Where To Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2022 In The Mokena Area

MOKENA, IL — As local residents prepare to ring in the New Year later this week and usher in 2023 in festive style, there are plenty of options to close out 2022 around the Mokena and south suburban area.

From traditional parties that center around the clock striking midnight to more family friendly events that don’t require remaining out until the wee hours of Sunday morning, several area venues will be hosting events – some of which are leading up to New Year’s Eve – of all sorts around town.

Here is a look at some additional events happening in Mokena and south suburban region?

• 115 Bourbon Street

3359 W. 111th St., Merrionette Park

9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Dec. 31 to Jan. 1; doors open at 8 p.m.

Ring in the new year with LOUDERNOW and resident DJs. New Year’s Eve party package includes 3 MASSIVE ROOMS of entertainment, liquor (except premium liquor) buffet, dinner and breakfast. Semiformal dress code. Tickets required, $75 to $85, buy in advance on Eventbrite. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door New Year’s Eve for $100. Email info@115bourbonstreet.com or call 708-388-8881.

• Beverly Arts Center

2407 W. 111th St., Chicago

7 p.m. and 9 p.m., Dec. 31

Ring in the new year with WGN-TV personality Pat Tomasulo hilarious stand-up comedy spectacular at the Beverly Arts Center, with two really big shows. This will be Pat's first time onstage at the BAC since his sold out NYE shows in 2019. Don't miss this opportunity to laugh your way into 2023. Tickets are $50. Buy in advance.

• Haunted Trails Family Entertainment Center

7759 S Harlem Ave, Burbank

6 to 10 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 31

Guests will enjoy a New Year’s Buffet including soft drinks and dessert plus each paid guest receives $25 in Game Play, 1 Lazer Frenzy Challenge, Party Hats and Favors, a Balloon Drop, New Year’s toast, and countdown celebration. It will be a night families will remember for only $41.95/guest. Advanced reservations are required.All guests ages 3 and up must be on package. Kids 2 and under eat free, but do not receive game play or attractions. Visit Haunted Trails or call 708-598-8580 for more information or to make a reservation.

• Fetti Celebrations Event Venue

9020 W. 159th St., Orland Park

8 p.m. to 1 a.m., Dec. 31

New Year’s Eve Comedy Show featuring Chicago comedians Tyler Fowler, Mike Samp and Vik Pandya and an inclusive after party. Package includes hot and cold hors d'oeuvres and desserts, open champagne and wine bar, entertainment including a live DJ, comedy show and photo ops. A midnight balloon drop and confetti storm, with a champagne toast at midnight. Party favors provided. Semi-formal/cocktail attire. Age 21+. Tickets are $75. Purchase in advance. Proof of Purchase is required for entry. Enter the primary ticket holder's name in the "add a note" section upon checkout.

• New Year's Day Comedy Show

Holiday Inn

6201 Joliet Road, Countryside

8 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023

Start the new year with a laugh. HBO funny lady Sonya D hosts an all-star lineup of comics, featuring Aaliyah Ford, Cecilia Gonzalez and Marvin “Dubs” Phipps. Come early and have dinner at Jameson’s Steak House adjacent to the hotel. Tickets are $18. Buy them in advance on Goldstar.

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year’s Eve traditions is, of course, the dropping of the giant ball in New York City’s Times Square. Various cities have adopted their own iterations of the event — the Peach Drop in Atlanta, the Chick Drop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the giant Potato Drop in Boise, Idaho.

The end of one year and beginning of another is often celebrated with 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 history of New Year’s resolutions dates back 8,000 years to ancient Babylonians, who would make promises to return borrowed objects and pay outstanding debts at the beginning of the new year, in mid-March when they planted their crops.

According to legend, if they kept their word, pagan gods would grant them favor in the coming year. If they broke the promise, they would fall out of God’s favor, according to a history of New Year’s resolutions compiled by North Hampton Community College New Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

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 myriad 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 and a plan to meet the stress and discomfort of changing a habit or condition