New Year’s eve doesn’t have to be all about disco globes, champagne Jell-O shots and non-stop dancing.
There are a lot more ways to spend the last 24 hours of the year other than hopping from one club to another. And nope, it’s not just scrolling through your phone till photos of fireworks fill your social media feed.
Read on to find the many ways you can end the year on a high note... without swigging a highball.
1. Take your kids out to see the Snow Queen
What could be more exciting for kids than DIY confetti poppers and a balloon pop countdown on New Year’s Eve? A chance to see the Snow Queen, maybe.
The Royal Canadian Theatre Company will present "The Snow Queen — a Frozen Adventure" at Massey Theatre (735 Eighth Ave.) on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. With sparkling sets, toe-tapping music, and a ton of jokes, the pantomime will feature the story of two sisters as they enter adulthood.
And the best part? Parents don’t have to worry about toddlers getting fussy, or babies bawling. It's a “relaxed” performance where pin-drop silence is not a strict rule.
Details: Massey Theatre website
2. Learn about hummingbirds
The winter season has us cozying up under a thick Sherpa blanket, while running the heater on full blast. But how do birds endure the chill?
How does the smallest bird species of all, the hummingbird, survive the rough weather? If this is one of those questions that you never knew how to answer your kid, know that Fraser River Discovery Centre’s (788 Quayside Dr.) “Winter Days Activities” has a session that’s all about hummingbird habitats.
With a range of activities and a storytime session between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., the event is your chance to glide into 2023 a tad smarter.
Details: Fraser River Discovery Centre website
3. Attend a stand-up comedy show
Different people follow different New Year’s Eve traditions across the world — from eating 12 grapes for 12 months of good luck (like in Spain) or smashing crockery at friends’ doors (like in Denmark). If you don’t follow any yet, may we suggest one?
Start the year with a good laugh.
And if classic New Year’s Eve romcoms like Bridget Jones's Diary aren't funny enough for you, head to Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy (530 Columbia St.) where Los Angeles-based comedian Irene Tu is sure to leave you in splits.
The $82.95 ticket to the 10 p.m. show also comes with a midnight appetizer buffet and party favours, and a glass of champagne that you can gracefully refuse.
Details: House of Comedy website
4. Make a mosaic art lamp
Always dreamed of flying over Turkey’s Cappadocia rock valleys in a hot air balloon? While a trip to the Turkish peninsula for this New Year’s Eve might be a little far-fetched, you can still get a taste of Turkish culture right here in New West by signing up for a three-hour workshop (at 10.30 a.m., 2.30 p.m. or 6 p.m.) at Mosaic Art Studio (332 Columbia St.).
For a $79 registration fee, you’ll get to sip some hot Turkish coffee, while learning to decorate a mosaic lamp with tiny glass beads, and also getting a crash course on how the Byzantine and the Ottoman empires contributed to shaping Turkey's art and culture today.
Details: Mosaic Art Studio website
5. Head out for a three-course meal
Here’s a classy way to end the year — one that doesn’t leave you with a throbbing hangover on the new year’s morning. Treat yourself to an elaborate three-course meal at the Boathouse Restaurant (900 Quayside Dr.), while enjoying the view of the Mighty Fraser.
For $85 per person, the special new year’s menu will include a choice of starters including lobster bisque, calamari and more, and entrees — from tenderloin filet to prime rib and lobster ravioli.
Be sure to save some space for the final course, the dessert. Think, what taste do you want the year to leave in your mouth — that of key lime pie or a crème brûlée?
Details: Boathouse Restaurant website
6. Play Wordle
There is little chance you are someone who didn’t spend a good part of the year trying to solve "Wordles". The New York Times word game with green and yellow squares went viral this year — with over 13 million downloads in less than four months, as per TechCrunch.
So, it’s only fitting that you dedicate the last day of the year to honour all those hours you spent guessing random five-letter words on the app. But this time, take your attention away from the phone screen, and play the game in real life with your family and friends.
New West’s Rain City Games (810 Quayside Dr.) has in stock the analog version of the game that comes with dry erase boards and markers.
Details: Rain City Games website
7. Tidy up
Start the new year by dejunking your bookshelf to only include titles that, as tidying expert Marie Kondo says, give you joy.
Take time to wipe those dusty tomes clean, pile them up, and give them a new lease of life. In the last few months, New West has seen three new used bookstores — Wildfires Bookshop, Groove Cat Books & Records, and Orange Crush Velvet — open up across the city.
You can either take your stack of books to those stores, or as suggested by New West Public Library, to the long-standing bookshop Renaissance Books on 12th Street, or Salvation Army Thrift Store on Columbia Street, to mention a few.
8. Spend a quiet evening in nature
While the rest of the world gears up to go pub hopping on New Year’s Eve, lace up your walking shoes, plug in your ear pods, and find a peaceful spot surrounded by nature to reflect on the year that has just a few more hours to end.
Be it the still ponds at Friendship Gardens and Tipperary Park, or the lush shrubs along the banks of Brunette River, or the stunning view of Mount Baker from Sapperton Landing Park, the city has a ton of options to help you get away from all the festive buzz and enjoy some “me” time.
