How to make dancing christmas light display

How to Make Your Christmas Lights Sync to Music - Smart Garage | Home Automation

Christmas Light Sync to Music? How?

If you are reading this article, you must have googled the keyword, “Christmas light show.” You probably also found many videos of great Christmas light show that synchronize perfectly with various pop songs. If you want your own lights to flash to the tunes of your favorite music, then you must make a plan and get the right types of equipment for your light show set up. You need to spend a lot of time, lighting and tools to complete it to ensure the end result is awesome. Here are the 10 steps to your light show set up:

Decide your light show scale
Prepare your light show equipment
Obtain a control system
Acquire outside assistance
Design your display
Program your show
Let them hear you
Get powered up
Publicize
Maintain your display

1.

Decide your light show scale

When planning a light show, one of the first steps is to determine how many channels your show requires and what lighting elements will be controlled by each channel. Decide how your lights show scale is important. You can either choose a specific highlight spot of your house or choose to light up your entire house. While you are planning the scale of your light show, you need to understand following set up concepts:

Know your Channel number requirements.
A channel is a unit of lights that can be controlled individually. The flash of a string of Christmas light is controlled by one channel.
All the lights in a channel work as a single unit. Unfortunately, you can’t flash an individual light bulb. However, you can control the flashing speed and frequency to match your music categories.
For an entire house set up, you may need up to 64 channels. Any bigger than that, you might need a professional to assist you.
A medium-size house typically needs 32 channels to set up.
A small scale like your garage, your front door, or your living room tree area, you can consider using our TapTap for simple (still professional) set up.

2. Prepare your light show equipment

Once you decided the scale of your light show, now you will need to prepare for the equipment, specifically, the Christmas lights. The best time to purchase your Christmas light would be after Christmas, usually the price fall to 20-30% of the regular price. However, you can always check out online deals on Amazon, Walmart, Target, Home Depot, K-Mart for special sales. Your total list of equipment includes:

Christmas Lights
Light Control System
Software System
Sound System

LED Christmas Lights

In addition, we would also recommend you choosing LED Christmas lights for several benefits. Most people know that LED Christmas lights save a lot of electricity but there are many more reasons to consider making the switch.

Connect More Light Strings

You can typically connect 8 to 10 times more LED light strings together end to end while only using one plug outlet. Most traditional Christmas mini lights allow you to connect only 4 or 5 sets end to end, but with many LED mini light strings you can connect 40 to 50+ together depending on the light count. This makes decorating large Christmas displays far easier.

Cool to the Touch

LEDs produce next to no heat, which means they’re always cool to the touch and safe for children and animals to be around all season.

Visually Unparalleled

LED bulbs produce a brighter more vivid light than traditional incandescent bulbs. The light output is stunning and one of the most complimented aspects of LED lights in customer reviews!

Incredibly Long Life

Many LED light sets are rated to last tens of thousands of hours, which is well beyond a traditional set of incandescent mini lights that typically may last only a season or two.

Advanced Technology, Innovative Designs

LEDs are available in a kaleidoscope of colors and several varieties even feature unique light display capabilities such as being dimmable and color changing. The newest RGB LEDs are even capable of thousands of light color combinations!

LED lights are much easier to use for large Christmas displays, they are safer, they last longer, they produce more vivid color and use up to 90% less energy. Now you know why so many people have already made the switch.

3. Obtain a light show control system.

When it comes to a control system, you have 3 options based on your knowledge and budget:

A fully built system
A kit
A DIY control system

I. A fully built light show system

A fully built system is a system that made and tested out of the box. It costs you about $20 – $25 per channel. A fully built system can be purchased from various online stores. If you are the following type of person, you should go for this because it saves you a lot of time!

Those do not want to do any electrical work.
Those who have no idea of where to start.

II. A light show Kit

A light show kit is s starter kit that functions almost the same as the system. It costs from $15 or so per channel, but it’s pretty much the same thing as a fully built product. The only difference that I can think off is the enclosure, and it is very simple to place an electronics board in an enclosure.

A great option if you’re looking to save money.
You can pretty much purchase all the parts from the online store now, including the bare circuit board and the parts.
Require minor work and customization.

III. A DIY Light Show control system (DIY KIT)

A DIY system costs roughly $5 per channel and up. The price depends on how much you actually do yourself. A system consists of a controller, which communicates with your computer, and solid-state relays (SSRs), which actually switch the lights. SSRs can be bought or made yourself.

Budget saver
Requires lots of time on hardware
Total customization
For those who enjoy the engineering process!

4. Get the right Light Show Software.

The light show software breaks the song into segments, allowing you to program each channel of light to either fade, twinkle or turn on and off in each section. Most of us are not software programmers; therefore, getting software for your light show system is essential. There are a few venders that provide excellent services, and some software can be free when you purchase the whole package. Here are some of the current software options you should consider!

Free source:

Vixen is a free, open-source software for Christmas lighting. If you’re just starting out, and are not looking into detail perfection, then Vixen may be a good starting option for you.
xLights is a popular Christmas sequencing program for the “DIY” community. It is open source like Vixen. xLights has a strong passionate community behind it, and you can see that the developers are constantly improving the functions of the software. The only downside that xLights requires some learning curve. For those who want to be professional in the light show community, xLights is the best and most often updated program for now.
Light-O-Rama provides is a paid program. To me personally, it is a bit expensive for “once-a-year” use. To me, the set up is a bit complex and difficult too.

Note, if you are a tech-wizard who wish to program the whole thing yourself, you might not be able to have the option for pre-built products, as most of the brand products are closed-source and hard to be compatable with the others.

Quick reminder! Making a total DIY system is fun, but for beginners, it’s a lot of electronic troubles. If you are building a small scale fun light show. You should check out TapTap, a 6 channel christmas light controller. It even has a built in AI that builds the light show for you. And it can synchronize with Asante GV- The smart garage door opener!

