87 Fun New Years Trivia Questions & Answers Quiz
Celebrate new beginnings with friends, family, and fun New Years trivia quiz questions this year! You’ll learn a lot about the holiday while laughing and quizzing your tribe.
Don’t forget to keep score to see who knows the most about our favorite New Year’s traditions!
Easy New Year Quiz Questions
First, test the waters with this easy New Years trivia quiz and answers.
1. Eating 365 ____ is believed to give you luck for each day of the New Year.
Black-eyed peas
2. It’s an old tradition to open your doors and ___________ every New Year.
Windows (This is believed to let out the old year and welcome in the new one)
3. What are the 3 top places to celebrate on New Year’s Eve?
New York City, New York, Las Vegas, Nevada, Orlando, Florida (Disneyworld)
4. What’s the most popular song associated with New Years?
Auld Lang Syne
5. Does the Time Square ball stay up all year long?
Yes
6. What is written on the confetti that’s thrown in Times Square at New Years?
People’s wishes
7. What city drops a giant chocolate kiss on New Year’s Eve?
Hershey, Pennsylvania
8. Which Australian city has one of the world’s largest and most well-known New Year’s Eve celebrations?
Sydney, Australia
9. What famous parade takes place on New Year’s Day in Pasadena, California?
The Rose Parade
10. What are used to build the floats in this parade?
Flowers
11. Some countries use fireworks for their New Year’s traditions. In these celebrations, what is the purpose of the fireworks?
Fireworks are said to ward off and scare evil spirits.
12. Why would eating something round be considered to be lucky on New Years?
It’s a sign that the year has come full circle. (Bagels, donuts, etc)
13. The Chinese New Year does not start on January 1st. What do they use to mark the New Year?
The lunar moon. (It begins with the new moon)
14. In Italy, it’s customary to wear undies what color for good luck?
Red
15. It’s custom to ________ someone at midnight.
Kiss
16. Who hosted New Year’s Rockin’ Eve for 24 years?
Dick Clark. (Ryan Seacrest now hosts the show)
17. Rosh Hashana marks the beginning of the year for what religion?
The Jewish Religion
18. Spanish households consume 12 _______ on New Year’s Eve for good luck.
Grapes
19. What is the most common symbol (person) associated with New Years?
Baby new year
20. What does the New Year Baby represent?
Rebirth (or new life)
True or False Quiz
Next, state whether the following New Years facts and trivia are true or false.
21. The word January is latin and is named after Janus, the god of beginnings and transitions in Roman mythology.
True.
22. Antarctica hosts an Annual New Year’s Music Festival.
True.
23. Americans drink 100 million glasses of sparkling wine every New Years.
False. They drink about 360 million glasses.
24. Time balls were invented to help sailors navigate.
True.
25. The first Times Square New Year’s party was thrown for a bank.
False. It was thrown for The New York Times newspaper
26. Tradition tells us that the more leafy greens you eat on New Years, the more prosperous you’ll be.
True.
27. In Scotland and Greece, they believe the first person who enters your home in the new year will either bring good or bad luck. And they should enter using their left foot.
False. They should use their right foot.
28. New Year’s Day has the highest rate of car thefts of any day of the year.
True.
29. True or false: Per a survey taken in 2015, New Year’s Eve ranked second on Americans’ list of favorite holidays.
False. It ranked fourth behind Christmas, Thanksgiving, and 4th of July. (source)
30. 50% of Americans fall asleep before midnight on NYE
False. Around 30% (source)
31. In Sweden and Norway, people enjoy cake to celebrate the New Year
False. They enjoy rice pudding with a special nut hidden inside. It’s said that whoever finds the nut will have 12 months of good luck.
32. The tradition of eating black eyed peas in the United States started with the Revolutionary War.
False. It began with the Civil war. It is said that the black eyed pea fields were left alone by raiding soldiers because they were thought to be food for animals. Since they were often the only food to be left behind, they became considered “lucky.” (source)
33. True or False: New Years is celebrated on the same date and time for everyone.
False.
34. In some states, Alcoholics Anonymous will tow your car and give you a lift home for free on New Year’s Eve (even if you are not a member).
True.
New Year’s Eve Movie Trivia
Name the source of these fun New Year’s related movie quotes.
35. “I solemnly swear I am up to no good.”
— Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
36. “And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”
— When Harry Met Sally
37. “A little party never killed nobody.”
– The Great Gatsby
38. “Yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it — you can either run from it or learn from it.”
— The Lion King
39. “525,600 minutes. How do you measure a year in your life?”
— Rent
40. “Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one … Jonah, wake up. The ball’s dropping.”
— Sleepless in Seattle
41. “You don’t roll the dice on New Year’s.”
— A Lot Like Love
42. “There are no other guests, we don’t want to share this night with other people.”
— Sunset Boulevard
43. “I’m sure we’ll all live to regret this.”
— A Long Way Down
44. “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”
— Lord of the Rings
45. “If you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love. If you must steal, steal away from bad company. If you must cheat, cheat death. And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away.”
— Hitch
46. “If you focus on what you’ve left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead.”
— Ratatouille
New Year’s Resolution Trivia
Resolutions are a huge part of the New Year tradition in America. To some, they may seem ridiculous. But to others, they symbolize a fresh start and opportunity for life changes. Let’s dig a little deeper into this fun and motivational tradition.
