New Year’s Eve in Des Moines with Kids 2025
If you are a parent, celebrating New Year’s Eve may look a little different now with kids. Des Moines, Iowa, and several surrounding communities offer fun events and activities to do as a whole family. Check out all the fun planned and gather some ideas to plan your own New Year’s event to celebrate the end of 2025.
Keep checking back! We will be adding more events and activities as they are announced throughout the month.
Events happening around Des Moines
New Year’s Family Kits
Urbandale Parks & Recreation
Register by December 24
Countdown to 2026 has begun! What better way to ring in the New Year than having fun with the family? The Urbandale Parks and Recreation department is here to help! With our New Year’s Family Kits, you can have fun in the comfort of your own home. For just $30, you will get all the supplies needed to welcome in 2026. Our kits offer masks, hats, noise makers, snacks, and activities for the whole family to be a part of! If your New Year’s resolution is to spend more time with family, then this is perfect for you.
Kits will be delivered by 5:00 pm, barring any weather delays, on December 31. If you have controlled access to your front door (apartment or condo), please plan to pick up your kit at the Parks and Recreation office on each given day. Reserve yours here.
Ring in the New Year with Iowa Wild
Iowa Wild
December 31 at 5 p.m.
It’s New Year’s Eve with the Wild, and they want to ring in 2026 with YOU! Stay in your seats following the game for a special postgame fireworks show! Purchase tickets here.
New Year’s Eve Goodie Bags
Des Moines Central Library
December 31
Celebrate the upcoming year by grabbing a New Year’s goodie bag at the Central youth desk! One per child, while supplies last.
Blue Year’s Eve Party
Playgrounds Cafe
December 31; Various time slots available.
Ring in the New Year at Playgrounds Cafe!! Tickets are now on sale for our 3rd Annual Blue Year’s Eve!
Our Blue Year’s Eve events will be 90 minutes and include:
- Meet & Greet with your favorite Blue Heeler
- A dance party, NYE craft, and balloon drop
- Playtime in Playgrounds Cafe’s indoor play area
- Kids Snack Pack
This year, we are excited to have a Sensory Friendly opportunity during our 1 pm event! This time slot will have dim lighting, no music, and a more limited capacity than our other times. We can’t wait to welcome kiddos who would benefit from an alternative celebration this year!
- 9 a.m.
- 11 a.m.
- 1 p.m. (sensory friendly)
- 3 p.m.
Tickets are $22/child 1-10 years old (adults are free!). Tickets are limited! Make sure to get yours before they’re gone!! 🏃♀️
Get your tickets here.
Kid’s Noon Year’s Eve
Big Grove Brewery
December 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Get ready for a kid-approved New Year’s Eve this December 31! Just because bedtime comes early doesn’t mean the fun has to stop. We’ve got a kids’ music playlist and dance floor so your little ones can bust a move and celebrate in style.
Don’t miss the balloon drops at 12 PM, 2 PM, and 4 PM, complete with the Times Square ball-drop video on our big screen. All the excitement of midnight in NYC, without the bedtime blues!
Noon Year’s Eve Ball Drop
Paws & Pints
December 31from 10 a.m. to Noon
Join Paws & Pints for an early New Year celebration with your furry friend!
Enjoy a festive New Year’s Eve Brunch and a special noon ball drop. Take part in the fun for a chance to win a LIFETIME Membership and other fantastic prizes. Let’s raise a glass to 2026 together!
Noon Year’s Eve Dance Party
Urbandale Public Library
December 31 from 11 a.m. to Noon
Not sure you can make it to midnight on New Year’s Eve? Celebrate early at the library!
We’ll have crafts, dancing, balloons, and bubbles to make this a rockin’ good time for the whole family! At noon, we’ll have the Urbandale Fire Department drop a disco ball so we can sharpen our count-down skills! Learn more here.
Noon Year’s Eve Children’s Balloon Drop
Holiday Hullabaloo
December 31 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Ring in the New Year with all your favorite Holiday Hullabaloo characters! Everyone will have the opportunity to make their own New Year’s Eve headgear with a little help from the Holiday Hullabaloo Elves. Magician Johnathan May will be on hand to amaze, and there will be plenty of GIANT party games, including Chess, Jenga, Connect 4, and Tic Tac Toe. They will serve kid-friendly NYE drinks and treats, and provide goodie bags for all kiddos in attendance. All attendees must have a ticket. Children must be accompanied by at least one parent.
