New Year's Eve games

1. Balloon Countdown: put a slip of paper with a small task or prize in eleven balloons. Pop one every quarter of an hour from 9:30 pm, and the last one goes at midnight.
2. Guess the Time: at around 11:45 pm, everyone hides their phone and writes down what time they think it is. The closest guess makes the midnight toast.
3. Twelve Grapes: the Spanish tradition of eating one grape on each of the twelve strokes of midnight for good luck in each month. Whoever finishes with the last stroke wins.
4. Ball Drop Bingo: bingo cards for the countdown on TV, like 'someone says it is cold', 'confetti cannon' or 'a host forgets a name'. Full line before midnight wins.
5. Last Words of the Year: at 11:59 pm everyone gets one sentence to close the year. The room votes for the best one after the countdown.

1. Year in Review Quiz: the host writes 15 questions about your group's year, like 'who moved house twice?' or 'where did the summer trip go wrong?'. Teams of three, answers on paper.
2. Salad Bowl: everyone writes five names on slips for a bowl. Round one, describe the name. Round two, one word only. Round three, act it out. Same slips every round.
3. Wink Murder: one secret killer, picked by folded slips, kills people by winking at them. Victims die dramatically, and the room tries to catch the killer.
4. Paper Plate Portraits: hold a paper plate on top of your head and draw the person on your left without looking. Hang the best ones up as the year's gallery.
5. Toast Battle: two players each get a random topic, like 'the office printer' or 'my ex's cat', and must give a toast to it in thirty seconds. The room cheers for the winner.
6. Who Am I, this year edition: a sticky note on every forehead with someone who was in the news or on your feeds this year. Yes or no questions only.

For adults who opted in. A sip is a small sip, water counts just as much, and anyone can pass. Pace yourselves, midnight is a long way off at 9 pm.

1. Kings Cup: cards in a circle around a cup, every card has a rule, and whoever draws the fourth king owns the cup. Time it so the last king lands near midnight.
2. Never Have I Ever, this year edition: only things from this year count, like 'never have I ever this year cried at a wedding'.
3. Most Likely To, next year: point at whoever is most likely to break their resolution by 2 January, get engaged or move abroad.
4. Ride the Bus: guess red or black, higher or lower, inside or outside and the suit. The loser rides the bus while the rest count down.

1. Whose Resolution: everyone writes a resolution for next year on a slip, anonymously. Read them out one by one and guess whose it is.
2. Prediction Envelope: everyone writes five predictions about the group for next year, seals them in an envelope and opens it next New Year's Eve.
3. The Year in Three Words: everyone sums up their year in three words. The others get one question each to find out what happened.
4. Group Awards: vote on awards for your group's year, like best trip, worst haircut, best comeback and most dramatic group chat. Winners give a ten second speech.
5. Two Truths and a Lie, this year edition: two things that really happened to you this year and one that didn't. The room votes on the lie.

1. Imposter: everyone sees the secret word except the imposter. One clue each, then vote out whoever is faking it.
2. The Bomb: the phone shows a category, you say an answer and pass it on before the hidden fuse runs out.
3. The Quiz: the host shares a pin code, up to 16 guests answer on their own phones at once, and the podium crowns the last winner of the year.
4. The Timeline: a real music clip plays and you place it in order by year. A good warm up for a night about time running out.
5. Finger Picker: everyone puts a finger on the screen and the app picks who gives the midnight speech.