47. What’s the number 1 resolution that people make?
To get healthier. (#1 lose weight, #2 eat healthier, #3 exercise more are the top 3 resolutions)
48. What’s another New Year’s resolution in the top 6?
Possible correct answers: Save money. Spend time with friends and family. Take care of mental health.
49. What percentage of Americans make a New Year’s resolution?
39% (source)
50. How many Americans achieve their New Year’s resolutions every year?
9%
51. What percentage of people NEVER make a resolution?
38%
52. What are three main reasons Americans don’t keep their resolutions?
Must have three of these to get the answer right: They lack a clear goal, they set unrealistic goals, they don’t keep track of progress, they forget about it, and they set too many resolutions.
Related: Goal Setting Facts (to set better goals)
53. Which New Year’s resolution was once the most popular ever, but was only set by 16% of people in 2018?
To quit smoking (source)
54. Which generation is most concerned with finding love as a new year’s resolution?
Gen Xers are 4x more likely to have this as a resolution (source).
55. Name the New Year’s Resolution that is now popular, but never used to be a goal?
To spend less time on social media (source).
56. What are the top 6 categories when it comes to New Year’s resolutions?
Money, health, career, self-improvement, family, love (source)
Hard New Year’s Trivia
Next, these New Years Eve and Day trivia questions are not for the faint of heart – or the holiday trivia wannabes. See how much you know of these fun facts!
57. Approximately how many people gather in Times Square every year for New Year’s Eve?
1 million
58. Instead of a ball, what does Miami Florida ring in the New Year with?
An orange with sunglasses
59. How old is the tradition of the New Year’s Eve kiss in the United States?
This tradition dates back to the 1800s. It is said to have begun in the United States with German immigrants bringing the tradition.
60. Which country rings in the New Year first?
Kiribati, an island nation in the Central Pacific.
61. Which country rings in the New Year last?
American Samoa
62. What year marked the first Times Square New Year’s celebration?
1904.
63. Before the ball dropped in Times Square, how did New York City celebrate?
Times Square first hosted a New Year’s Eve celebration in 1904 with a giant fireworks show but city leaders banned fireworks later.
64. What year did the iconic ball first drop in Times Square?
1907
65. The ball in Times Square has been dropped every year since except for 2. What 2 years has the ball not dropped in Times Square?
1942 and 1943. The ceremony was suspended due to the wartime “dimout” of lights in New York City.
66. The Chinese New Year lasts for ________ days.
15-16 days
67. Roughly how many pounds of confetti are thrown in Times Square every New Year?
3,00 pounds
68. Why is it said to be lucky to eat pork at New Years?
Because pigs root ahead as they eat (as opposed to chickens and turkeys)
69. What does the popular song titled “Auld Lang Syne” mean in English?
Time goes by
70. Who is the poet that recorded the song “Auld Lang Syne”?
Robert Burns
71. Which two foods are considered bad luck to eat on New Years because they can walk backwards?
Lobster and chicken
72. Which calendar is used most widely in the world today that has January 1st marking the new year?
The Gregorian calendar
73. What is the time square ball covered in?
Waterford crystals
74. What month did ancient Babylonians celebrate their New Years?
March
75. Who was the first to declare January 1 a national holiday?
Julius Ceasar
Random New Year Trivia Questions
And finally, this New Years trivia quiz of questions has a little bit of everything. Plus, it’s incredibly interesting to learn about how other countries celebrate the turnover of the year.
76. In what ancient country did the tradition of Baby New Year begin?
It started in ancient Greece when an infant was paraded around in a basket in celebration of Dionysus, the god of fertility (and wine). (source)
77. Name two symbols of the Chinese New Year.
The dragon, bright paper street lanterns, red, red envelopes, bamboo plants
78. Where is it considered good luck to break plates at someone’s door for good luck on New Years?
Denmark
79. Which country rings the bells of its Buddhist temples 108 times on New Years?
Japan. It’s a ritual meant to drive away negative emotions from the past year (source).
80. What year did the first Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena, California take place?
1890
81. In Persia, what unique gift was given on New Year’s Day?
Eggs
82. What did people call the panic that happened when 1999 switched to 2000?
Y2K
83. Why was there panic when the year 1999 switched to 2000?
Instead of allowing four digits for the year, many computer programs only allowed for two. As a result, there was widespread fear that computers would be unable to operate at the turn of the millennium (source).
84. About how many people worldwide watch the ball drop in Times Square on tv every year?
About 1 billion
85. How many Time Square balls have there been?
Seven
86. How many countries share their independence day with the New Year on January 1st?
7. Haiti, Sudan, Cuba, Cameroon, Samoa, Brunei, and the Czech Republic (WorldAtlas.com)
87. In Greece, it’s customary to hang an _________ outside your door to symbolize fertility and growth.
Onion
New Year’s Trivia Sources:
Goodhousekeeping.com, history.com, Discoverhappyhabits.com, Statistica.com, Countryliving.com, Oliversmarket.com, investopedia.com, WorldAtlas.com, Discoverhappyhabits.com, finder.com, Wallethub.com
More Fun for the New Year…
- Best New Year’s Traditions With Kids
- New Year Reflection Questions Printable
- How to Plan Your New Year