Where To Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2024 In Buffalo Grove

BUFFALO GROVE, IL — With the final days of 2024 here, it's time to reflect on the last 12 months while also planning for what's ahead. If you're looking to celebrate the start of 2025, here are some ideas and happenings in the Buffalo Grove area on Dec. 31:

• New Year's Eve On The Lanes, Bowlero Buffalo Grove, 350 McHenry Road, Buffalo Grove
• New Year's Eve Party with The Alright Maybes (dinner preceding), Hey Nonny, 10 S. Vail Ave., Arlington Heights
• New Year Party, Chez Hotel, 519 W. Algonquin Road, Arlington Heights
• New Year's Eve with Jacqelyn Vale, Palm Court Restaurant, 1912 N. Arlington Heights Road, Arlington Heights

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year’s Eve traditions is the dropping of the giant ball in New York City’s Times Square. Other U.S. cities have their own versions of this celebration, such as the Peeps Chick Drop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the giant Potato Drop in Boise, Idaho.

In Chicago, catch the fireworks along the Chicago River or the Navy Pier with simultaneous shows occurring at midnight. Block Club Chicago reports that for the Chicago River show, fireworks will be launched from six bridges spanning the river from Franklin Street to Columbus Drive.

At the Navy Pier, additional activities will precede the fireworks starting at 9 p.m.

The transition from one year to the next is often marked by the singing of “Auld Lang Syne,” a Scottish folk song whose title roughly translates to “days gone by,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica and History.com.

The tradition of New Year’s resolutions dates back 8,000 years to ancient Babylonians, who made promises to return borrowed items and repay debts at the beginning of the new year, which was in mid-March when they planted their crops.

• Related: What New Year’s Resolution Did You Keep? How Did You Do It? [Patch Survey]

According to legend, if people kept their word, the pagan gods would grant them favor in the coming year. However, if they broke their promises, they would lose favor with the gods.

Many secular New Year’s resolutions focus on imagining new, improved versions of ourselves.

The failure rate of New Year’s resolutions is about 80 percent, according to U.S. News & World Report. There are many reasons, but a big one is they’re made out of remorse — for gaining weight, for example — and aren’t accompanied by a shift in attitude or a plan for coping with the stress and discomfort that comes with changing a habit or condition.