New Year’s Eve means we’re saying goodbye to 2021 and welcoming the brand-new year—but not before we party, cheer, dance and explore here in Northern Colorado! This year’s NYE lineup includes a few parties, 5Ks and of, course, plenty of at-home celebrations.
Below, we’ve rounded up a few ideas of how you can spend this exciting holiday in the area. Here, you’ll find some socially distanced events, at-home celebration ideas and more. Have fun!
Jump ahead:
Elevation 5003 has become our go-to for delicious, fancy, affordable cocktails during the pandemic. They have a menu of more than 40 different to-go bottled drinks that come in several serving sizes. Each cocktail comes with all the ingredients you’ll need to enjoy the perfect drink at home, from fresh mint and rosemary to candied orange slices and jalapeños. They’ve even started offering cocktail supplies, like bitters, cocktail cherries and full bartending sets, so you can get started on building your very own home bar. Click here to see their entire list of current offerings.
Order a Gourmet Meal To-Go from RARE Italian
From the same masterminds behind Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant, RARE Italian is a restaurant concept showcasing influences from both Italy and American Italian immigrants. Their famous steaks are dry aged in a custom dry-aging room for a minimum of 21 days before serving, and you can get them to-go! Place an order for some delicious antipasti, appetizers, pastas, and house-aged steaks and enjoy a one-of-a-kind feast from the comfort of home. They also offer take-out cocktails, beer and wine by the bottle.
Or Dine in a Winter Room at Little on Mountain
Relatively new to the Fort Collins dining scene, Little on Mountain is a neighborhood, farm-to-table eatery offering brunch and supper favorites made using ingredients from local farms and purveyors. Their Winter Rooms were an absolute hit last year and they’ve decided to bring them back for the 2021/2022 winter season! Enjoy dining in a cozy, heated structure wrapped in breathable canvas that has its own theme, music and four-course meal. Reservations can be made for their Winter Rooms online!
For those who are dedicating themselves to eating healthily and working out more in 2022, there’s no better way to kick off the year than running a 5K! The Resolution Run 5K is happening on December 31st and will take you through a scenic, flat loop course in the Parkwood neighborhood of Fort Collins. For all the information, click here!
Celebrate New Year’s Eve at the Oscars
Get a taste of Hollywood’s most glamorous night here in Fort Collins on New Year’s Eve! The 2021 New Year’s Eve at the Oscars event at Foothills Assembly of God will feature a red carpet for you to walk down; a four-course meal; competitions to win “Oscars” and much more. All the proceeds go towards Sarah’s Home, a residential home and school for sex-trafficking survivors in Fort Collins. Click here for more information and to purchase your tickets!
Watch the Ball Drop in NYC
What is New Year’s Eve without watching the ball drop in Times Square? While there won’t be the normal crowds in New York City this year, you can still watch this iconic annual event live on ABCNews.com, Facebook Watch or the ABC News app at midnight Eastern, which is just 10 p.m. for us! That means you can put the kiddos to sleep a little early (or head to bed yourself).
See Holiday Lights
If you didn’t get a chance to see some of the spectacular light displays in Northern Colorado this year, you haven’t missed your chance! All the way through Valentine’s Day, explore more than 22 block-faces in downtown Fort Collins illuminated by tens of thousands of twinkling LED lights. Plus, several light display events, including Winter Wonderlights and Christmas Walk in the Woods in Loveland are open through New Year’s Eve for you and your family to enjoy.
Get Hot Chocolate from Nuance Chocolate
While you’re out exploring NoCo’s holiday light displays, don’t forget to make a hot cocoa stop! Nuance Chocolate creates small-batch, bean-to-bar chocolates made straight from cocoa beans. Their hot chocolate is unique, and not as sweet as most other types of hot chocolate, but the rich, chocolatey taste is delicious all on its own!
Do an NYE Craft
DIY New Year’s Balls, noisemakers, confetti poppers and banners—there are so many ways that kids can bring the NYE cheer to life with just a few simple household items! Settle in with your family on the last day of the year and spend a few hours making DIY goodies to play with all night long. Here’s a handy list from Spaceships and Laser Beams outlining some of our favorite New Year’s themed crafts for children of all ages!
Have a Holiday Movie Marathon
New Year’s Eve is always a bittersweet day. On one hand, it’s the beginning of a brand new year. On the other, it’s the end of the much-beloved holiday season. Even though Christmas has come and gone, spend one last evening binging all the holiday movies you forgot to watch earlier this month! Elf, Home Alone, Christmas Vacation and even Die Hard are great choices. Not only is it a great way to pass the time, but it will also have you entering the new year in the holiday spirit—and we can’t imagine a better way to welcome 2022!
Happy New Year!
How are you planning on ringing in 2022? Let us know in the comments below!
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