5. Design your display, Light Styles & Decorating Ideas

Design the actual outside portion of your display. Common elements to include the following types of lights & locations:

Mini lights or net lights display – windows, bushes & walls
Icicle lights or c-series display – roof and ceiling design
Mini Trees / Tomato cages display – animated tree display
A Mega Tree display – large animated tree display
Wireframes display – 2D or 3D in shape, animated display
Blow molds display – yard corner display
C9 Christmas Lights Display – outdoor, sideway display

Mini lights or net lights display

Mini lights or net lights usually go on landscaping, such as bushes, windows and a large area of walls.

Icicle lights or c-series lights display.

Icicle lights or c-series lights usually go on the roof and ceiling area.

Mini Trees / Tomato cages display.

Mini Trees / Tomato cages wrapped in lights of one or multiple colors. Arranged in a line or a triangle, they are very useful in an animated display.

A Mega Tree display

A Mega Tree usually consists of a large pole with lights extending from the top to a large ring around the base. Again, it is very useful in animation.

Wireframes display

Wireframes Christmas displays are metal frames with lights attached. It can be either 2D or 3D in shape.

Blow molds display

Blow molds are plastic lighted sculptures of deer, Santas, etc. They are usually placed throughout the yard.

C9 Christmas Lights Display

C9 Lights are bulbous, colorful lights that usually go on the yard perimeter.

6. Program your show

Program your light show is time-consuming! This process includes your music of choice, which node should sync with which light string, and how long should your display be. The traditional programing can take up to a few months. The more your channels are, the more complicated your show is.

Taptap II includes a built-in AI that can help you generate a sync song automatically. The AI itself will save you lots of time in managing your display.

7. Speaker Options

Okay, now let’s talk about the speaker of choices. If you have a large scale light display, you will need to make sure that your speakers are good enough for the area to hear, but you also need to be mindful of your neighbors. Speakers playing the same music over and over again will sometimes drive the neighbors crazy.

If you noticed that your neighbor might not be too happy about the light show music, you will need to broadcast over an FM frequency.

There are many outdoor speakers, make sure the speaker you use is dusk resist and water resist. Once the speaker is set, Respectfully inform your neighbors of your plan to create a light show display. Stick to a single showing at the top of the hour, once or twice a night. Once your neighbor knows your display schedule, you should be okay with the light display. My trick is to include their favorite songs into your display list and make it a group project.

8. Promote your light show work

Finally, your light show is ready. If this is your first time putting the light show together, you would need someone to spread your work and build a good reputation for you. Here are some steps we recommend you from easy to professional:

The easiest is always, putting a sign in your yard. Stating your light show playtime, FM frequency, etc.
Let your friends, neighbors, and work buddies know about your display time
Put your show online through social media, facebook, Instagram, etc. Make sure you put your light show location, broadcasting time and keyword search into the video titles (SEO)
Build a website, do SEO. Make it a family tradition.
Go into competitions. Such as “The Great Christmas Light Fight”

Again, inform your neighbors that you are publicizing your display. They’ll be much more accommodating if they know your plan to attract attention from around the neighborhood.

Finally, Enjoy your work and holidays!!

Additional Tips

Try to manage your time. Setting up a light show is time-consuming. To manage things effectively, try to research all kinds of information online and manage the time well. Check each light strings before you set up the display as well.
Be careful with the electronics. Make sure you research the information regards to electronic works. You may watch some YouTube tutorials for a step by step guide.
Check out the free forums. If you plan to make it a big show, try to join the community and check out other peoples design and ideas.
Talk to neighbors, police, and your homeowner’s association about possible issues with traffic flow, noise, etc. It is much easier to prevent problems than to correct them. However, make sure they understand that there might be problems, not that there will be problems. People need to know what to expect, but don’t stress things so that they shut you down before you even start up your display!
FPGAs make fantastic custom control devices, which can hook between an RS232 connection on a PC and a relay board for the lights. An entry-level Spartan 3e Xilinx demo board is around $150.
Safety is always the number one rule. If your neighborhood has a lot of pets and kids, make sure your set is kids and pet-friendly to avoid any injuries.

How to Make a Christmas Light Show Sync to Music

Ring in the holidays with your very own festival of lights

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While anyone can hang Christmas lights and put illuminated reindeer in their yard, it takes an extra jolly person to go one step further. Learn how to make a Christmas light show that syncs to music to take things to a new level of festiveness.

Your choreographed display will have cars driving by all the way until the new year—but we won’t judge if you keep your merry masterpiece up longer than that. Follow the steps below to program Christmas lights to music.

Prepping to Make a Christmas Light Show

Photo: Spirit / Adobe Stock

Before you haul out the tub of holiday lights (and the 6-foot snowman you bought on clearance last year), you should handle a few tasks first. Follow these steps to set your light show up for success.

Decide on the Scale

If you’re going to learn how to make a Christmas light show, you need to know the lingo. A “channel” is a string of lights you can control individually. You’ll need to map out how many channels your light show will have.

For example, you might have one channel of Christmas lights on a tree trunk, one draped over a bush, and one around your flower bed. In this scenario, you would have three channels total, which is a great place to start if you’ve never synced Christmas lights to music before.

However, you can have as many channels as you want (and are willing to program). If you’re going all out and have a larger house (over 2,500 square feet) aim for up to 64 channels. If your house is smaller than that, 32 channels should work well.

Get Your Equipment Ready

Depending on what you already have, and your exact light display, you’ll likely need the following items:

LED or incandescent Christmas lights
Outdoor extension cords
Hanging materials (screws, hooks, nails, duct tape)
Hammer/power drill
Holiday decorations
Lawn ornaments
Ladder
Computer
Light show software
Control system
Speakers

Focus on Safety

Winter weather can create unsafe conditions for hanging lights, from slippery snow to wet walkways.

Unless you’re comfortable and experienced working at height, skip the roof and any projects that require a ladder. Consider hiring a holiday lighting company for an effortlessly festive house instead.

