Printable New Year's Eve bingo cards

New Year's Eve bingo, from the first guest to the countdown

The page opens with the party list loaded. Use Start from above the word box to switch to the family night-in list, then edit freely: delete the resolutions nobody in your group would make, add the friend who always leaves at 12:10, the name of your street's loudest firework. Your edited list is kept in this browser for next time.

Which list, which size

The party list has 60 squares, most of which happen on their own: "Someone counts too early", "Resolution broken by 12:05", "Coat pile on the bed", "Nobody knows verse two". Hand out cards with a pen as people arrive and let them mark squares as they see them, with no caller. It also covers the talk of the night, so "What's your resolution?" and "Where did the year go?" count when anyone says them. The family night-in list has 60 squares with no alcohol, no late-night bars and nothing a six-year-old would need explained: pajamas, blanket fort, glow stick, sparkling apple juice, noon countdown, bedtime story.

Cards default to 5x5 with a free space, which suits adults and older kids. Pick 4x4 for a mixed group with children around seven, or 3x3 for preschoolers, who can mark pictures you draw in the squares yourself.

Playing through the evening

For a party, the spot-it-yourself version runs all evening with no one in charge: the first full line wins a small prize, and the first person with two lines picks the next song. Keep the called game for later, when people are sitting down. In 3,000 simulated games with a 60-word list, the first line came after a median of 23 calls on 5x5 cards with 6 players and 20 calls with 12; 4x4 cards took about two calls fewer.

A blackout game before the countdown

A blackout (every square marked) is a good way to fill the last quarter of an hour, but it needs a short list. With all 60 words, the first blackout on a 5x5 card took a median of 56 calls in the same simulation, far too long. Cut the list to 30 items before you press Generate cards: then the first 4x4 blackout came after about 27 calls and the first 5x5 blackout after about 29, almost the whole list. At one call every 30 seconds that is 14 to 15 minutes, so start calling at about 11:40 pm and the winner shouts just before the clock runs down. If nobody has finished by 11:59, stop and start the countdown anyway; whoever has the most squares marked wins.

A family version that ends before bedtime

Many families celebrate a "noon year" or pick an earlier time zone that reaches midnight at a child-friendly hour, often 7 or 8 pm. Play the family list on 3x3 or 4x4 cards after dinner: on 3x3 cards a line needs a median of 16 calls with six players, about eight minutes at one call every 30 seconds. Play two or three rounds, then do a 10-second countdown with noisemakers and confetti, and it is still bedtime on time. Older kids who stay up can keep their card for the real midnight.

Printing 2 or 4 per page

Choose 2 per page for 5x5 cards and for the party list, so longer squares such as "Resolution: learn a language" stay readable. Choose 4 per page for 3x3 or 4x4 family cards with short words. Press Print cards, set margins to Default and scale to 100%, or choose Download PDF to print it somewhere else. The midnight-blue and gold card header also reads well in greyscale. Print a few spares for guests who arrive after 11, and print the caller sheet for the blackout round so the caller can tick items off.

Prizes that are not money

Keep prizes small and fun: first pick of the party snacks, choosing the countdown song, getting to pop the first party popper, or for kids, staying up 15 minutes later on the next weekend.