New Year's Eve charades
Charades fills the long stretch before midnight nicely. These 135 New Year's ideas cover the night itself (watching the ball drop, waving a sparkler), the resolutions that follow ("going to the gym", "breaking a resolution"), and the party songs and dance moves in between.
Make the last round before midnight the final: losing team leads the countdown.
Throwing confetti
New Year's Eve charades
This set has 39 ideas. Start with "Fireworks", "Counting down to midnight", "Throwing confetti" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.
- FireworksEasy
- Counting down to midnightEasy
- Throwing confettiEasy
- Waving a sparklerEasy
- Staying up lateEasy
- Dancing at midnightEasy
- Party popperEasy
- Banging pots and pansEasy
- Making a wish at midnightEasy
- Watching the ball dropMedium
- Making a resolutionMedium
- Hanging a new calendarMedium
- Falling asleep before midnightMedium
- Disco ballMedium
- GlitterMedium
- Balloon dropMedium
- Times SquareMedium
- Clock striking midnightMedium
- Clinking glassesMedium
- Popping a corkMedium
- Waking up on New Year's DayMedium
- New Year's Eve partyMedium
- Watching fireworks from a rooftopMedium
- First sunrise of the yearMedium
- Writing goals in a notebookMedium
- Lion danceMedium
- Dragon danceMedium
- Midnight countdown on TVMedium
- Getting ready for a partyMedium
- Choosing a party outfitMedium
- Party crownMedium
- NoisemakerMedium
- Polar bear plungeMedium
- Going to the gymMedium
- Cleaning out the closetMedium
- Learning to cookMedium
- Taking up runningMedium
- Reading more booksMedium
- Saving money in a jarMedium
Funny resolution charades
This set has 7 ideas. Start with "Playing air guitar", "Popping a balloon", "Breaking a resolution" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.
- Playing air guitarMedium
- Popping a balloonEasy
- Breaking a resolutionHard
- Surprise party gone wrongHard
- Forgetting to write the new year on a checkHard
- Giving up sweetsHard
- Starting a dietHard
Party song charades
This set has 17 ideas. Start with "The Hokey Pokey", "The Chicken Dance", "Dancing Queen" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.
- The Hokey PokeyEasy
- The Chicken DanceEasy
- Dancing QueenEasy
- FireworkEasy
- Gangnam StyleEasy
- MacarenaEasy
- YMCAEasy
- The TwistEasy
- CelebrationEasy
- Sweet CarolineMedium
- Uptown FunkMedium
- Rock Around the ClockMedium
- Girls Just Want to Have FunMedium
- Can't Stop the Feeling!Medium
- Auld Lang SyneMedium
- I Gotta FeelingMedium
- Party in the U.S.A.Medium
Party actions and dance moves40 of 52
This set has 52 ideas. Start with "Dancing", "Party hat", "Sack race" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.
- DancingEasy
- Party hatEasy
- Sack raceMedium
- Pillow fightEasy
- Party hornEasy
- Egg-and-spoon raceMedium
- BreakdancingMedium
- Blowing up a balloonEasy
- Three-legged raceMedium
- MoonwalkingMedium
- Hitting a piñataEasy
- Doing the robotMedium
- Duck, duck, gooseEasy
- Singing karaokeMedium
- Freeze danceEasy
- Rocking out at a concertMedium
- Bounce houseEasy
- LimboMedium
- Water balloon fightEasy
- Conga lineMedium
- Musical chairsEasy
- Posing for a group photoMedium
- Pin the tail on the donkeyMedium
- Bobbing for applesMedium
- Simon saysMedium
- Doing a viral danceMedium
- Hot potatoMedium
- Crowd surfingHard
- Treasure huntMedium
- Riding a mechanical bullHard
- Face paintingMedium
- Goodie bagMedium
- SleepoverMedium
- Jumping out at a surprise partyMedium
- Hiding for a surprise partyMedium
- Pool partyMedium
- Decorating with streamersMedium
- Bubble machineMedium
- Making a balloon animalMedium
- Puppet showMedium
More New Year's charades
This set has 20 ideas. Start with "Baby New Year", "Holiday party", "When Harry Met Sally" — give each actor 60 seconds; it mixes quick single-word turns with longer scenes, so swap easy and hard cards to keep the pace even.
- Baby New YearMedium
- Holiday partyMedium
- When Harry Met SallyHard
- Learning a new languageHard
- Turn over a new leafHard
- Father TimeHard
- Starting a new diaryHard
- Red envelopeHard
- Eating twelve grapes at midnightHard
- Making a vision boardHard
- Out with the old, in with the newHard
- Fresh startHard
- Year in reviewHard
- Hugging at midnightHard
- Signing up for a marathonHard
- Deleting old photosHard
- Planning a trip for the new yearHard
- Making a toastHard
- New Year's brunchHard
- First-footingHard
Printable charades cards
64 cards from this list, eight to a page with cut lines and card backs for double-sided printing. Free PDF.
Questions
What are good New Year's Eve charades ideas?
Counting down to midnight, fireworks, watching the ball drop, making a resolution, popping a cork, throwing confetti and party songs like Celebration.
Are these New Year's charades OK for kids?
Most are. A few adult ones (starting a diet) are tagged and hidden when the Kid-safe filter is on.
How do you play charades at a New Year's party?
Two teams, a 60-second timer and the team score panel. Play until a few minutes before midnight and crown the winners at the countdown.
What are funny New Year's resolution charades?
Going to the gym, giving up sweets, breaking a resolution, falling asleep before midnight.
Can I use these ideas for Lunar New Year?
A few ideas, such as the lion dance and red envelopes, are for Lunar New Year. The rest are about the 31 December countdown.