Last Updated on December 28, 2019 by marian@celebrate-family.com
The New Year is not just for adults. Enjoy family fun with this list of balloon drops, confetti cannons, pizza parties, skating parties and overnight fun. Happy New Year!
Alameda County
2019 Noon Year’s Eve Balloon Drop | Lawrence Hall of Science
Bring the whole family to the Hall on New Year’s Eve day! Commemorate another year of scientific discovery and fun at our annual New Year’s Eve celebration. This year we’re ringing in the New Year with confetti cannons! Join us for timed confetti launches at 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. Berkeley, 12/31 11 AM Cost: FWA*
John’s Incredible Pizza New Year’s Eve
John’s New Year’s Eve Bear Bash! Watch the BALL DROP at midnight on our big screens! Two packages $19.99-$29.99 All You Can Eat Buffet, drinks and unlimited rides plus New Year’s hat, glow necklace and blowout. 75-200 Fun World credits. Dec 31, 7 pm – 1 am. Newark, 12/31 7 PM Cost: $19.99-$29.99
2019 Chabot Space Museum – New Year’s Eve Balloon Drop
Ring in the New Year without staying up all night – come to Chabot and celebrate strokes of midnight around the world at 11am and 4pm! Children under five are invited to watch the balloons fall in Chabot’s Discovery Lab, while participants ages six and older celebrate with drops in the Rotunda. Oakland, 12/31 11 AM Cost:Varies
Marin County
2019 Bay Area Discovery Museum – Noon Year’s Eve
This beloved annual event and kid-friendly affair includes a celebratory ball drop at noon, so you can enjoy the countdown without the midnight meltdown! All Noon Year’s Eve programs and activities are included in the price of museum admission or free for BADM members. Activities: Decorate Sparkle Crowns in the Art Studios Use artistic materials to create Ribbon Wands Enjoy a live DJ and join in a dance party Watch the ball drop at noon And much more! Sausalito, 12/31 9 AM Cost: FWA*
Santa Clara County
2019 New Year’s Eve | Gilroy Gardens
Get together with family and friends for a special New Year’s celebration at Gilroy Gardens including music and fireworks over Coyote Lake as we countdown to 2020! Visit the gardens at night for Holiday, then join us for music, local wines, and craft beers at the Events Plaza starting at 8pm. The fireworks show starts just before midnight and is included FREE with all Holiday night admission tickets. Gilroy, 12/31 4 PM Cost:Varies
2019 New Year’s Eve Celebration | Dave & Buster’s Milpitas
Ring in 2020 with the Family! The only place where you can Eat, Play, and Party! Join Dave & Buster’s for a family New Year’s Eve celebration! Milpitas, 12/31 4 PM Cost:$37.25 – $45.25
Noon Year’s Eve Celebration | Little Gym of Evergreen
Leap into the new decade with a seriously fun party at The Little Gym! This party is a family event (not a drop off event). Party will include games and activities for all ages, open play time in the gym, concluding with a balloon drop and sparkling cider toast at noon! San Jose, 12/31 10:30 AM Cost:$15 – $25
Children’s Discovery Museum New Year’s Event
This night may belong to the adults, but the day belongs to the kids! Celebrate the arrival of 2020 with your whole family. Participate in our “countdown to noon across time zones” with family hugs, a joyous celebration, and the Museum’s version of the famous Ball Drop in Times Square at noon, 1pm, and 2pm! Activities: – Make a Party Hat – Make a Coffee Filter Butterfly – Family Photos San Jose, 12/31 11 AM Cost: FWA*
2019 Noon Year’s Eve | Happy Hollow
The countdown to midnight may belong to the adults, but Happy Hollow’s Noon Year’s Eve celebration is all about outdoor fun for the little ones. December 31, Happy Hollow Park & Zoo will celebrate the arrival of 2020 with Danny the Dragon, sparkling apple cider, biodegradable confetti, music and dancing, and a magical “countdown to noon” ball drop. All fun is included with the price of admission! San Jose, 12/31 11 AM Cost: FWA*
2019 New Years Extravaganza Skate Party! | Aloha Roller Rink
