4 Ways to Celebrate New Year’s Eve with Kids

4 Ways to Celebrate New Year’s Eve with Kids

Gone are the days of partying until the wee hours, dancing in a sparkly dress and heels, anticipating a kiss at midnight. Unless of course, you can find a sitter willing to give up their New Year’s, and we all know how tough that can be. But if you’re like me, most of your friends have kids as well and there are some great ways to enjoy and incorporate your kids into your plans.

Countdown to Noon in New Orleans

The Louisiana Children’s Museum has their yearly event, The New Year’s Eve Kids Countdown, from 9:30am-1pm. The event is $14 for members and $24 for non members. Kids can make noisemakers and party hats, enjoy regular museum activities and countdown to noon. The countdown to noon finishes off with colorful confetti and bubbles.

The Children’s Museum of St. Tammany also has a Noon Year’s Eve Bash! It’s from 10-12PM and is $15 per person. They have a ballon drop at noon, snow, face painting and raffle prizes!

Cheer on the New Orleans Saints when they play against the Bucaneers. Faubourg Brewery is hosting a Black and Gold Watch Party from 12-3:30pm with specials and raffle prizes, kid and pet friendly!

Explore a family-friendly event at Jam NOLA. Enjoy 17 exhibits celebrating the iconic art, music, food and theatrics of New Orleans through the eyes of 30+ local artists and creative partners. And through December, all Louisiana local tickets are 50% off!

The official Allstate Sugar Bowl New Year’s Parade :: The parade is scheduled for the afternoon of December 31, 2023 (scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. start), will start at the intersection of Elysian Fields Avenue and Decatur Street. It will travel through the French Quarter up Decatur Street along the Mississippi River, passing iconic landmarks such as The Old US Mint, the French Market, Cafe du Monde and Jackson Square.

Pelicans vs. Lakers: A New Year’s Showdown :: New Year’s Eve is set to be epic as The Pelicans take on the Lakers. Be there live to witness the Pels seek vengeance in this high-stakes game.

IMG_0119Make it a Play Date

Spend New Year’s with friends who have children close to the same age as yours. The kids will be entertained and everyone will understand if you choose to end the night early for the sake of routine bed times. We usually go to a friend’s house one street over, so we are close to home. Last year, I headed home a bit early with my younger son while my husband stayed longer with the oldest. Sometimes we will bring a pack and play as well, just in case.

Host the Party

In the past, we would host New Year’s Eve at our house so our son could go to sleep at regular time in his own bed. We kept it small, just a few family members and friends so it wasn’t a lot of work to plan after an already busy holiday season. To make it fun for the littles, you can get some sparkling apple juice and let them toast! You could even consider hiring a sitter for the earlier portion of the night to do activities with the littles while adults partake in revelry and festive drinks. My kiddos tend to sleep really hard, so we can still pop fireworks if they are asleep. You can also countdown at any time on Netflix with a their New Year’s Eve Countdown Collection! To add some more fun to the party, may we suggest the stuffed saran wrap ball game. This is an easy and fun game to bring a party to the next level!

Fireworks on the Mississippi River

If your kids can go until midnight, enjoying a fireworks show is free and fun for everyone. Headphones are great if they don’t like loud noises. Outside of the city, the levee in Algiers Point offers great views of the downtown New Orleans fireworks display.

How do you incorporate your kids into the holiday?

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