10 Family Friendly New Year's Eve Celebrations • Lake Country Family Fun

Family Friendly New Year’s Eve Celebrations

Do you have New Year’s Eve family traditions? Do you stay in for celebrations? Or are you looking to get out of the house, party down and ring in 2025? As with many traditions throughout the past couple years, we have had to adapt and change to fit the current circumstances. Since we have had our children, we have spent every New Year’s Eve with them. And this year, it only makes sense to ring in the new year, the same way we’ve spent most of the 2024 year – with our family. If you are looking for some ideas to make the new year fun within reason, check out our 2024 Family Friendly New Year’s Eve Celebrations Guide to plan your end-of-the-year fun and welcome in a greatly anticipated new year!

Plus, we have some fun for your New Year’s Day as well!

Please thank our New Year’s Eve Guide sponsor:

MKE Improv

Ring in 2024 with comedian Greg Fitzsimmons! You’ve heard him on Howard Stern, and seen him on HBO’s “Crashing” and VH1’s “Best Week Ever.” Enjoy dinner, drinks, and laughs all under one roof with your spouse, friends, or family

10 Family Friendly NYE Festivities and Fun Ideas

Ring in the New Year with your family at the Ingleside Hotel and Springs Water Park to welcome 2025.
- Spend New Year’s Eve with a stay at The Ingleside Hotel and enjoy a special New Year’s Eve Party with evening a fun filled activities!
  New Year’s Eve Party Includes:
  6:00pm – 11:00pm: DJ in the Water Park
  6:00pm: Ducky Races (Sign up in towel desk), Race starts at 6:30pm
  7:00pm: Minute to Win It Games (Upper Party Room) Games Include: Shake your Tail Feathers, Oreo Race, Up Up and Away with Balloon, M&M Game, Balloon Toss, and Egg Spoon Relay)
  8:00pm: Hungry Hippos (Upper Party Room)
  9:00pm: Squirt Gun Fight (Pick up Squirt Guns in the Upper Party Room)
  10:00pm: Beach Ball Drop
  * Day Passes on December 31st are good 9am – 6pm. New Year’s Eve Party from 6pm – 11pm is for overnight water park guests only.
  All You Can Eat Buffet on New Year’s Eve
  On December 31st, there will be an all you can eat buffet from 6:00pm – 8:00pm in the water park. Buffet will include all you can eat pizza, mac & cheese, chicken tenders, mini-corndogs, garden salad, and fruit salad. Each guest will also receive one can of soda with their meal. The New Year’s Eve Buffet can be purchased inside the snack bar.
  $16.00 for adults & children 13+
  $13.00 for children 2 – 12
  Free for children under 2
Noon Year’s Eve with the City of Oconomowoc and Silver Circle Sports Events. The event is free, but kids must register if they are participating in the run. The event takes place December 31, 2023 from 10am -12 pm at Fowler Lake.
- - Activities include:
    - Play games and win make-and-take kits. Get crafty at home later!
    - Races for ages 1 and up! Let’s shuffle in the snow. Racers will get a race bib, finish photos will be posted! You must sign up. All kids get a finisher medal.
    - Cocoa from St. Paul’s Church. Sugary warm drinks, yes please!
    - Rocking music to jam out to while you’re enjoying the festivities.
    - Selfie station. They’ve got props. Just smile and have fun for a photo to remember the fun!
    - Make sure you’re ready at noon for the official ball drop, confetti canons, noise makers, let’s party! They have a very different type of ball drop with help from our local firefighters!
    - At 12 p.m. they will do a countdown and Noon-Year’s Ball Drop for Western Lakes ladder truck.
Spend the end of the year with your favorite pet friends at HAWS for their Mobile Visit at Hooves and Paws.
- Visit HAWS Mobile Team on Saturday, December 28, 2024 from 11:00am – 2:00pm at Hooves and Paws in Oconomowoc to meet an adoptable animal or two, stop by and say hello.
See holiday lights. You can pop in the car and drive through a light display, like Country Christmas or Winter Wonders. Both will be lit up for New Year’s Eve! Put your jammies on, bring some hot chocolate and yummy snacks, make a countdown as your car approaches the entrance. So many ways to make seeing holiday lights especially special for the holiday.
Spend the day outside walking around the Milwaukee County Zoo. Bonus, it’s FROSTY FREE WEEK! That means admission is $0! *Parking fees still apply.
Watch a new to you family movie at home or a classic favorite or have a movie-watching marathon. Then knock it out of the park with fun food, decorations, a countdown, and hot chocolate bombs of course!
Treat your family to a yummy dinner at home. The Delafield Brewhaus is open from 11 am -10 pm on New Year’s Eve and will be serving up your favorites to take home!
Go ice skating! Your family can Skate at Red Arrow Park’s Slice of Ice – (pending weather) The rink will be open to the public from 10 am on December 31 until 1 am New Year’s Day 2025.
See the Harlem Globe Trotters in Milwaukee at the Fiserv Forum.
- - 12:00 pm and 5:00 pm
  - NEVER BEFORE – This time, it’s everyone’s game as the Globetrotters pull every fan into the action. Be sure to bring your top game as some lucky fans will even be invited onto the court!
  - NON-STOP BASKETBALL ACTION – From trick shots to long shots to how-did-they-do-that shots, get ready for the Harlem Globetrotters to put up… basketball shots! Jaw-dropping ball handling, fastest-dribbling, crazy crossovers and amazing basketball skills promise non-stop action and four quarters of unimaginable fun!
  - THE WASHINGTON GENERALS ARE BRINGING THE HEAT – The Washington Generals are up to something, trying for their first win since 1971. With an all-new set of antics and new tricks up their sleeves, can they beat the world’s winningest team in their desperate attempt to outscore the Harlem Globetrotters?
  - SERIOUS SLAM DUNKS – The Globetrotters are getting their hops ready with high-flying… sometimes backboard breaking dunks. Plus, the Harlem Globetrotters vs. Washington General Dunk Contest is happening, and someone is going to get posterized!
  - 5TH QUARTER ALL ACCESS GLOBETROTTERS MEET & GREET – After the game, get on the court for an autograph from your favorite Harlem Globetrotter stars! The 5th Quarter is access granted for ALL Globetrotters ticket holders!
Bring your littles to the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum in Milwaukee for a Noon Year’s Eve Party packed with fun and festivities!