Confident you can handle heights? Climb and descend the ladder carefully, always work with a buddy (yes, you can call them Santa’s little helper), and avoid working during unsafe weather conditions.

How to Make a Christmas Light Show That Syncs to Music

Now that you’re properly prepared, it’s time to learn how to make a Christmas light show that syncs to music. From “Jingle Bells” to “Silent Night,” your choreographed Christmas display will light up the neighborhood with cheer.

1. Buy a Light Show Control System

Photo: Fabio/Adobe Stock

Whether you want to hang Christmas lights on windows or deck out your entire house and lawn, you’ll need a control system that hooks up to your computer to make it happen.

You have three options:

Fully built light show system: If you’re new to programming Christmas lights to music, this is your best bet. It’s ready to go right out of the box—no assembly or soldering required. ($20–$25 per channel)
Light show kit: This option requires more technical knowledge and skill, and you’ll need to solder the components onto the control board yourself. ($15 per channel)
DIY light show control system: You’ll need advanced engineering and programming skills for this option. It involves buying the controller, purchasing or making the solid state relays (that enable your lights to dance to music), and soldering the components onto the control board. ($5 per channel)

2. Select Your Software

The second step in learning how to make a Christmas light show that syncs to music is to select your software. This tool is how you’ll be able to program each channel of lights to dance to music (including fading, twinkling, shimmering, and turning on/off).

Look for beginner-friendly software like Light-O-Rama, Vixen, and Animated Lighting. Before buying or using the software, ensure it can handle the number of light channels that you plan to set up.

While some software does come with a fee, you can find plenty of free, open-source options online as well. Just keep in mind that you may need to pay to use their light sequences, and some are more complicated than others.

3. Design Your Holiday Light Show

Photo: Nicola Colombo / iStock / Getty Images

You have countless options when designing your show, from a dazzling display of lights to a herd of animatronic reindeer.

Here are some common Christmas light show decorations and where they work best:

Net or mini lights: Bushes, trees, fences, windows, walls, and other landscaping components
Icicle or C-series (traditional bulb) lights: Roof, ceiling, gutters, deck railings
Mini wire trees with lights: Yard, driveway, window
Large wire trees with lights: Yard, driveway, window, porch, roof
Blow molds/wireframe decorations: Yard, driveway, roof, porch
C9 Christmas lights (large/traditional look): Outlining roof, doors, fences, and trees

If you’re too busy on the technical side of things to spend time decorating, hire a handyperson to hang your holiday lights.

4. Program Your Christmas Lights

Now, it’s time to program your light show. While this is the most complicated portion of the project, it can also be pretty fun. You get to choose the songs and choreograph the beats to music—but give yourself ample time to complete this step.

The more channels you have, the more complex programming will be. You’ll want at least a few months to complete this step to ensure your show is ready by December. Follow the directions on the software you chose for exact instructions.

5. Choose Your Audio Method

A significant component of making a Christmas light show is the audio. Check out the two options below to decide what's right for you.

Speakers

While many people use speakers, you’ll want to do so mindfully to avoid upsetting the neighbors. After all, one can only take so much “Santa Baby” before they turn into the Grinch.

Here are a few tips for using speakers for your Christmas light show:

Talk to your neighbors beforehand to let them know you’re planning a holiday light show that involves playing music outdoors.
Come up with a nightly schedule (and volume level) that works for everyone to avoid issues.
Observe “quiet time” hours in your neighborhood when music should not be playing, especially if you live in an HOA community.
Buy outdoor speakers that are dust- and water-resistant.

FM Broadcast

If you (or your neighbors) aren’t too into the idea of holiday music blasting throughout December, you can broadcast your music over an FM frequency instead.

Follow these tips to broadcast your light show over the radio:

Buy an FM transmitter and set the frequency to the radio frequency you want to use.
Choose a station that isn’t already being used in your area.
Keep it close to home—you cannot legally broadcast music more than 200 feet from the transmitter without a license, according to the Federal Communications Commission.

Here’s a look at roughly how many songs you’ll need to fill your Christmas light show playlist for up to two hours.

Average Number of Songs	Approximate Play Time
9	30 minutes
18	1 hour
35	2 hours

6. Test Your Light Show

Once you’ve hung your Christmas lights and set up your controller, it’s time for your Clark Griswold moment. (Let’s hope it goes better for you.) If all the lights work, but the choreography or audio isn’t synced up properly, there’s likely a programming error. Troubleshoot accordingly.

If you run into issues, there are helpful forums and instructional videos online for each Christmas light software that can help walk you through the basics.

7. Promote Your Show

Photo: xphoto83 / Adobe Stock

Many people go out of their way to see Christmas light shows around the holidays. But if you live on a quiet street, they may miss out on all your hard work.

Here are a few ways you can spread the word:

Put a sign in your yard with the hours your holiday light show will run and the FM frequency (if applicable).
Post the information on local community pages and social media accounts.
Submit your holiday show information to local news and newspapers for publication.
Create a website for your Christmas light show.
Text friends and family and ask them to share with the community.
Consider adding a donation box to collect money for a charity—this is a great way to generate local buzz for your show and raise funds for a deserving organization.

Tips for Syncing a Christmas Light Show to Music

Now that you know how to make a Christmas light show sync to music, check out the tips below to help things run smoothly—and safely—all holiday season long.

Get started early: Depending on the complexity, you’ll need anywhere from two to six months to complete your light show.
Buy outdoor lights and extension cords: Safely power your Christmas lights by buying lights and extension cords that have been rated for outdoor use.
Plug lights into GFCI outlets: Ground fault circuit interrupters help protect your home and family. The outlet will automatically shut off power to your lights to help prevent electric shock if it senses wet conditions.
Keep kids and pets safe: Watch kids and pets around the electrical components, and keep them safely inside during show hours due to increased traffic in your neighborhood.
Practice ladder safety: Ask a friend to help when you’re working on a ladder, and keep either two feet and one hand or two hands and one foot on the ladder at all times. Face the ladder when ascending or descending to avoid accidents and injuries.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro

If programming Christmas lights to music isn’t exactly your mug of eggnog, consider hiring a Christmas light installation pro instead. On average, professional Christmas light installation costs $400, but you’ll pay more to sync it to music.

