New Year’s Eve in Des Moines with Kids 2022
If you are a parent, celebrating New Year’s Eve celebrations 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 event to celebrate the end of 2022.
Keep checking back! We will be adding more events and activities as they are announced throughout the month.
Events happening around Des Moines
Dive Into The New Year Kids Movie Night & Pool Party – Hotel Renovo | 2022 Sponsor
Hotel Renovo
December 31, 2022
Join Hotel Renovo to ring in the New Year as a family! Enjoy two movies in the pool area that will be played at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m., open swim until 12:30 a.m., and champagne (make sure you have a champagne toast) and other drinks will be available at the bar. This special package also includes goodie bags, complimentary flatbreads (5:30 to 7:30 p.m.), and the day after Continental Breakfast. There are special room rates! Use code MOVIE when checking out. Reserve your room today!
New Year’s Family Kits
Urbandale Parks & Recreation
Register by December 23
The countdown to 2023 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 2023. Their kits offer masks, hats, noisemakers, 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! Reserve yours now.
Kid’s Noon Year’s Eve Party
Pathway Church – Johnston
December 31, 2022
10:30 a.m. to Noon
Bring the kids to celebrate and count down the new year! Come at 10:30 a.m. to enjoy carnival games, make a fun craft, eat a yummy snack and join the dance party as we bring in the new year (12 hours early)! The schedule is really simple:
10:30-11:30 – Carnival Games; 11:30- Noon – Dance Party with countdown and balloon drop.
Countdown to Noon
Warrior Lanes
December 31
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, large 1-topping pizza, and soda.
Noon Year’s Eve Party
Urbandale Public Library
December 31
11 a.m. to Noon
Not sure you’ll make it to midnight? Count down to the noon year with some Library fun! Dancing, balloons, bubbles, glow sticks and more will make this a-rockin’ good time for the whole family. Plus, we’ll step outside at one minute to Noon to see the Urbandale Fire Department do a countdown and ball drop for us from a fire truck!
Noon Year’s Eve
Science Center of Iowa
December 31
9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Join us for activities, experiences, and an official countdown at noon with our infamous balloon drop to celebrate the new year.
A few of the activities include: creating and decorating your celebratory New Year’s hat, a special appearance by Iowa Wild mascot Crash in our Cool Science exhibit, and sharing in a collective countdown to welcome 2023 at the family-friendly time of NOON!
Activities are included with general admission. Tickets are limited, so we recommend reserving in advance. Purchase tickets here.
New Year’s Eve-Noon
Des Moines Children’s Museum
December 31
10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Join the museum for a small celebration at noon for New Year’s Eve and close early at 1:00 PM.
Noon Year’s Eve Party! Fiesta de año nuevo al mediodía!
Central Library and East Side Library
December 31
11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Celebrate the new year with your children with a 12 NOON party! Celebra el año nuevo con sus hijos al mediodía con actividades, meriendas, y música. Make glow in the dark slime, enjoy snacks, music, games, and a countdown to 12 PM!
Kids New Year’s Eve Party at Big Grove
Big Grove Brewery
December 31
4 to 6 p.m.
Join Big Grove Brewery for a special New Year’s Eve Party for kids — with all-you-can-eat puppy chow, cotton candy, and popcorn! FREE KIDS PARTY: 4-6 pm
Since the little ones need to get to bed early, we’re making sure they don’t miss out on the fun of New Year’s Eve. We’ll have a kid’s music playlist and a glow-in-the-dark party for them to enjoy!
BALLOON DROPS at 6 PM with a video of the ball drop on our big screen to recreate the feel of midnight in NYC! The Taproom will be closing at 7 PM for the ticketed Adult New Year’s Party.
These events are free to attend but please mark ‘GOING’ to help us out. Seating is limited and based on a first-come, first-serve. In order to order food, you must have a table.
Parent’s Night Out
West Des Moines RecPlex
December 31
4 to 10 p.m.
Join West Des Moines Parks and Recreation for a very special version of Parents’ Night Out to close out the year 2022! These extended hours will give parents the opportunity to take a little more time to close out the year while their kids are having the time of their life with them! They will be having an early balloon drop, fun NYE-themed activities and crafts, a glow-in-the-dark dance party, open playtime, snacks, and of course a pizza party. $30 per person. Register before all spots are filled.
SpareTime
Ring in the New Year with games, lanes, food, and fun! They are welcoming 2023 with epic celebrations all day and night long. Their family-friendly events are unforgettable and fun for both kids and adults. Or, celebrate After Dark at our late-night party! Take a look at all the details.
Bouncing into 2023 Family Glow Skate
Skateland
December 31
5 to 8 p.m.
Join Skateland (a few hours early) with a countdown and a bounce ball drop. Lots of fun prizes and of course all the fun skating games: limbo, a dice game, Andy is coming, Splitter, Skateland’s twister, traffic stop, and a Snow Ball fight.
Glow night will start at 5 pm but feel free to arrive early if you’d like, we will be open 1-8 pm.
Concession will be available for purchase with pizza (also GF), chicken strips, mozzarella sticks, nachos (GF), pretzels, popcorn (GF), cotton candy (GF), slushy, and much more. Join the fun at Skateland, where Des Moines Loves to Skate.
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.
Jolly Holiday Lights
Not open on New Year’s Eve, but head out to check the light displays on New Year’s Day! Or check out some other fun Christmas Light Displays happening all around the Des Moines area.
BONUS! Happen to have a sitter and looking for a date night idea? Check these things out! This may be a great option for the older kids in your life.
New Year’s with Sam & Adam’s Dueling Pianos
Revel Hotel
December 31
Ring in the New Year with Sam & Adam’s Dueling Pianos at The Rewind Hotel! Special packages are available and include hotel room, buffet style dinner from 6-9 PM & light bites from 9 PM-midnight, Entertainment by Sam & Adam’s Dueling Pianos from 9:30 PM-12:30 AM, champagne toast celebration at midnight, and complimentary continental breakfast. Book your room!
New Year’s Eve Pops: Frank & the Great Ladies of Song
Des Moines Civic Center
December 31
8 to 10 p.m.
Ring in the new year with your Des Moines Symphony! Broadway brass meets old-school class in a fresh take on the music of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and more, performed by award-winning vocalists Capathia Jenkins and Tony DeSare. Single tickets start at $40 and are available through Des Moines Performing Arts. Ticket prices are subject to increase.
