Five great ways to spend New Year with your family

It’s the biggest night of the year. It’s also the last night of the year, so you need to make it a good one. We love a family New Year’s Eve at Farmhouse Inns. There’s nothing like spending time together, eating, possibly enjoying an alcoholic drink and just generally enjoying each other’s company. The kids can stay up late, play games, watch fireworks, and have the best time. 
Whether you’re at home or looking for the best pubs for New Year’s Eve, these are five great ways to spend the night with the family. 

5 ways to celebrate New Year with the family 

These are five of our favourites that always make for a winning New Year. 

1. Head to the pub!

We may be a little biased, but we think our pubs are the place to be for New Year’s Eve. And while the kids might not be ready to party until midnight, we have some great family options that cover all bases. 

Come down to your local Farmhouse Inn during the afternoon or early in the evening to grab a bite to eat together. Think burgers, delicious steaks and even a carvery if you fancy it. Plus, each of our pub restaurants has an ice cream parlour that’s guaranteed to get the younger ones in the party spirit. 

And if anyone’s flagging, you can even order your food to take away and carry on the party at home.

2. Cook up a storm

Yes, Christmas is amazing and we all love Christmas dinner. But by the time New Year rolls around, everyone’s a bit turkey’d out – and that’s the glory of NYE, you can eat what you want! What about a spicy curry to blow away the Christmas cobwebs? 

Or perhaps a pizza night? A pizza night works a treat if you get the kids involved. They can help roll the dough, choose their own toppings and create their pizza from the base up. 

Or what about getting little chefs involved with the dessert prep? You could make a cake, a jam roly-poly, chocolate crispy cakes -the options are endless. Just don’t forget to let them lick the spoon. 

3. Get some friends round

New Year’s Eve is a time for fun and frivolity. It’s the perfect celebration to spend with friends. 

Invite some adults around for a party and let the children join you at the table, and for some games afterwards. Or even better invite friends with kids that are also friends with your lot. 

That way, you can all have a great time together. We’re talking children vs. parents games, dance competitions, and more. And if the younger ones want to stay over for a sleepover, that gives the parents even more time to party into the new year.

4. Hold a game night

If you’ve got plenty of people at your house, both kids and adults, it’s the perfect opportunity to get a little competitive with some games. Tell the youngsters to put down their phones and ignore the games consoles as we’re going old school with some classic party games. Adults vs. kids teams also always go down a treat. 

Top games to play include: 

• Charades – a mix of films, books, TV shows and more, that everyone knows will do the trick. #
• Twister – test those tight hamstrings with the ultimate party game.  
• Bingo – introduce the kids to a real classic. They’ll realise just what they’ve been missing! 
• New Year quiz – spend some time a couple of days in advance making a list of questions based on the previous year. Always include a picture round too. 

5. Create your own dance floor

Throw back the furniture and get your glad rags on, as it’s well and truly party time. But creating the space to throw shapes and dance like no one’s watching is just the start. You need to keep bodies on the dance floor and the only way to do that is with some top tunes that everyone can shake their moneymaker to. 

Spend some time in the run-up to the big night creating a playlist that works for all ages. Ask your kids to help out and create a real mix of genres that will satisfy all tastes. And if you swing wildly from Ed Sheeran to Whigfield and back, via Don’t Look Back in Anger, it sounds like you’ll have a night to remember.