An All ages New Year’s Eve Skate Party! Come enjoy the end of 2019 and the start of 2020 and the next decade at Aloha! We will have a New Year’s Eve Skate Party at Aloha Roller Rink. There will be skating, a midnight toast (non-alcoholic), a balloon drop, a live DJ, and fun. (Winter Season Passes are not accepted for this event.) $5-$15 plus skate rental. San Jose, 12/31 8 PM Cost:Varies
2019 Noon Year’s Eve | Northside Lib
Say goodbye to 2019 and hello to 2020 with our 5th Annual Noon Years Eve party. Parents who used to go out until midnight can dance the day away with their kids in a fun and safe family environment. We will be DJing and spinning tunes as we count down until 12 noon. Dress Code is semi-formal for kids and parents. No jeans will be allowed. For all ages. Santa Clara, 12/31 11 AM Cost: Free But Reservations Required
Santa Cruz County
2019 Noon Year’s Eve | Santa Cruz Children’s Museum
Join MOD for our annual Noon Year’s Eve celebration! We’ll be welcoming the new decade with an LED stage area dance party and (disco) ball drop at the stroke of 12 pm on Monday, December 30. Would love to see you there! Watsonville, 12/30 12 PM Cost:FWA*
SF & San Mateo County
2019 New Year’s Eve Celebration | Dave & Buster’s Daly City
Ring in 2020 with the Family! The only place where you can Eat, Play, and Party! Join Dave & Buster’s for a family New Year’s Eve celebration! Dave & Busters is offering an exciting and FUN way for you & your family to ring in the New Year! Ginger ale toast at Noon Years with Ball drop Celebrations. Please note that buffets are portioned per person and quantities are not all you can eat. Daly City, 12/31 11 AM Cost: $19.99
Noon Years Eve Celebration! | Hiller Aviation
Kids and parents, come celebrate the New Year with music, activities, face painting and a countdown to THREE GIANT balloon drops at noon! Event included with museum admission. Tickets should be purchased in advance to ensure your spot! Schedule of Activities (tentative)* 10-10:30 Lori & RJ Music for all ages 10:30 –11 Broadway Babies & Kids 11-11:40 The Wizard of Ahhs! Magic Show 11:45-NOON Lori & RJ Countdown to BALLOON DROP 12:15-12:45 The Puppet Circus 12:45-1 Wrap It Up with Lori & RJ *Schedule subject to change. San Carlos, 12/31 10 AM Cost: $0-$18
Japanese New Year Bell Ringing | Asian Art Museum
A unique, fun, and family friendly way to ring in the new year! Say goodbye to the old year with family and friends by taking a swing at a giant temple bell! Bring your loved ones to the Asian Art Museum and literally “ring in” the New Year, Japanese-style. As in past observances, a 2100-lb., sixteenth-century Japanese bronze bell originally from a temple in Tajima Province in Japan and now part of the museum’s collection will be struck 108 times with a large custom-hewn log. According to Japanese custom, this symbolically welcomes the New Year and curbs the 108 bonno (mortal desires) which, according to Buddhist belief, torment humankind. It is hoped that with each reverberation the bad experiences, wrong deeds, and ill luck of the past year will be wiped away. Thus, tolling heralds the start of a joyous, fresh New Year. Hands-on art activities are offered in the education studios to entertain families while waiting for their turn at the bell. Bell Ringing is free with admission, but does require a ticket. San Francisco, 12/31 9:30 AM Cost: FWA*
Monterey County
New Year’s Eve Sleepover Monterey Bay Aquarium
You’ll celebrate the countdown with a sparkling cider toast. You can take a silly snapshot in our photo booth, enjoy a make-your-own taco dinner, satisfy your sweet tooth at our sundae bar and show off your best moves at our pajama dance party! Beverages will be available for purchase, including beer, wine and kid-friendly drinks. In the morning, wake up with the fishes as our first guests on New Year’s Day. Enjoy a breakfast in our Cafe, and then join our naturalists in watching wildlife from the Great Tide Pool deck to welcome the New Year. Monterey Bay 12/31 7 pm Cost: $135-$165
*Free With Admission