While you’ll save money by DIYing, programming lights is a time-consuming task. By hiring a pro, you’ll free up your time for holiday parties, Christmas movie marathons, and sugar cookie baking. Weigh the pros and cons to decide what’s right for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

To synchronize your Christmas show to music, you’ll need the standard holiday lights, decorations, lawn ornaments, tools, and outdoor-rated extension cords. You’ll also need a digital controller, computer, and software that allows you to create your musical show.

Several Christmas light software options, like Vixen, LOR, xLights, Animated Lights, and Light-O-Rama, allow you to sync music to your Christmas light show right at home. All you need is a computer, the software, and a controller that connects to your laptop. Depending on your technical skills, you should choose more beginner-friendly software like Animated Lights or Vixen.

There is no formal date for Christmas light removal, but Jan. 2 is a standard day to take them down for many homeowners. However, some homeowners’ associations have strict rules around this topic, mandating that residents remove lights no later than two weeks after Christmas. Check with your local association or community for more information.

How to make a Christmas garland with your own hands

Before the New Year holidays, many people have a question about how to decorate a house to create a festive mood. This can be done without special financial costs. Fantasy, free time and improvised materials are all ingredients for the appearance of creative and unique garlands for home New Year celebrations. From the options below, you can easily choose the ones that are right for you.

Website editor nine0003

Tennis ball garland

Of course, we are not talking about tennis balls, but light ping-pong balls. In each of them, carefully make a small incision with a sharp knife, into which insert the bulb of an ordinary electric garland. If you paint celluloid balls, it will turn out even more unusual.

Cardboard cup garland

The recipe is similar to the previous one, but instead of table tennis equipment, small cardboard coffee cups are used. They can also be painted or pasted over with bright paper or threads, which will make your impromptu garland even more beautiful. nine0003

Paper 'light bulbs' garland

If you don't need light, you can make a garland out of paper or cardboard 'light bulbs'. To do this, strips of colored paper are enough, which you just need to carefully bend, stylized as light sources, make a "cartridge" and gather them together on one thread.

Bulk star garland

Origami technique will come to the rescue if you want to make an unusual paper garland — with your own hands, showing perseverance, you can easily turn pieces of paper into a stylish decoration for your home. nine0003

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Egg carton garland

One of the most unusual decoration options both in terms of the material used and the overall effect of the decor. Ordinary cardboard egg packaging should be cut into separate cells and either simply painted and used on their own, or used as lampshades for an electric garland.

Matchbox Garland

Another creative way to make a voluminous garland is to decorate matchboxes with colored tissue paper, twine or fabric ribbons to stylize the resulting items as gift wrapping and tie them together into a garland. nine0003

Pine cone garland

Fallen cones make an excellent preparation for an unusual garland. It is enough to decorate the scales of the cones with white or any other paint, or you can paint the whole cones and then combine them with a thread into a garland.

Pasta garland

Not the most predictable material for making garlands, but no less spectacular for that - take curly pasta, color it and tie it together with a long thread. If desired, the gaps between curly pasta in a bundle can be filled with colored tube pasta - it will turn out even more interesting. nine0003

Pom-pom garland

Turning ordinary wool yarn into colorful pompoms is a decoration in itself. Well, if you make such pompoms multi-colored and combine them into one garland, you will get a bright and warm decor for a home holiday.

Cookie Garland

If you have enough ready-made cookies on hand or you are too lazy to bake them yourself, then sweets can be used as the basis for an edible garland. Cookies can be used on their own as a basis for a garland, or supplemented with any other decor of your choice. nine0003

There are an infinite number of options for home-made garlands, and we have given only a small fraction of the "recipes" for creating jewelry - choose something from the text or any other and create beauty with your own hands.

Cool contests for the New Year for children and adults

How to celebrate the New Year in a fun and noisy way? To do this, you need to prepare contests for the New Year 2021 in advance! New Year's games and entertainment will make traditional New Year's gatherings in the company bright, cheerful and unforgettable! nine0003

To make your New Year's Eve fun, we've put together a list of funny contests suitable for both friends and family. With the help of fun contests, you can make New Year's Eve bright, fun and unforgettable!

Prepare the details in advance by separating them into separate bags so as not to mix them up. It will be great if you buy small prizes, for example, chocolates, sweets, Christmas decorations, then there will be no end to those who want to participate in competitions. nine0003

Content

Competitions and entertainment for the New Year for children
New Year contests for the family at the table
Contests for the New Year

Competitions for New Year for children

New Year is a family holiday, so often small family members celebrate it together with adults. And so that the kids do not get bored during the feast and adult conversations, we offer you ideas on how to entertain your children and grandchildren and arrange a real magical New Year's holiday for them! nine0003

Success Prediction Competition

Everyone is pleased to know that only success awaits in the future. Therefore, we put in a hat the names of all those present, written on pieces of paper, and voice questions like these:

Who will be the best student in the new year? (we pull a piece of paper...)
Who will make a great discovery?
Who will find the treasure?
Who will win the lottery?
Who will receive the most gifts?
Who will have the most good news in the new year? nine0088
Who will travel a lot?
Who is in for the biggest surprise of the new year?
Who will be the most successful at work (at school)?
Who will be the most athletic in the new year?
Who will be the healthiest?
Who will become famous?
Whose biggest dream will come true?

Download Success Prediction JPG

Download Success Prediction PDF

New Year Word Game

Prepare a bunch of small prizes (sweets, chocolate medals, chewing gum, calendars).

You can spend at the table: “Look under your plates. Each of you has one letter. Write the letters in advance on the cards.

Now we ask you to name "New Year's" words for each of these letters. For every word - a prize!

But to the one who puts together the word "Snow Maiden" from the letters, we give something more substantial.

