100+ Fun Things to do on New Year’s Day in 2023

The New Year’s Eve celebration is an annual event that marks the passage of time, and for many people, it symbolizes the end of one year and the beginning of another. It can be a cause for reflection on what has taken place in one’s life over the course of twelve months, or it can simply serve as an excuse to celebrate with friends, family members, or loved ones.

No matter how you choose to spend your New Year’s Eve, there are still plenty of ways to make this night memorable without spending too much money. Here are 100+ creative ideas for how to ring in 2023 without breaking your bank account. Ready? Set? Go!

100+ Fun Things to do on New Year’s Day

1. Have a potluck dinner party with your friends.
2. Make your own party decorations using things you have around the house.
3. Watch the ball drop in Times Square on TV.
4. Play games like charades or truth or dare.
5. Make resolutions for the new year.
6. Write out your goals for the year and hang them up somewhere you can see them every day.
7. Paint your nails or do your hair in a festive New Year’s style.
8. Make a list of things you want to accomplish in the new year and put it on your refrigerator.
9. Listen to music while you party.
10. Watch classic New Year’s movies like “Auld Lang Syne” or “The Great Gatsby.”
11. Countdown to midnight with friends or family.
12. Eat traditional New Year’s foods like black-eyed peas, ham, and collard greens.
13. Make a toast to the new year with champagne or sparkling cider.
14. Decorate your house or apartment with streamers, balloons, and glittery things.
15. Take a late-night walk and look at all the pretty Christmas lights.
16. Make vegan hors d’oeuvres for your guests to eat using veggies like bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, or asparagus as a base ( you can also buy veggie platters from almost any grocery store).
17. Take a nap before midnight so you can stay up late to celebrate!
18. Try not to make any New Year’s resolutions you won’t actually keep. Instead, try making “intentions” instead of resolutions and write them down on paper and put them in a box, and only open it next New Years’ Eve if you haven’t already broken your intentions by then.
19. Play drinking games with non-alcoholic beverages like bobbing for apples with root beer or trying to catch a set number of marshmallows in your mouth with hot chocolate.
20. Make a photo album or video collage of your year.
21. Bake festive treats like gingerbread houses or sugar cookies.
22. Go ice skating at your local rink.
23. Make a new friend on New Year’s Eve!
24. Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen.
25. Take a walk in the park and enjoy the fresh air.
26. Stargaze on a clear winter night.
27. Make a wish on every shooting star you see.
28. Make a list of things you’re grateful for from the past year and write it down.
29. Spend time with friends and family.
30. Check off one thing from your to-do list every day of the new year.
31. Watch a marathon of your favorite TV show on Netflix.
32. Be a tourist in your own city and go see a movie or visit a museum.
33. Find out what time New Year’s Eve events will end because you don’t want to miss the ball dropping!
34. Try meditating or doing yoga.
35. Make paper chains for your doorways, decorate them with glitter glue and sequins, and add festive paper hats to each chain too! Try covering plain white poster board with metallic wrapping paper, so you have something shiny to play with when it becomes midnight where ever you are.
36. Brainstorm things you love about yourself and write them down- then post it somewhere you will see it every day.
37. Journal about your year- what were the highs and lows, what surprised you, what would you have done differently?
38. Make a vision board for the upcoming year- include pictures or phrases that represent what you want to manifest in your life.
39. Paint your nails with festive nail art designs.
40. Plan a staycation and explore all the fun things your city has to offer- without spending any money!
41. Play party games like Twister or Pin the Tail on the Donkey.
42. Have a New Year’s Day picnic in your backyard or at a local park.
43. Break out all of your old board games and play them with friends or family.
44. Make a list of books you want to read in the new year and get started on your TBR pile.
45. Make a list of songs you want to learn how to play on the guitar or piano.
46. Start a new fitness routine or begin working out regularly.
47. Make New Year’s cards for your friends and family.
48. Give yourself a makeover- cut or dye your hair, try a new makeup look, change your style.
49. Take some time for yourself and do things that make you happy- like taking long baths, getting massages, going for walks, etc.
50. Set aside money each month for special occasions, so you don’t have to stress about spending too much when New Year’s Eve comes around.
51. Spend the day making New Year themed crafts like paper chains or glittery wreaths to decorate your home.
52. Have a “decorating party”- invite friends over and use thrift store finds to make your living space look festive for the holidays by adorning vases, furniture, picture frames, or lamps with things like pinecones, flowers, beads, or garlands.
53. Play classic arcade games like Pac-Man at an old-school arcade- you can find many of them at arcades still open in malls across the country!
54. Watch A Christmas Story (), It’s a Wonderful Life (), or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation ()
55. Make your New Year’s resolutions and post them where you will see them every day as a reminder.
56. Organize your closets, cabinets, or desk drawers.
57. Rearrange the furniture in your home.
