New Year's Eve Trivia and Fun Facts

Americans are known for their “work hard, play hard” mindset. On average, we work 1,789 hours per year.¹ However, in our play-hard mentality, we do not stay up to see the ball drop on New Year’s Eve.² Less than one-third of Americans plan to either attend or host a New Year’s Eve party,³ while more than half will spend the evening at home.⁴

Whether your plans involve a night on the couch with family or celebrating in the wee hours with fellow partygoers, here are some fun New Year’s trivia questions and factoids to stimulate the mind and ring in 2025.

New Year’s Trivia Questions and Answers

Question: Which country is the first to see the New Year?

Answer: The island nation of Kiribati is the first due to its position on the International Date Line.

Question: What is the name of the traditional Scottish song sung at midnight on New Year’s Eve?

Answer: Auld Lang Syne (translation: “old long since” or “for old time’s sake”)

Question: What is the most common New Year's resolution?

Answer: Health, exercise, or diet-related goals⁶

Question: Where is the Tournament of Roses Parade held?

Answer: Pasadena, California⁷

Bonus: When was it first held?

Answer: 1890

Question: When did the original “New Year’s Rockin Eve”⁸ Broadcast air?

Answer: 1972

Bonus: What network hosted the original show?

Answer: NBC (the show moved to ABC in 1974)

Bonus: Who hosted the first two editions?

Answer: Three Dog Night and George Carlin (Dick Clark took over as host when it moved to ABC)

Question: What year was the first Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop?

Answer: 1907⁹

Question: What do Spaniards eat 12 of at midnight on New Year’s Eve for good luck in the coming year?

Answer: Grapes¹⁰

Question: What country is known for smashing plates on New Year’s to ward off evil spirits?

Answer: Denmark¹¹

New Year’s Eve Fun Facts

• The Times Square Ball is 12 feet in diameter, weighs 11,875 pounds, and is covered in 2,688 Waterford crystals.¹²
• Occasionally, a “leap second” is added to the world’s official clocks on New Year’s Eve to keep the clocks in sync with Earth’s rotation.¹³
• The tradition of kissing at midnight on New Year’s Eve is rooted in ancient superstitions that doing so brings good luck in love and relationships in the year ahead.¹⁴
• The International Space Station crew celebrated the New Year in space for the first time in 2000.¹⁵
• Approximately 30 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions,¹⁶ but fewer than 10 percent succeed at keeping them.¹⁷
• Twenty-three percent of people quit their resolution by the end of the first week; 43 percent quit by the end of January.¹⁸
• The practice of making New Year’s resolutions dates back over 4,000 years to the ancient Babylonians, who made promises to their gods at the start of the year, hoping to gain favor.¹⁹ They celebrated the new year not on January 1 but at the vernal equinox in mid-March.

Let’s Resolve to Work Together This Year

While health-related resolutions top the New Year’s vows list, resolutions about finances and personal relationships rank second and third.

The new year is ideal for clients to get their affairs in order. Starting the year by addressing estate planning can offer clients peace of mind and long-term security.

1. How Many Hours Do You Work in a Year?, On the Clock, https://www.ontheclock.com/Blog/working-hours-in-a-year.aspx (last visited Nov. 22, 2024).
2. Sarah Kliff, How late the world stays up on New Year’s, in one map, Vox (Dec. 30, 2014), https://www.vox.com/2014/12/30/7465329/new-years-bed-time.
3. Danielle Commisso, Here’s How Americans Are Celebrating New Year’s Eve This Year, Civic Sci. (Dec. 27, 2023), https://civicscience.com/heres-how-americans-are-celebrating-new-years-eve-this-year.
4.  Id.
5. Global countdown: Which countries welcome and bid adieu to New Year 2024 first and last, The Economic Times (Jan. 1, 2024), https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/us/global-countdown-which-countries-welcome-and-bid-adieu-to-new-year-2024-first-and-last/articleshow/106420553.cms.
6. New Year’s resolutions: Who makes them and why, Pew Rsch. Ctr. (Jan. 29, 2024), https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/29/new-years-resolutions-who-makes-them-and-why.
7. Pasadena Tournament of Roses, https://tournamentofroses.com.
8. Paul Grein, ABC to Air “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” Through Jan 1, 2029, Billboard (Nov. 20, 2023), https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/dick-clarks-new-years-rockin-eve-with-ryan-seacrest-abc-renewed-1235499600.
9. History of New Year’s Eve & the Times Square Ball, Times Square, https://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye-history-times-square-ball (last visited Nov. 22, 2024).
10. The 12 grapes, the passport to a year full of good things, Estudio Sampere (Dec. 12, 2023), https://sampere.com/blog/the-twelve-grapes.
11. Unique New Year’s Traditions from Around the World, Life is Suite (Dec. 21, 2023), https://www.lifeissuite.com/unique-new-years-traditions-from-around-the-world.
12. Times Square Ball Facts, Times Square, https://timessquareball.net/times-square-ball-facts (last visited Nov. 22, 2024).
13. Mike Wall, “Leap Second” to Be Added on New Year’s Eve This Year, Space.com (Jul. 6, 2016), https://www.space.com/33361-leap-second-2016-atomic-clocks.html.
14. Gia Yetikyel, The New Year’s Eve Kiss Tradition, Explained, Vogue (Dec. 7, 2023), https://www.vogue.com/article/new-years-kiss-tradition.
15. John Uri, Space Station 20th: Celebrating the Holidays in Space, NASA (Dec. 23, 2020), https://www.nasa.gov/history/space-station-20th-celebrating-the-holidays-in-space.
16. Shanay Gracia, New Year’s resolutions: Who makes them and why, Pew Rsch. Ctr. (Jan. 29, 2024), https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/29/new-years-resolutions-who-makes-them-and-why.
17. Richard Batts, Why Most New Year’s Resolutions Fail, The Ohio State Univ.  (Feb. 2, 2023), https://fisher.osu.edu/blogs/leadreadtoday/why-most-new-years-resolutions-fail.
18. Id.
19. Joanne Dickson, Where did the new year’s resolution come from? Well, we’ve been making them for 4,000 years, The Conversation (Jan. 1, 2023), https://theconversation.com/where-did-the-new-years-resolution-come-from-well-weve-been-making-them-for-4-000-years-196661.