C - snow, icicles, snowflakes, snowballs, candles

N - new year, outfit

E - spruce

G - guests, garland

U - good luck, treats, decoration,

P - practical jokes,

O - Olivier

K - watch

- candy

, calendar, clown, karaoke, costume

A - applause, aroma, angel, actor

You can name dishes that are on the New Year's table, fairy-tale characters in which guests are dressed up, drinks, games, natural phenomena, and so on.

Chimes competition

Divide children and adults into 2 teams. We give everyone decorations for the Christmas tree and clothespins. Toys, snowflakes and garlands need to be hung on ... one of the team members. Let him spread his fingers and shine like a Christmas tree! You can also hold a garland in your teeth.

Turn on the recording with the chimes (available on YouTube). Whoever gets the funniest Christmas tree in 1 minute, while recording is in progress, wins!

Contest "Telegram to Santa Claus"

Participants name 13 adjectives. For example, “beautiful”, “brown”, “sharp”, “young”, “sluggish”, “hot”, etc.

When the host has written down all the adjectives, the text of the telegram is obtained, into which the missing adjectives are inserted according to the list. And the text of the telegram: the following: “... Grandfather Frost! All ... the children are looking forward to your ... arrival. New Year is the most ... holiday of the year. We will sing for you ... songs, dance ... dances! Finally, the New Year will come! How do not want to talk about ... study. We promise that we will only receive . .. grades. So open your ... bag as soon as possible and give us ... gifts. With respect to you ... boys and ... girls! nine0003

Download Letter to Santa Claus JPG

Download Letter to Santa Claus PDF

Ball Game

A simple but fun game that will amuse adults and children. For the competition you will need balloons and markers, which are distributed to each participant.

The task is simple: while the music is playing, you need to draw what is connected with the New Year on the balloons. For example, the symbol of 2021 is the Ox, you can just have a New Year tree, a Snowman, etc. The author of the best masterpiece placed on a balloon receives a prize, and the received crafts can decorate the house. nine0003

"Snowballs on target" contest

Shooter-like contest. Several participants (4-5 people) line up in the hall. At a distance from them (about 8-9 steps, more) clean buckets or empty office bins are placed. Each participant is given a bag of snowballs. As snowballs, use crumpled paper - A4 sheets. Or small plastic Christmas balls. Then fervent music is turned on for 1 minute.

The winner is the one who threw the most snowballs into the buckets. nine0003

Mandarin Relay Competition

We offer a very interesting version of this entertainment, which requires two teams with the same number of participants. From each team, a player is put up, who puts a tangerine in a spoon, and holds the spoon itself with both hands. Now the opponents must reach a certain landmark with a spoon and back to their team without dropping the citrus - if this happens, then the loser with the spoon returns to the starting point. Having reached the landmark and back, the participant passes the spoon to the next player. nine0003

The first team to complete the task will win. Note that when transferring a tangerine, nothing can hold it.

New Year's contests for the whole family at the table

New Year... Even the name of this holiday smells of incredible freshness and magic, because with this holiday we connect new hopes, make new plans, wait for new gifts and unforgettable meetings. Therefore, many New Year's entertainments are directly related to these expectations and endless wishes to each other all the best in the new year. nine0003

New Year's competitions and table games presented here help to plunge into this magical atmosphere.

Melt the Snow Queen's Heart Contest

Having thought about holding this contest, you need to freeze ice in molds in advance. Just before the start of the competition, all its participants are given saucers with ice cubes, and when the “start!” command sounds, everyone must melt this piece with their warmth in any way. You can rub it in your hands, breathe on it, invent other options. nine0003

The one whose piece of ice melts first will be declared the winner. The prize can be a rose, a crystal object or any object from a famous fairy tale.

New Year's Quiz Competition

Another great entertainment for a fun New Year's party is the New Year's quiz. It will not let you get bored, diversify other table games and give you a break from active games or dances. Quiz questions can be invented by yourself or use from the article.

Recommended examples of questions for the New Year's quiz, which will brighten up any leisure time and help bring a lively touch to the festive feast of a cheerful company. nine0003

Questions:

What is the name of a party where you can't recognize the guests? (Masquerade)
What is the name of the "second half" of the Snowman? (Snow Woman)
What is the name of the second New Year in Russia? (Old)
What does Santa Claus “exchange” his gifts from the bag for? (To a verse or a song)
Where does winter live in an ice hut? (Near the forest at the edge)
What makes winter knock you down? (Ice covered)
A blizzard winding along the road. (Drifting)
How do they ring a Christmas tree? (Round dance)
"Snow child" of joint yard games? (Snowman)
Who doesn't need a diet in winter or summer? (Herringbone: slender in winter and summer…was)
What lights up the sky on New Year's Eve? (Fireworks or salute)
What is the name of Father Frost in Belarus? (Zyuzya)
Who lives in an ice hut at the edge of the forest? (Winter)
Who walks, flies, spins, falls from the sky in winter? (Snow)
Sharp, prickly, weeping from heat? (Icicles)
The location of the long-awaited joy for people who survived until winter? (Bag)
A liquid that is taken internally with great joy? (Champagne)

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Download the file “New Year's Quiz Competition” PDF

New Year's Films Competition

It's already a tradition to watch old Soviet films before the New Year. But it is one thing to see them and another to know them.

In this competition the guests will guess the names of films. You will have to guess by emoticons and emoji, so it will not be easy, but it will be fun. nine0003

Examples of emoticons:

Download the New Year Movie Competition file 1 JPG

Download the New Year Movie Competition file 2 JPG

Download the New Year Movie Competition file 1 PDF

Competition file 90 PDF

Download the file "New Year's Movies Answers" JPG

Download the file "New Year's Movies Answers" PDF

Competition "Tangerine Tree"

All guests receive a whole tangerine and, at the command of the presenter, they begin to clean them in order to put a beautiful one out of the slices Christmas tree. The one whose tree appears the fastest wins. nine0003

Competition "New Year greetings of the President"

Several participants are selected. Everyone becomes the president of the country for a minute and everyone is given 5 words, which he must organically insert into his New Year's greetings.

