Where To Celebrate New Year’s Eve 2022 Around Waukesha

WAUKESHA, WI — As we approach New Year's Eve in Waukesha, many will look for a way to celebrate another year on the books. Plenty will likely also be hoping for luck in the new year, or expressing gratitude for the times they've had.

No matter how you feel about rolling into 2023, there will be plenty of spots around town to spend some time off, with events ranging from nights out to afternoon fun for the whole family.

One idea unique to Waukesha: you could take a stroll under the Downtown Walk of Lights for free. Check out the riverwalk lit up with holiday cheer until Jan. 22.

You could also check out the Waukesha Winter Farmer's Market on Saturday at Martha Merrell's Books, 231 W Main Street, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. for a New Year's Eve shopping experience. Just down the street around the same time, Chef Pam's Kitchen at 280 W Main Street will also be running a marketplace.

See also: Group Hikes Planned Across Wisconsin To Ring In The New Year

For families looking to ring in the new year, the WhirlyBall in Brookfield is hosting a new year's bash with bowling, laser tag and other events, according to its website. Also, if you head over to Fowler Park in Oconomowoc you'll find a daytime New Year's Eve for families and children with treats, music, races and games, plus a countdown and ball drop at noon.

VisitMilwaukee.org rounded up a list of some other family-friendly ideas in greater Milwaukee including the Harlem Globe Trotters at Fiserv Forum, the New Year's Eve at Noon event at the Betty Brinn Children's Museum, and more.

For the adults looking to celebrate closer to midnight, there are plenty of spots to consider around Waukesha. Here are a few:

• The House of Guinness at 354 W Main Street.
• Maddy's Bar and Lounge at 200 Madison Street.
• Donnie Boy's at 362 W Main Street.
• Waukesha Elk's Lodge 400 at 2301 Springdale Road.
• BackStreet Pub and Grill at 711 Morgan Avenue.
• Curly's Waterfront Sports Bar & Grill at W272N2696 Lakeview Boulevard in Pewaukee.

For more ideas, check out the event calendar on downtownwaukesha.com.

Did we forget anything? Let other readers know about a new year's event they should consider in the comments below.

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.

Did we forget anything? Let other readers know about a new year's event they should consider in the comments below.