Where To Celebrate New Year's Eve 2022 In Norwalk

NORWALK, CT — As the holiday season begins to wind down, New Year's Eve is right around the corner.

While some might opt to head to New York City for a big celebration, others might be more tempted to stay close to home as they ring in 2023.

Here is a look at a few New Year's Eve events happening in Norwalk or a nearby community:

• New Year's Eve Bash - Washington Prime (Norwalk)
  • Roaring 20's prohibition-style underground party that includes a three-course menu, music and more. More info here.
• New Year's Eve Dinner at Pinstripes - SoNo Collection (Norwalk)
  • Ring in the new year at Pinstripes in the bistro and bar or out on the bowling lanes and bocce courts. More info here.
• Countdown To Noon - Stepping Stones Museum for Children (Norwalk)
  • Countdown to noon with great fanfare just like the grownups get to do 12 hours later. More info here.
• New Year's Eve Celebration - Restaurant L'Ostal (Darien)
  • Enjoy a 4-course pre-fixe meal that includes a champagne toast. More info here.
• New Year's Eve Celebration - Sign of the Whale (Stamford)
  • Enjoy a four-hour open bar, a full gourmet buffet and more. More info here.

In the United States, one of the most popular New Year's Eve traditions is, of course, the dropping of the giant ball in New York City's Times Square. Various cities have adopted their own iterations of the event — the Peach Drop in Atlanta, the Chick Drop in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and the giant Potato Drop in Boise, Idaho.

The end of one year and beginning of another is often celebrated with the singing of "Auld Lang Syne," a Scottish folk song whose title roughly translates to "days gone by," according to Encyclopedia Britannica and History.com.

The history of New Year’s resolutions dates back 8,000 years to ancient Babylonians, who would make promises to return borrowed objects and pay outstanding debts at the beginning of the new year, in mid-March when they planted their crops.

According to legend, if they kept their word, pagan gods would grant them favor in the coming year. If they broke the promise, they would fall out of God's favor, according to a history of New Year's resolutions compiled by North Hampton Community College New Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Many secular New Year's resolutions focus on imagining new, improved versions of ourselves. The failure rate of New Year's resolutions is about 80 percent, according to U.S. News & World Report. There are myriad reasons, but a big one is they're made out of remorse for gaining weight, for example, and aren't accompanied by a shift in attitude and a plan to meet the stress and discomfort of changing a habit or condition.