58. Take a trip down memory lane by going through all of your old photos and scrapbooks.
59. Paint or draw something new, whether it’s a picture of your favorite place, a still life of flowers, or just doodles on random pieces of paper.
60. Create an inspiration board with pictures or quotes that make you feel motivated and happy.
61. Try learning a new language in the new year.
62. Teach yourself how to cook one new dish each month.
63. Make a video collage of your friends and family from the past year to celebrate how far you’ve come.
64. Make a list of people who have inspired or supported you throughout the year and send them a nice email thanking them for being in your life.
65. Have a movie marathon with all of your favorite movies- include snacks, themed outfits and costumes, blankets, and pillows up on the screen porch after it snows if possible!
66. Create a bucket list together as a family or with friends.
67. Try fasting for hours- drink lots of cold water or lemon water during this time to feel extra refreshed when you break the fast.
68. Bake several batches of cookies, so they are ready to go out as party favors for guests.
69. Host a party with fun activities like charades, board games, or trivia.
70. Decorate your home to look like the North Pole with Santa hats on the walls, Christmas lights, and red and green décor. Also, try making some winter-themed crafts together as a family to hang up around the house.
71. Show off your silly side by dressing up in costumes you would never wear just for laughs!
72. Light candles across the house to create a soft glow of flickering light.
73. Go sledding or play in freshly fallen snow. You can even have a snowball fight!
74. Watch It’s A Wonderful Life (1946) on Netflix together as a family after taking photos of yourselves acting out scenes from the movie in different locations around your house.
75. Play a game of hide and seek in the dark with the help of glow sticks.
76. Go for a hike, bike ride, or go cross-country skiing by moonlight.
77. Create personalized fortune cookies to hand out as party favors or to use as conversation starters at the get-together.
78. Have an impromptu dance party with music you can play on your phone speakers.
79. Bake every kind of cookie imaginable- peppermint mocha, pumpkin, snickerdoodle, chocolate mint, gingerbread, and more! Experiment with fillings and decorations like crushed candy cane pieces and red and green sprinkles on top. Give them away to neighbors or friends before people even know what they’re eating.
80. Make a gingerbread house together as a family.
81. Write down your thoughts and feelings on paper for the day and then burn them all in a ceremonial fire to symbolize releasing the old and welcoming in the new.
82. Cook a large pot of soup or stew to enjoy during chilly winter evenings.
83. Make New Year’s resolutions that have nothing to do with dieting, working out more, or being nicer to people- like reading one book every month, learning a new skill, or traveling somewhere you’ve always wanted to go.
84. Take a break from social media for the entire month of January.
85. Start a or online journal where you document your journey through the year.
86. Take a day trip to a nearby city or town you’ve never been to before.
87. Gather your friends and family for a game night of all your favorite board games or card games.
88. Write out your goals for the year on some pretty paper and hang them up in a place where you’ll see them every day.
89. Make wishes for the coming year on pieces of paper, then fold them up and put them in a jar to save until next New Year’s Eve.
90. Spend time volunteering at a homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or animal shelter over the holiday season.
91. Give back to others by writing kind notes, leaving them randomly for people to find- on their cars or in their purses, for example.
92. Take a trip to the local library and check out several new books you’ve wanted to read.
93. Visit a museum to learn about the history where you live.
94. Host a trivia night with friends and family as teams- make sure to have some snacks available!
95. See how many stars you can count on your next clear night by going outside at night totally away from all lights possible. If it’s cloudy, try using a telescope or binoculars.
96. Bake fresh homemade doughnuts with your loved ones right before bedtime. Enjoy them together without any distractions for optimal relaxation effects of this activity before bedtime!
97. Make your own unique door decorations for a fun way to welcome guests into your home.
98. Watch a play, concert, or symphony put on by local schools or professional groups at a nearby auditorium.
99. Make hot chocolate and french toast casseroles the night before and then bake them in the oven first thing in the morning on New Year’s Eve!
100. Get creative with balloons– blow up several of varying sizes and colors, then attach them to strings hanging from each corner of your ceiling, doing your best to make it look like there are more than just four balloons floating above you. Once everything is all arranged nicely, let go of each string so that they float about an inch off the ground without popping anything! Remember what it was like as a kid to have a bunch of helium balloons in the room? Recreate that feeling by doing this cheap and easy DIY project.

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Pin 100+ Fun Things to do on New Year’s Day in 2023

There are so many fun and inexpensive ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve without spending a lot of money. By getting creative, you can have a great time with your friends and family without breaking the bank. So why not try out a few of these ideas and ring in 2023 in style? Happy New Year!