Words must be unusual to make congratulations funny, for example, lamp, chicken, fascist, avocado, evidence, helicopter, Putin, lizard, lettuce, glove, glass, bean, Leontiev, etc. For the most cheerful and foldable congratulation the president will receive a prize. nine0003

I promise game

I promise game has many variations. The funniest thing is when guests pull pieces of paper with promises already written. The host approaches each guest in turn. Holds out a box or a jar of twisted pieces of paper. The guest reads a promise from a piece of paper.

Promises are written in a variety of ways. The game is a joke, so some of the answers are funny. Approximate inscriptions:

I promise to marry this year.
I promise to get married in the new year. nine0088
I promise not to get married again this year.
I promise to call the north pole in the new year.
I promise to dance with my boss this year.
I promise to come up with a new project.
I will stop looking in the mirror 100 times a day.
I won't worry anymore.
I'll start telling vulgar jokes.
I'll call my ex drunk.
I will stop frequently calling my husband at work.
Refuse sweets. I will drink semi-sweet. nine0088
Think of a new experience. I use a friend as a guinea pig.
I will start saving water. I will go to wash with my friends.
I will not access social networks. Every day I will call my friends on the phone.
I promise to buy new socks for my husband.
I promise to throw out some holey socks.
I promise to do vocals. For starters, in the shower.
I will undertake to raise children. Not only theirs.
I will start to fight all fears. Not only their own. nine0088
I promise to lose weight by summer. 2035.
I promise not to eat more chocolates. And less too.
I promise not to scold my friends for drinking. I will lead them.
I will rent a license and buy a car for my wife. Washing.
I will learn how to show tricks with the disappearance of reporting for the year.
I will start to get fat. For my grandmother.
I will go in for sports. I'll start with bed rest.
I promise to finish the unfinished business for the year. At least for 2007.
I will be filled with hormones of joy. From chocolate.
I solemnly swear not to work on weekends (or weekdays).
I will praise myself more often. I am perfect.
I promise to put the cat on a diet. First on sour cream.
I promise to make fewer phone calls. At least in a different way.
I will start to learn yoga or karate.
I will start playing sports.
I will start my daily block on the Internet.
I promise to calculate the monthly expenses. I'll start saving up for a vacation in Africa. nine0088
I will read more books. At least in the toilet.
I promise to plant a tree and build a house. On the internet farm.
I'll start doing exercises. I will recharge from coffee and cola.
I will dye my hair blonde.
I will stop asking friends for a loan. I will ask my colleagues.
I will stop procrastinating. I'll get a new box.
I promise to stop watching TV shows and soap operas.
I will find a dream job. At least someone else's dream. nine0088

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Not a Word of Truth Contest

The facilitator will need to prepare in advance a lot of New Year's questions such as:

Which film in our country symbolizes the New Year?
What is customary to launch into the sky on New Year's Eve?
Who is molded from snow in winter?
Who is addressing the Russians with a New Year's speech on TV?
The outgoing year is the year of whom according to the Chinese calendar?
What kind of salad is traditionally eaten on New Year's Eve?
Who brings gifts to children?
What is the name of Grandfather Frost's granddaughter?
What is the name of the New Year's holiday at school?
How do you decorate a Christmas tree?
What do they ride down the hill?
What is built from snow in winter?
Favorite New Year's song?
What is the name of Santa Claus in the USA? nine0088
What does Santa Claus drive?
What do they ride on ice?
Favorite New Year fruit?
What do they traditionally drink on New Year's Eve?
What month does the New Year start from?
What do people call "white flies"?
What do they drive around the Christmas tree?
What vegetable replaces the Snowman's nose?

Download file “Competition Not a word of truth” JPG

Download file “Competition Not a word of truth” PDF

During the game, the host will have to quickly and cheerfully ask their questions, and the guests will answer without saying a word of truth. nine0003

The one who makes a mistake and answers truthfully, according to the results of the game, can read poetry, sing a song or fulfill various wishes.

New Year Wishes Contest

For this game, the presenter will have to prepare in advance. You should blow up a lot of balloons. It is advisable to inflate with helium, a gas that will raise the balloons to the ceiling. A long thread should be tied to each ball. So that the thread hangs down to the guests and can be easily reached by stretching your hand up. A folded piece of paper with wishes should be tied to the bottom of the thread. nine0003

Inscriptions on pieces of paper:

The road awaits you in the New Year.
Soon you will have a baby.
In the New Year you will be the most stylish.
Buy a car.
Good luck will accompany in all matters.
Feel free to buy a lottery ticket. Must lead.
You will get big money.
You will go to the sea.
Looking forward to meeting old friends.
There will be an addition to the family.
A plane ticket is waiting for you. nine0088
You will have a new job.
Don't be bored all year round.
An old friend will return.
Luck is waiting for you around.
Someone is in love with you.
Wait for a gift for Valentine's Day.
Lucky on the personal front.
You will find a sponsor soon.
Good luck will not leave you.
You give birth to many children.
Live in fun all year round.
Love will decorate all life.
Joy awaits where you do not expect it.
Wealth is around the corner.
There will be a lot of joy.
Soon you will be very lucky.
You fly to the Canaries.
Fate is preparing a surprise.
Life without worries.

Download the New Year Wishes Competition file JPG

Download the New Year Wishes Competition file PDF

Balloons should be placed so that they are under the ceiling exactly above the tables or above the guests. Everyone at any time can get their wish and read. It is important that there are more wishes than guests. This is both a decoration of the hall and a New Year's game. nine0003

Competition "Sudden horoscope for the next year"

Each of the guests writes on his leaf 5 any words that come to his mind. When everyone has written their words and put down their pens, the presenter explains the rules: you need, taking as a basis the written words from the neighbor on the right, to draw up a horoscope for the coming year for your neighbor on the left, clockwise, in a circle. So everyone will know what awaits him in the new year and everyone will laugh heartily.

