New Year’s Eve 2022 In Rockville: Drink Cocoa, Dance, Take A Hike

ROCKVILLE, MD — New Year's Eve is a time for Rockville residents to celebrate the accomplishments of the current year, as well as their hopes for a better year to come. Some do that at home with loved ones, while others like to ring in the new year with music, dancing, and a selection of adult beverages.

Start New Year's Eve early with Critters & Cocoa at the Croydon Creek Nature Center, which is locate at 852 Avery Road in Rockville. From 10-11 a.m., on Dec. 31, ring the new year in with the nature center's animals and a cup of hot cocoa.

Looking for another family-friendly event? Montgomery Parks is hosting a Happy Noon Year's Eve event from 11 a.m.-12:15 p.m., on Dec. 31, at Meadowside Nature Center, which is located at 5100 Meadowside Lane in Rockville.

Maryland's Department of Natural Resources is hosting First Day Hikes at its state parks. On Dec. 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., take a hike around Seneca Creek State Park at 11950 Clopper Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20841

Here is a look at some additional events happening near Rockville:

• New Year's Eve 2022: Dec. 31, 9 p.m.-Jan. 1, 4 a.m., at Kaldis Rooftop 918 Silver Spring Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910
• Proper 21K New Year's Eve Party 2023: Dec. 31., 9 p.m.-Jan. 1, 4 a.m., at Proper 21K 2033 K St., Northwest, Washington, DC 20006
• Cocktail Countdown - A New Year's Eve Celebration at Hook Hall: 9:30 p.m.-Jan. 1, 2:30 a.m., at Hook Hall, 3400 Georgia Ave. Northwest Washington, DC 20010
• Living Room New Years Eve Party 2023: Dec. 31., 9 p.m.-Jan. 1, 2 a.m., at Living Room, 1008 Vermont Ave., Northwest, Washington, DC 20005
• New Year's Eve Cirque du 2023 Gala: Dec. 31., 9 p.m.-Jan. 1, 2 a.m., at Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert St., Northwest, Washington, DC 20008

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.