New Years Eve Party Games

New Year's Eve party games will keep your party rocking long past the midnight hour!

Celebrating New Year's Eve

People celebrate New Year's Eve in a variety of ways. For some, starting off the new year just isn't right if they aren't sharing it with their whole family. Others look for the biggest party in the neighborhood and then hire a babysitter and dance all night long. Still others prefer a more intimate gathering of friends and/or family, eating good food, watching movies, and playing games.

New Year's Eve Party Games and Ideas

New Year's Eve party games allow party-goers of all ages the opportunity to get in on the fun. Keep in mind, however, that some games may not be suitable for children either because of the subject matter or the difficulty level. The following games are simple to play, and many of these may be modified depending upon the age and the number of players participating.

Word Scramble

You can make this game as simple or as difficult as you like. Print out a list of scrambled words. Each of the words should have some association with New Year's. Possible word choices could include the following:

New Year's
Eve
December
Resolutions
Fireworks
New York City
Champagne
Balloons

Hand each guest a list of the scrambled words, and see who can unscramble all of them correctly first.

Who Am I?

For this game, guests choose one famous person secretly. They shouldn't tell anyone else who they are thinking of. Next, each guest needs to write down a description of his or her person. The description should include trivia facts, like the celebrity's starring roles in movies or hit songs, as well as a description of the celebrity's appearance. Each guest should then tape his or her list of facts to his back, and let other guests try to guess who he or she is. Leave space at the bottom of the sheet for guests to write down their guesses. At the end of a specified time, have each guest reveal his or her celebrity's name.

Whodunnit?

This is a simple murder mystery game that kids and adults of all ages love to play! Choose one person to be the "detective." He will need to leave the room until the "murderer" is chosen. All of the other players sit in a circle, either on the floor or in chairs. The players will need to select someone in the group to be the "murderer." The murderer remains in the circle along with everyone else. The detective is then called back into the room and instructed to solve the murder mystery. When the detective isn't looking, the murderer winks at other players in the circle. If the player sees that she has been winked at, she must scream and then "die" by lying on the floor. The detective is given three chances to solve the murder by identifying the murderer before the last three people are left alive. If he fails to do so, a new murder mystery begins.

Costume Contest

Before you think this is your traditional costume contest, think again. Divide party guests up into groups of three or four. Hand each group several "costume" supplies, such as paper bags, yarn, markers, construction paper, glue, tape, and scissors. Members of each group should work quickly to design a "costume" for one member of the group to wear. At the end of the given time period, hold a "costume contest" and invite guests to vote on the most creative or original costume.

Don't Forget the Lyrics

Purchase several CDs without the lyrics, and hold a Don't Forget the Lyrics contest. Have guests compete to see who can sing the most lyrics correctly. This works great with a karaoke machine if the karaoke is turned so that competing guests can't see the lyrics but everyone else can!

These are just a few of the many New Year's Eve party games your guests will love to play. For more New Year's Eve party ideas, check out the articles New Year's Eve Parties and New Year's Eve Party Themes and Ideas.