Are you wondering how to celebrate New Year’s Eve this year? As we all know by now, ringing in the 2021 New Year will look completely different in Calgary. Most, if not all, of the traditional New Years’ Eve celebrations, have been cancelled, including the City of Calgary’s annual fireworks display.
We are currently in a state of local emergency where provincial health orders prohibit indoor social gatherings and limit outdoor social groups to 10 people. But, many Calgarians would at least like to say goodbye to 2020 properly. And good riddance to it!
So, what can Calgarians do to mark the occasion?
We all want to find creative ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve and keep our families safe and healthy. So, here are a few ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve and New Years Day in Calgary/Airdrie that follow provincial health measures.
Just as business owners and Calgary consumers have adapted throughout the pandemic, there are many ways we can get creative this year and celebrate at home or take advantage of outdoor activities available through city and community-funded programs.
Virtual/Online New Years Eve Events At Home
If you’re not used to spending New Year’s Eve at home, here are a few suggestions on how to take care of food, drinks, decorations and some fun indoor activities to try.
If you’re planning on cooking, several supermarkets are offering online grocery delivery in Calgary, and most places offer curbside pickup as well.
However, sometimes it can be nice to have someone else cook for you on New Year’s Eve. Ordering in using restaurant delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash and Skip the Dishes might be a nice way to switch it up. There are also plenty of local Calgary restaurants putting together holiday meal kits and catering options that could make for a delicious, stress-free evening.
Additionally, if your household is missing the feeling of your usual festivities, there’s no reason you can’t still decorate for a party. Making some New Years’ Eve decorations could be a fun indoor activity to keep you busy. Or, you could order some decorations from a local party decoration company, A Little Confetti.
Banners, confetti, festive plates and balloons delivered right to your doorstep are an easy way to liven up a quiet evening. If you want to celebrate with some music, Luminous Voices, Calgary’s professional chamber choir, will be live-streaming a special New Years’ Eve performance this year.
And of course, you could always put together a holiday playlist of your own or tune in to one of Calgary’s fantastic local radio stations.
When it comes to indoor activities, there are plenty of virtual events and online options. Almost too many to list, so here are a few of the best indoor New Years’ Eve activities to do in Calgary;
- Try out one of the virtual escape rooms provided by Trapped & The Locked Room. Both are located right here in YYC.
- Participate in the at-home New Year’s Eve themed Murder Mystery being offered by Shot in the Dark Mysteries.
- Host a video chat countdown to midnight for your friends and family.
- Use Discord to host a holiday or Christmas themed Dungeons and Dragons one-shot.
- Play some Among Us with your friends.
- Play some online board games with your loved ones.
- Make your own noisemakers to celebrate the countdown.
- Order some flavoured snacks from Poko Popcorn or a local Calgary confectionery shop and have a movie night.
Outdoor New Years Eve Events
Planning outdoor activities that follow social distancing protocols can be tricky. Thankfully, there are plenty of opportunities for small groups of people to celebrate this holiday season outdoors.
Most notably, Calgarians can;
- Take advantage of the City of Calgary’s outdoor fire pit program.
- Use outdoor skating rinks like Olympic Plaza on a 1st-come-1st-served basis.
- Go tobogganing or sledding with a group of ten or less at one of the City of Calgary maintained hills.
- Take a walk through Calgary and area parks and pathways.
- Try out dedicated cross country skiing and snowshoe tracks in and around the Calgary area.
- Checkout Lighten Up Calgary for a helpful map of Calgary neighbourhoods with must-see displays across the city that are free and family-friendly.
However, you choose to spend New Year Eve, here’s to saying goodbye to 2020 and welcoming a brighter year in 2021.