As 2024 draws to a close, families in Chicago, IL, may be looking for ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve without throwing their little ones’ schedules out of whack. Though staying up until midnight is a time-honored tradition, there are other events going on around the city during the day that may be a better option than watching the ball drop.
Creating traditions and fun memories with your children is a great way to make sure they remember ringing in the new year with their parents during their childhood. Here are some ideas for a family-friendly New Year’s Eve event in Chicago, IL, and the surrounding areas.
- Noon Year’s Eve: This child-centered party is a great way to celebrate at 12, just p.m. instead of a.m.
- Blue Man Group: The famous group will be performing multiple shows on New Year’s Eve, making the earlier shows popular for families.
- New Year’s Eve at Wonderworks: The museum will be hosting a child-friendly event at noon with two different countdown times for a ball drop.
- Holiday Magic at Brookfield Zoo: Featuring more than a million LED lights, a 41-foot talking Christmas tree, and a 600-foot tunnel of lights with coordinating music, Brookfield Zoo’s Holiday Magic highlights the holidays and loads of animals.
- Ice Skating at Rosemont: Ice skating is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. on New Year’s Eve with a firework display at midnight for older kids.
- Bubble Bash at Dupage Children’s Museum: This annual event that counts down the last noon of 2024 has three options for the countdown, a confetti countdown, a bubble countdown, and a sensory-friendly countdown.
- A home party: Creating a New Year’s Eve party at home including crafts, pajamas, special food and a countdown at the time of your choosing can be a great way to have a more intimate New Year’s Eve.
There’s no wrong way to celebrate the incoming new year, as long as you’re with your family and friends! With any of these family-friendly New Year’s Eve events in Chicago or while celebrating elsewhere in Illinois, your family is sure to have a blast. Well Supported Family wishes you the best 2025, and would like to thank you for your support in all of 2024. Happy New Year!
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