Noon Year’s Eve at Pump It Up
December 31 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
New Year’s Eve includes jumping, sliding, racing, and more. At the end, there will be a Glow in the Dark GIANT Balloon Drop. We will hand out noise makers, hats and do a big count down. Special events registration is strongly suggested, as this is normally a sold out event. Everyone will needs socks and a waiver to play. You must be 34″ tall to play on the inflatables. $15 if preregistered $20 at the door. Adults are FREE. PARENTS ARE FREE. Register here.
Kid’s Noon Year’s Eve Party
Pathway Church – Johnston
December 31 from 10:30 a.m. to Noon
Bring the kiddos for their own special celebration to count down the new year! Party starts at 10:30 AM and ends with a big dance party, countdown to noon, and a giant balloon drop (Toddlers will have their own special balloon drop within the big party room!).
Prior to the dance party the kids will have the chance to enjoy carnival games with prizes, play laser tag, make fun crafts, or enjoy some yummy snacks as we bring in the new year (12 hours early)! Learn more here.
Noon Year’s Eve Party
West Des Moines Public Library
December 31 from 11:30 a.m. to Noon
Welcome to the new year with us at the library! We’ll have a celebratory dance party starting at 11:30 AM, and we’ll finish with a countdown and a balloon drop right at noon. The library closes at 12 PM on New Year’s Eve, so this will be the last hurrah as we go out and into 2026. This event will be best suited for ages 2-6 and their caregivers—no registration required.
New Year’s Eve Breakfast & Bowling
Backpocket Pin & Pixel
December 31 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Join us from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on December 31st for a special breakfast event! Yes, BREAKFAST! Your $15 ticket includes an entree of your choice as well as one non-alcoholic beverage AND a ticket for a single game of duckpin! Kids two and under are FREE! There will also be a sparkling apple cider toast for the kiddos at 11:45 and a balloon drop at Noon! We will be closed to the public during this special event and re-open at 12:30. Get your tickets now; seating is LIMITED! Learn more here.
Countdown to Noon
Warrior Lanes
December 31 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Countdown to the “noon” year at Warrior Lanes with a special Noon Year’s Eve party! Enjoy glow-in-the-dark bowling, concert lights, and black lights. Prices start at $65 per lane and include 2 hours of bowling, shoe rental, a large 1-topping pizza, and soda.
Noon Year’s Eve
Science Center of Iowa
December 31 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Join the Science Center of Iowa for activities, experiences, and an official countdown at noon with their infamous balloon drop to celebrate the new year. Activities are included with general admission. Tickets are limited, so we recommend reserving in advance. Purchase tickets here.
New Year’s at Noon
Des Moines Children’s Museum
December 31 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Celebrate the new year a few hours early with dancing, creating a vision board, and not one, but two beach ball drops!
Beach ball drops will happen at 10 a.m. and noon. $10 for ages 1-9, $4 for ages 10+, free for infants and members. Museums For All accepted.
New Year’s Eve Family Glow Skate at Skateland
Skateland
December 31 from 6 to 9 p.m.
New Year’s Eve Family Glow Skate at Skateland!
Kick off the New Year with us at Skateland! We’re welcoming 2026 a few hours early with a family-friendly Glow Skate Night that’s packed with excitement. Here’s what we have planned for an unforgettable night. Learn more here.
Other activities to celebrate the end of the year!
Ice Skating
Lace up your skates and close out the year ice skating in one of many spots in the Des Moines area.
Dome for the Holidays
Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden
December 30 & 31st
Stroll through the transformed tropical oasis as you enjoy a dynamic display of thousands of twinkling lights, an incredible collection of blown glass sculptures, festive music, a train display, a gnome hunt, refreshments, and more. This enchanting holiday display is sure to be a sought-after, unforgettable family tradition, as it’s the perfect way to experience all the magic of the season.
Miracle on 86th Street
Urbandale, Iowa
Charles Gabus Memorial Park is filled with more than 50,000 holiday lights, a large custom-built train, large ornamental displays, fun photo opportunities, a sleigh to sit in, an ice skating rink, and more. Take a look at all the fun!
