Here’s where and how to celebrate New Year’s Eve safely in the Fort Worth area
As 2022 nears, you might be questioning whether it’s safe to celebrate the new year. Or, maybe your usual New Year’s Eve plans have been canceled.
There are plenty of ways to celebrate in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but you might feel anxious about being in public places amid a possible COVID-19 surge.
From swing dancing to meditation, here are some fun things you can do to ring in the New Year, and tips to stay safe while you’re out and about.
What to do New Year’s Eve
Celebrate the New Year a little earlier than usual
Ring in the noon year at a family-friendly event hosted by the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. At the Noon Year’s Eve from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., you and your family can learn explore New Year’s traditions, learn about the animals of the New Year, create party poppers and write your Noon Year’s resolutions. Tickets, available on fwmuseum.org, are $16, $14 for senior citizens 65 and up, $12 for ages 3 to 11, free for ages 2 and younger. After the event ends, you can roam around the museum until it closes at 5 p.m.
Have a Zoo Year’s Eve
Parents can enjoy a kid-free New Year’s Eve as their kids have a sleepover at the Fort Worth Zoo with pizza, a movie, crafts and a night hike through the park. In the morning, they’ll be offered a continental breakfast. The event goes from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. and is for children 6 to 10 years old. Tickets are $85 per person.
Swing into the New Year
Start the year off right — grooving to swing music by artists like Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Bill Haley & His Comets and Jerry Lee Lewis. On 7:30 p.m. Friday, four world-champion swing dancers will take the stage at the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra to strut their stuff in a show that captures the swing era of the ‘40s and ‘50s. Ticket pricing varies by seating; visit access.fwsymphony.org to purchase tickets.
Have a luau to remember
Families can enjoy a New Year’s Eve luau at the Epic Waters Indoor Waterpark in Grand Prairie. There, you can watch circus performances, learn hula dancing, make crafts like tiki masks and participate in a duck race. At the end of the night, an inflatable duck will be dropped to celebrate the New Year. The event is 1 p.m. to 1 a.m., and tickets range from $17 to $34. Buy a ticket on epicwatersgp.com.
Get some laughs in before the New Year
For a laugh many of us need right now, attend a comedy show with critically-acclaimed comedy troupe Four Day Weekend. Along with the show, you can feast on tenderloin steak sandwiches, bacon-wrapped shrimp and grilled chicken skewers. You’ll also get a ticket to a future Four Day Weekend performance, champagne and party favors. The show will be held at the Four Day Weekend comedy theater in Sundance Square, 312 Houston St. The event begins at 8:30 p.m., and tickets are $110.
Attend a soiree
Want to get decked out for a roaring twenties themed party? Grapevine’s Hotel Vin will be hosting a Gatsby-themed five-course dinner, followed by live music by the Hunter Sullivan Band. It starts at 6:30 p.m. Get your tickets on eventbrite.com.
End the year with relaxation
Prefer to chill at home on New Year’s Eve? End 2021 on a peaceful note with an online meditation class hosted by Sahaja Yoga Meditation. Register on eventbrite and join on Zoom from 8:45 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
What to do New Year’s Day
Celebrate in pajamas
Celebrate New Year’s Day with a pajama brunch at Pinstripes. A brunch spread, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will feature a waffle station, a carving station, a dessert table, bottomless mimosas and bloody marys. It costs $27 for adults and $12 for kids 6 to 12 years old, and is free for children 5 and under. Make a reservation on pinstripes.com.
Welcome the New Year with giving and games
Main Event is hosting its annual Day 1 event at 7 DFW locations, including Fort Worth, Grand Prairie and Grapevine. Kids get an all-access wristband to bowl, golf, play billiards and lasertag and game in the arcade from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. They’ll also have face painting, a photo booth and bowling pin decorating. The event benefits Vogel Alcove, a nonprofit that provides services for Dallas children and families experiencing homelessness. Tickets are $20, and are available on vogelalcove.org.
How to celebrate safely
Take a test before your event
Since the start of the pandemic, more than 380,000 Tarrant County residents have tested positive for COVID-19. And the omicron variant will likely cause a COVID-19 surge in January, county health experts caution.
That’s why it’s crucial to take a coronavirus test before you’re around others.
Some testing sites will be closed for New Year’s. Luckily, you can still get a test from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on New Year’s Eve at the TEXRail North Side Station, 3001 Decatur Ave.
If you want to take it a little earlier, two mobile testing sites will be open on Dec. 30:
- FWISD Scarborough-Handley Fieldhouse, 6201 Craig St., 8-11:30 a.m.
- Como Community Center, 4660 Horne St., 1-4:30 p.m.
A full list of sites throughout Tarrant County can be found here.
Get a ride after your event
No matter where you’re celebrating, you can get a free or discounted ride home.
After your New Year’s Eve party, get a free ride on any DART paratransit, DART local buses, rail and TRE commuter rail service up to and including CentrePort Rail Station. The offer begins at 6 p.m. on Dec. 31 until the end of service. Look for the best route at dart.org/schedules.
Trinity Metro is likewise offering discounted fares through Dec. 31. Fares are $1 for one-way bus rides, $2 for one-way paratransit rides, and half-price for multi-ride tickets. Multi-ride tickets cost $1.25 for one day, $6.25 for seven days, and $20 for 30 days.
If you’re anywhere in Arlington, take the Via ride share service to get on-demand transit. The van service, which costs $5 or less, allows multiple passengers headed in the same direction to share a single vehicle. Download the via application to your phone or call 817-784-7382 to book your ride. The service operates between 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. Find a detailed list of pricing at arlingtontx.gov/via.
For more cheap ride options, click here.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 7:40 AM.
