20 New Year's Celebrations That Went Hilariously Wrong

Most New Year's Eve, people are happy and hopeful about the coming year, but sometimes things don't go as planned. Here is a list of 20 New Year's parties that went wrong and made people laugh for years.

Tricia Quitales
December 31, 2024
8 min read

20 New Year's Celebrations That Went Hilariously Wrong — Iuliia Pilipeichenko on Pexels

Every year on New Year’s Eve, people are happy, hopeful, and ready to party. But sometimes things don’t go as planned. Many funny and memorable things have happened at the start of a new year, from accidents that occurred out of the blue to crazy mistakes. This list shows 20 New Year’s parties that went wrong, showing how chaotic things can get when plans change at the last minute. Whether it’s because of stupid mistakes, crazy pranks, or unplanned disasters, these times will make you laugh and maybe wish the party was less loud.

1. The Exploding Confetti Mishap

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In 2018, a confetti gun in New York City broke down during the ball drop on New Year’s Eve. It didn’t send a soft shower of colorful paper; instead, it let off a massive cloud of confetti that blocked all views of the crowd and even the Times Square ball. As a result? A 10-minute clean-up while people cheered at the chaos that happened by chance.

2. The Submerged Balloon Parade

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The Sydney New Year’s Day Parade has chosen to throw giant balloons into the air in 2020 to celebrate the new year. But all of a sudden, it started to rain, and it soaked the balloons. This made them fall and crash into the crowd, making a funny and terrible scene. People couldn’t help but laugh when they saw these sad, wet balloons flying aimlessly through the streets.

3. The Champagne Fountain Fiasco

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For its 2019 New Year’s Eve party, a fancy resort in Dubai set up a significant beer stream. They thought it would be the most fun night ever. The waterfall wasn’t built right, so it overflowed, and champagne spilled on the floor, getting the expensive rugs wet. People at the party were shocked as they drank champagne from cups and watched the waterfall form a golden pool below them.

4. The Pyrotechnic Slip-Up in Paris

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To welcome the New Year in 2017, the Eiffel Tower was set to launch a stunning fireworks show. However, a few fireworks went off by chance right under the tower, setting off a chain of unintended pyrotechnic explosions. Even though no one was hurt, the crowd’s worried laughter led to an emergency evacuation as the city worked to keep everyone safe.

5. The Times Square Water Fiasco

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In 2016, the famous water stations in Times Square were meant to prevent the millions of people there from getting dehydrated. However, a delivery mistake sent out the wrong bottled water, making for an odd mix of flavored water instead of plain water. As people waited for the ball to drop, they were forced to taste strange drinks like “pineapple basil.” This was an accidental joke on thirsty partygoers.

6. The Ice Sculpture Collapse

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At the fancy New Year’s Eve party in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2015, a vast ice creation in the middle of the table amazed everyone. Unfortunately, the sculpture slowly melted all evening because it was inside, and it fell apart and made a slushy mess on the floor. Guests had to avoid big chunks of ice as they tried to make their way through the venue, which was surprisingly slippery.

7. The New Year’s Eve Power Outage

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In 2014, Las Vegas’s New Year’s Eve parties were significantly harmed when the power went out on the Strip before midnight. There was a short period of darkness during the famous countdown when the famous lights went out. This made thousands of people confused. The people who had seen the rare moment of complete silence were relieved and laughing when the power returned.

8. The Drunken Ball Drop

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When the person guiding the ball up to the tower was too excited with champagne on New Year’s Eve in Nashville, the event became remembered for the wrong reasons. They slipped and missed the mark, which caused the ball to get stuck in the middle. The mistake slowed down the countdown while leaders worked quickly to fix it. The crowd laughed off the error.

9. The Unexpected Animal Appearance

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In 2013, a pet llama got loose and showed up at a party in New Orleans on New Year’s Eve. The animal walked into the venue during the party, making people laugh and look confused as they tried to avoid it. The sudden arrival of the llama made it the night’s unexpected star as it walked through the crowd and was then calmly led out.

10. The Midnight Kiss Chaos

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In 2018, many people met in London for the New Year’s Eve party and were ready for the famous midnight kiss. People rushed for their first kiss of the year, but a communication problem that nobody saw coming caused a stampede that knocked over several tables and decorations. What was meant to be a romantic tradition turned into a funny mess when chaos broke out out of the blue.

11. The Frozen Beach Party Incident

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Bonfires and fireworks were planned for a beach party in Iceland on New Year’s Eve 2020, and it would be one for the books. Unfortunately, the temperature dropped unexpectedly, and the sandy beach quickly froze. This made the event dangerous because people could slip and fall. Guests were sliding across the frozen beach instead of resting by the fire, which accidentally turned the area into a chaotic winter wonderland.

12. The Snowstorm Delay

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In 2017, a big winter hit Boston right before the New Year’s Eve party. The roads were covered with several feet of snow. The event, which was supposed to have a beautiful light show outside, had to be moved to the following day for safety reasons. People who went, who were already dressed for the cold, had to laugh at how silly it was to wait for a light show in several layers of snow.

13. The Spilled Punch Disaster

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Just before the toast on New Year’s Eve 2019, the staff at a wedding reception accidentally accidentally knocked over the punch bowl. The drink, which was supposed to be the main event, spilled all over the floor, and everyone who came got wet. The bride and groom couldn’t help but laugh as they saw guests try to finish their drinks after the spill.

14. The Confetti Storm in Barcelona

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In 2018, Barcelona, Spain, celebrated the New Year with a big fireworks storm in the city’s main square. When loud fans let off fireworks, it quickly became a disaster as piles of paper flew into the crowd. Guests were buried promptly under confetti, making it hard to see or move.

15. The Midnight Toast Mishap

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At a party in Prague on New Year’s Eve, everyone was meant to pop their champagne corks simultaneously. Some guests got the signal wrong and popped their bottles early, making a big mess as champagne flew everywhere before the official toast. The early popping set the mood for a fun, strange evening.

16. The Stranded Partygoers

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The New Year’s Eve party in the Swiss Alps went well until the cable car system broke down. The guests were stuck as the clock struck midnight because they were spread out on different mountaintops. Some joked that they would miss the “grand finale” of the year because they had to walk back down on the icy ground.

17. The Inflatable Maze Mayhem

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In 2020, a New Year’s Eve party in London featured an inflatable maze that guests could explore. The plan was flawed, though, and it was apparent immediately that guests were getting lost and couldn’t find their way out. Things got worse when partygoers accidentally set off an emergency evacuation, which caused the maze to fall apart as people tried to escape.

18. The Reversed Countdown

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At an event in Chicago on New Year’s Eve, there was a technical problem with the countdown clock that made it start from 60 minutes to 0 instead of midnight. People who thought they had more time at first were caught off guard by the quick cheers which started early. There was a lot of confusion, laughter, and a weird, happy mood.

19. The Ski Lift Chaos

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On New Year’s Eve, a ski lift in the French Alps broke down. People trying to reach the party atop the mountain were stuck in the air because the lift stopped just short of the top. The fun ski party that was meant to happen stopped as people laughed about how they had become “stuck” in the past year.

20. The Forgotten Fireworks

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It was going to be a fantastic fireworks show in Milan in 2015, but when midnight came around, they realized they had forgotten to set up the fireworks. Partygoers were excited, but when the New Year came in without any fanfare, they were met with silence and awkward looks. Even though it wasn’t executed well, the moment became a story of lasting awkwardness.