event that you’re asymptomatic.^{[18]
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