10 Best New Year's Eve Date Ideas That Won’t Break The Bank
Ring in 2024 with one of these unique (and affordable!) ideas.
Jacob Lund / Shutterstock If you're still wondering what to do on New Year's Eve, especially when all the date night ideas you think of seem so expensive, there's no need to spend a fortune in order to have a fun, romantic evening.
The options are truly limitless, but in case you're feeling a little uninspired, we've compiled this list of things to do as a couple on New Year's Eve to get your creative juices following just in time for the big night.
Try something new and celebrate New Year's Eve by giving one of these cheap yet fun and romantic date night ideas a try.
10 Best New Year's Eve Date Ideas That Won’t Break The Bank Before 2024
1. Dress up and head out for a night of drinking and dancing.
For a semi-traditional type of NYE celebration, find a great local show or concert. Dress up in coordinating outfits, get a few drinks to loosen up your nerves and dance the night away together. Stumped at what concert to attend?
Check out an app like StubHub to locate plenty near you. Try to find a small venue that’s in close proximity to where the two of your live. That way, at the end of the evening, you’ll be able to quickly rush home to finish the night on a sexy note.
2. Spend a quiet cozy night in at home.
For some folks, a nice evening alone with their honey is the best way to celebrate the holiday that most people go all-out on in groups.
If you’re the type who would prefer a less crowded night, why not light some candles and pamper each other? Afterward, mix up a couple of cocktails, pop in a sexy flick and simply enjoy each other’s company.
Plus, when midnight hits, you can do more than just kiss ...
3. Take a moonlit boat ride.
Channel your inner Ariel and Eric by renting a boat and rowing out under the stars in a nearby lake. Odds are you'll even spot some fireworks somewhere in the sky.
Pack a blanket, champagne, and strawberries and cuddle as you play the perfectly pre-prepared Spotify playlist.
Just be careful not to tip the boat as you make your on your own fireworks.
4. Throw a potluck party for friends.
Are you two a new item? Have a little party with both of your closest friends so you can all become acquainted.
Prepare some drinks and appetizers yourselves — pre-party activities that can really bring out a partnership for you two — and ask everyone to bring a dish as well.
You’ll have a great get-together that will not only help you meet each other’s loved ones but also get you excited for your future as a team.
5. Get away to a cabin in the woods.
Are you and your beau nature lovers? Have a romantic getaway in the wilderness by renting a cabin.
Think you two can’t afford it? Think again: there are tons of websites that feature last-minute deals as well as discounted gift certificates for fun vacation spots on Airbnb, Groupon Getaways and LivingSocial.
Using one of these can get you a great price on a lovely location for you to share a wonderful, isolated holiday.
6. Share some New Year’s nostalgia.
Sometimes, couples who have been together for a long time forget the things that turned them into a pair in the first place. Plan out a “memory trail” of sorts and visit spots where the two of you can reminisce.
For example, if you went on your first date at a coffee shop, go there at the beginning of your night. Have a favorite restaurant? Reserve a table and order your favorites. Had a first kiss in a park nearby? Re-create that with a nice, long walk together and remind yourselves why you make a great team.
It’ll be the perfect close to a solid year together.
7. Share a New Year holiday on ice.
Time for couples skate only! Put on your snuggly sweaters and scarves, lace up your boots and hold onto to each other for dear life as you glide across the ice.
There's just something terribly romantic about the entire ice-skating scene.
Warm up afterward with a cup of hot chocolate (spiked with peppermint schnapps, of course!) and walk through town hand-in-hand to enjoy the holiday decorations one last time before kicking off the new year.
8. Spend the evening planning ahead for the new year.
Everyone knows its traditional to come up with a list of things you, yourself can improve upon during the new year. Why not spend your evening together creating a list of your relationship goals.
Want to travel more? Or get fit together? Write your goals down and place them in a nicely decorated jar.
Also, include your most amazing moments throughout the year so that you can go back and read all that you accomplished next year.
9. Camp out in your backyard.
Take advantage of a mild winter by going camping right in your own backyard! Light up the fire pit and roast marshmallows before retiring inside a tent to read some old-school erotica by flashlight.
Too cold where you are? Build an old-school fort in your living room and cuddle inside!
10. Have a game night.
Grab some of your coupled up friends, champagne (or hard booze), and get all of your favorite games out of the closet — from Uno to Pictionary and make a nostalgic night of it.
Not feeling social? Play a head-to-head game of strip poker or dirty Scrabble with your main squeeze.
Sam H. Escobar is the site director at Allure Magazine.