- Celebrate the new year with at noon! Join us for a morning of play and fun activities throughout the Museum. DJ Shawna will bring the beats for our dance party and lead our 12 p.m. ball-drop ceremony. We will be making DIY hats and noisemakers in the Be A Maker space leading up to the countdown.
- DJ Shawna will be featured at the event from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The Museum will be open from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. on December 31.
Reservations are strongly encouraged. Admission fees apply. Non-Members $20, Members $10.

Bonus New Year’s Eve Idea:

Snag takeout from one of the most voted on local Friday Fish Fry restaurants
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria is thrilled to be hosting another special New Year’s Eve dinner event at its full-service, dine-in restaurant in Brookfield. Guests will enjoy a festive atmosphere with fun, family-friendly activities to help ring in 2024! Check their website for details!
When & Where:
Saturday, December 31, 2023
Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, 15795 W. Bluemound Rd., Brookfield
Call and ask for the manager to make a reservation: 414-930-4500
Celebrate in downtown Appleton! 3…2…1…Happy New Year at the Building for Kids from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm on December 31.
Come celebrate 2025’s arrival with ball drops, confetti tosses, parades around the museum, and New Year-themed activities in our Studio and Innovation Lab.
They will ring in the New Year at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm. No pre-registration is required. Regular admission applies.

New Year’s Day Festivities

All the fun doesn’t have to end when the ball(oons) drops – check out these fun events on New Years Day!

First Hike through the State Parks and Waukesha County Parks. Here are some tips to stay warm when hiking in winter.
Cool Fool Kite Festival.
Do the Polar Plunge at Foolery’s in Okauchee
- Details to come–stay updated HERE.

Looking for more fun over the winter break? Check out Lake Country Family Fun’s 30 Things to do over Christmas Break Guide! And if you are looking for more January fun, check out our 16 Things to Do in January Guide!