Alphabet Toast Competition

During one of the pauses, the presenter takes the floor and reminds everyone present that the New Year's celebration is just beginning, but it's hard to remember the alphabet. In this connection, the host proposes to fill the glasses and raise a toast to the new year, but strictly in alphabetical order. nine0003

Each guest should make a short toast to their letter of the alphabet. The first one starts with the letter a, the second must start with the letter b, and so on. The toasts should be simple:

An absolute must toast to happiness in the new year!
Let's be healthy in the new year!
Let's drink to the old year!
If we don't get drunk, we'll have to eat!

The task for all those present is to make toasts for each letter of the alphabet, and then choose the winner - the one who came up with the best toast, which is worth drinking for, becomes the winner! nine0003

Game "Congratulations from Santa Claus"

Write a collective New Year greeting for Santa Claus. You can use a ready-made text (as in the image), you can compose your own - the main thing is that it should not contain adjectives - guests should call them.

The host invites the guests to congratulate each other and say a big and beautiful toast - and waves a postcard on which he has already written down the congratulation. Only now he did not have enough adjectives, and the guests should suggest them. Everyone randomly offers adjectives related to winter, new year and holiday, and the host writes them down and then reads out the result - the text is very funny! nine0003

Download the file "Congratulations from Santa Claus" JPG

Download the file "Congratulations from Santa Claus" PDF

Competition "News from the New Year"

An excellent competition that you can play without leaving your table.

The facilitator will need to prepare cards on which unrelated words and concepts will be written - five or six words, no more. Each participant receives a card and must quickly come up with a hot news from the New Year's issue, using all the words from the card. What to write on the cards? Any set of words. nine0003

China, dumplings, roses, Olympics, lilac.
Santa Claus, wheel, eraser, north, bag.
New Year, fan, pantyhose, saucepan, scabies.
Father Frost, Bull, herring, stapler, barrier.
Nettle, tinsel, Kirkorov, fishing rod, plane.
Football, shovel, snow, Snow Maiden, tangerines.
Snowman, beard, tights, bike, school.
Winter, zoo, laundry, boa constrictor, rug.
Rug, apricot, wash, snake. nine0088
Japan, oranges, handball, girls.
Dumplings, Olympics, bag, scabies.
Nettle, beard, snowman, bicycle.
Tangerines, barrier, football, fishing rod.

Download the New Year News Contest JPG

Download the New Year News Contest PDF

How to invent news? Set an example for guests to use all the words, and the weirder the news gets, the more interesting it is.

Well, for example, from the last example I gave, you can build something like this: "A rug was found in a boa constrictor in a Moscow zoo during winter washing." There will be a reason to be surprised, and to laugh, and to drink so that all the news in the new 2021 will be just as positive.

New Year's competition for the family "I believe - I don't believe"

For this competition, the presenter will have to prepare 10-15 interesting facts on any topic. Props: a blank sheet of paper and ballpoint pens for each participant. nine0003

The facilitator reads out the fact, and the participants put on their sheets - "believe" or "do not believe" in front of each item. At the end, everyone turns in their work, and the presenter announces the correct answers, as well as the names of those who did the best job.

Questions for the New Year's competition may be as follows:

Do you believe that Santa Claus was originally portrayed in a raincoat? (+)
Do you believe that you can get arrested for celebrating the New Year in Saudi Arabia? (+)
Do you believe that the year on the island of Bali is 210 days, and therefore New Year is celebrated on this island more often than other inhabitants of our planet? (+)
Do you believe that the artistic image of Santa Claus was invented by the artist Handon Sundblom, who drew drawings for Coca-Cola advertising in 1931? (+)
Do you believe that on December 31, 1991, the satirist Mikhail Zadornov spoke to TV viewers instead of the head of state? (+)
Do you believe that in Greece they bake a key to happiness in a New Year's cake? (-) nine0088
Do you believe that by the decision of the UN since 1984 Lapland has become the Land of Santa Claus? (+)
Do you believe that a letter sent to the address: 96930, Finland, Arctic Circle will reach Santa Claus? (+)
Do you believe that the name of the Cypriot Santa Claus is Vasily? (+)
Do you believe that the Mongolian Santa Claus is dressed in a cattle breeder's costume? (+)

Download the file "Quiz I believe - I do not believe" JPG

Download the file "The quiz I believe - I do not believe" PDF

Competition “Song from a Hat”

Almost all New Year's competitions at the table involve playing with a hat - some notes are thrown into the hat in advance, and then they pull out and fulfill the tasks of relatives or colleagues.

On New Year's Eve, we will play a popular variation of this song game with our family. You need to write notes with winter and New Year's words into the hat, each guest blindly takes out a note from the hat and sings a song in which this word occurs. nine0003

By the way, you can also have fun if you forget all the songs during the feast - most likely, your family, like my relatives, will have a great idea to compose a little song on the go to the most popular motive, or somehow remake one of the famous New Year's songs of yesteryear.

This game is also suitable for a small company of any age - of course, a schoolboy is unlikely to recognize Soviet songs, but the result will be funny, and different age groups will be able to get closer during the game - after all, cool New Year contests unite! nine0003

New Year's contests for a cheerful company

New Year's Eve seems to last forever - the fun begins early in the evening, and sometimes ends when it's already dawn. It is not easy even for an athlete to stay in a cheerful state for such a long period. So that guests do not get bored at the table, New Year's competitions for a fun company will be required, and you need to select completely different ones - both table, and mobile, and musical, and ingenuity. Then New Year's Eve will definitely be remembered! nine0003

Competition "Nose for a snowman"

2 stands are placed in front of the Christmas tree, large sheets with the image of snowmen are attached to them. Two or more people participate. They are blindfolded. On a signal, they must reach the snowmen and stick their nose (it could be a carrot). Others help with words: to the left, to the right, below, above.

