New Year’s Eve 2022 In Herndon: Play A Game, Dance, Take A Hike

HERNDON, VA — New Year's Eve is a time for Herndon residents to celebrate the accomplishments of the current year, as well as their hopes for a better year to come. Some do that at home with loved ones, while others like to ring in the new year with music, dancing, and a selection of adult beverages.

Say goodbye to 2022 at The Reflex's Rockin' New Year's Eve Party, which starts at 9:30 p.m., at Ned Devine's Irish Gastro Pub and Restaurant, at 2465 Centreville Road, in Herndon

If you're looking to get your game on, the Herndon Board, Card, and RPG Games Meetup Group is hosting the New Year's Eve Fifth Saturday Board Gaming Meetup from 1 p.m., on Dec. 31, to 1 a.m., on Jan. 1. A celebration dinner will be provided. This event is free but space is limited, so RSVP.

Fairfax County Park Authority and the Fairfax County Park Foundation are sponsoring the First Hike Fairfax Photo Contest. Participants are invited to hike one of the park authority's trails during New Year's Weekend, Saturday, Dec. 31-Sunday, Jan. 1, snap a photo, and submit it to the First Hike website before midnight on Sunday, Jan. 1. Hikers who submit a photo are eligible to win one of the prizes being offered for "People's Choice" or "Best in Show," among others. The photo submission link will be posted here at 5 a.m., on Dec. 31.

If you need a wind-down from your New Year's Eve celebration, why not stop by Mon Ami Gabi for a New Year's Day Pajama Brunch, from 3- 9 p.m., on Jan. 1 If you you wear pajamas, you'll receive a gift card from Mon Ami Gabi, which is locate at 11950 Democracy Drive in Reston. Don't forget to book a reservation.

Here is a look at some additional events happening near Herndon:

• New Years Eve 2023 at Breakers Sky Lounge: Dec. 31, 7 p.m. - Jan. 1, 2 a.m., at Breakers Sky Lounge 2445 Centreville Road, Herndon, VA 20171.
• CarPool Herndon's Under the Stars NYE Bash 2023: Dec. 31, 8 p.m. - Jan. 1, 1 a.m., at CarPool, 208 Elden St. #100, Herndon.
• New Year's Eve Party 2023: Dec. 31, 9 p.m. - Jan. 1, 1 a.m., at The Winery at Bull Run, 15950 Lee Highway, Centreville, VA 20120.
• A New Year's Eve Maggiano's Murder Mystery Dinner Event: Dec. 31, 6:30 p.m., at Maggiano's Little Italy - Tysons, 2001 International Drive, Tysons.
• Makers Union NYE Cabaret Party: Dec. 31, 9:30 p.m.-Jan. 1, 2 a.m., at Makers Union, 1811 Library St. Reston, VA 20190
• New Year's Eve at Honors Brewing Fairfax: 9 p.m. - Jan. 1, 1 a.m., at 11250 James Swart Circle, Fairfax
• Ninth Annual Grandiose New Year's Party: Dec. 31, 9 p.m.-Jan. 1, 2 a.m., at Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, 7920 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, VA 22102
• Sixth Annual Wilson Winter Wonderland New Year's Eve, Dec. 31, 9 p.m.-Jan. 1, 2 a.m., at Wilson Hardware 2915 Wilson Boulevard Arlington, VA 22201
• Masquerave - an Underground New Years Eve: Dec. 31, 8 p.m.-Jan. 1, 2 a.m., at The Underground at Clarendon Ballroom 3185 Wilson Blvd Arlington, VA
• New Years Eve Cocktail Party: Dec. 31, 8 p.m., at The Light Horse, 715 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314
• NYE at Caboose Commons: Dec. 31, from 9 p.m to Jan. 1, 12:30 a.m., at 2918 Eskridge Road in Fairfax's Mosaic District.
• Hip Hop 50 New Year's Eve Celebration: Dec. 31, 8 p.m.-Jan. 1, 2 a.m., at The St. James Sports, Wellness and Entertainment Complex, 6805 Industrial Road Springfield, VA 22151
• Pamplona Prohibition New Year's Eve: Dec. 31, 8 p.m.-Jan. 1, 2 a.m., a Pamplona 3100 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, VA 22201

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.