Competition "Snowballoon"

The host chooses three participants, who are given 3 balloons, a felt-tip pen and adhesive tape. From this material they must make a snowman. The winner is the one who manages the fastest and does not burst a single ball. nine0003

Competition "New Year's faces"

Another name for the competition is a photo studio. The bottom line is that everyone pulls a piece of paper on which it is written what needs to be portrayed with a face. You can use emotions, facial expressions. Or pull your ears, nose. Anything, as long as it's funny. The facilitator approaches the participant with a camera, photo camera or smartphone and takes a photo. Photo equipment must be connected to the projector so that all the guests of the holiday can see the pictures immediately.

Roles for participants to write on pieces of paper:

Forgetful Santa Claus.
The most decrepit snowflake.
Frivolous Snow Maiden.
Dancing Chunga-changa.
Merry Baba Yaga.
Reindeer without horns.
Hungry Santa Claus.
Snowman on the sea.
Sleepy Snow Maiden.
Sly Koschey the Immortal.
Dormant tree.
Capricious princess.
Strong hero.
A snowman full of snow.
Smiling mouse.
Tired New Year bull (in the year of the Ox).

Download File “Competition New Year's Erys” 1 jpg

Download file “New Year's Erysite Competition” 2 jpg

Download file “New Year's Erystood Competition” PDF

Download file “New Year's Erysite Competition” 2 PDF

Competition “Turnip New Year's version»

Love New Year's contests for the whole family - then turnip is what you need!

So, you need to prepare the participants - they need the number of characters in the fairy tale. Each participant gets a role in an impromptu performance. It's simple, the participant needs to remember the key phrase and the movement that he must act out when mentioning himself. nine0003

The turnip will slap its knees and then clap its hands with the exclamation "Oba-na!".
Grandfather rubs his palms and grunts “Ta-ak-s!”.
Grandmother swings her fist at grandfather and says “I would have beaten you!”.
Dancing granddaughter sings "I'm ready!" in a high voice (when men play this role, it turns out just great).
The bug itches and complains about fleas.
The cat wags its "tail" and tentatively draws out "And I am on my own." nine0088
The mouse sadly shrugs its shoulders and says “We've finished the game!”.

After everyone has tried their new role, the host reads the text of the fairy tale (no changes here), and the actors act out their role whenever they hear about themselves. The grandfather planted (rubs his hands and groans) a turnip (clap-clap, both-on!) And further in the text. Believe me, there will be enough bursts of laughter, especially when the fairy tale comes to an end, and the host will list all the participants in turn.

Touch competition

Competition for couples. Several people sit on chairs. 3-4 men. They sit on chairs next to each other. Their companions or wives are given mittens each. Women are blindfolded. Each of them takes turns putting on a mitten. Feels each man, trying to recognize his own. Whom he chooses, he becomes. Feeling zones are best discussed in advance. Roles can be reversed. The women will sit and be groped by their male companions.

Competition "Dress me in mittens"

2 or 3 couples are invited: a man and a woman. The essence of the game - a man must put on and fasten a dress shirt on a woman. The man's hands should be dressed in winter mittens.

Competition "Ice Palace"

Props: Lots of ice cubes. Two teams are selected, each of them is given a huge bowl of ice cubes. In five minutes, until the ice has melted, they must build a beautiful palace out of it on the table. The team with the most beautiful and original ice palace wins. nine0003

"Santa Claus and Reindeer" contest

By the way, if you are choosing contests for a corporate party for the New Year or for a party that will not take place in a city apartment, then be sure to play Santa with his reindeer. Here you do not need to divide the guests into teams, just invite them to break into pairs.

Each pair has a "reindeer" and "Santa Claus": you can give one makeshift antlers, and the other caps of Santa Claus - both are sold for mere pennies in the fixed price store before the new year. nine0003

"Deer" needs to be blindfolded and harnessed - don't be smart, a simple clothesline or string that wraps around the belt will do. The reins are given to Santa, who stands behind his "deer". A route is built from the skittles, the leader gives a signal and the competition begins. The winners are those participants who came to the finish line earlier than others and did not knock down the pins. Instead of pins, you can use empty bottles, cardboard drink cups, or paper cones.

Bunny competition

If you want to pick up outdoor games for the new year, play bunny. For the New Year at home, it is best to play this game when there are many guests - it is suitable for a group of friends.

Everyone stands in a circle and holds hands, the leader walks around all the players in a circle and whispers to everyone the names of two animals - a wolf and a bunny, a fox and a bunny, and so on. Then he explains the essence of the game - when the leader pronounces the name of the animal aloud, the person to whom it was made up crouches, and his neighbors on the left and right, on the contrary, pull him up, not allowing him to sit down. You need to play at a good pace so that the participants enter the rage. nine0003

The main joke of this action is that absolutely all players have a second animal - a bunny. Therefore, after people alternately crouched on the names of other animals, the host says “Bunny!”, And the whole circle abruptly tries to crouch (trying to overcome the possible resistance of the neighbors, as was the case with other animals).

Naturally, general laughter begins, and a bunch of small ones gather on the floor!

"Light the Fire" competition

In this competition, each participant receives his own set: a package tied with a simple knot, and there is one more package in it, and in this package there is another package, one more and one more. There should be about 10 packages in total. All packages are tied, and in the very last package there is a sparkler. nine0003

At the start command, all participants begin to disassemble the “pyramid” of packages, that is, untie one and take out the second until they get to the light that needs to be burned. Which of the participants will cope faster than the rest, he will receive a prize.

Competition "Dance on the Ice"

Any number of couples "man-woman" participate in the competition. For its implementation, you will need newspapers (by the number of pairs). A newspaper is placed in front of each couple - this is their ice floe. The task of the participants is to dance without stepping over the edges of the newspaper. Every minute the ice floe begins to melt, and the newspaper folds in half. Music is constantly changing. You can’t stand, the couple must definitely dance. Participants who have stepped outside the boundaries of the newspaper are eliminated from the game.