Things To Do New Year's Eve with Kids in LA and OC

Should old acquaintance be forgot? Maybe they should, when seeing them on New Year's Eve costs $20+/hour in babysitting fees. Far better to find some fun that can be shared with the kids, and see those old acquaintances some other night. LA rings in the new year in fine family fashion from noon to midnight and beyond; check out some memorable outings on our radar...

1. Skating
Woodland Hills Ice and Ice at Santa Monica both host all-day-and-into-the-night family skating celebrations to ring in the New Year al fresco, while Skating Plus invites kids and teens to roll into 2013 with both an afternoon and an all-night skate party.

2. Noon Year's Eve
Local children's museums Kidspace and the Discovery Science Center both celebrate with balloon drops, live music, sparkling cider, and a count down to 2012 at 12:00 noon instead of midnight.

3. Cele-brick-tion
Legoland hosts its annual gala celebration, culminating in a brick ball drop at 6:00pm followed by fireworks. Knott into bricks? Knott's Berry Farm celebrates midnight twice - once at 12pm and once at 12am - at Knott's New Year's Eve.

4. Family Festival
Shoreline Village in Long Beach and Orange County Great Park both offer free, early evening, family-friendly celebrations featuring all manner of entertainment for kids. The ball drops at both parks at 9:00pm, timed to coincide with the east coast, and sensible bedtime.

5. Flamenco
What, your family doesn't go out and watch flamenco together? Well what better time to start! El Cid restaurant in Silver Lake is offering two seatings of its New Year's Eve Flamenco Dinner Show, and the 6pm-9pm slot is very welcoming of families. Olé!

6. Jousting
If not flamenco, how about some good old-fashioned fighting? No, really, old-fashioned - as in knights in armor jousting and clashing broadswords? Medieval Times Dinner Theater has a family-friendly New Year's Eve bash planned (with the emphasis on bash).

7. Fireworks
Kids who can make it till midnight can huddle close to their parents in the crisp night air and enjoy fireworks over the Queen Mary in Long Beach  - or up above Universal Studios when the grown up bash on City Walk reaches its climax.

As always, there are plenty more options on our daily events calendar!

Originally published December 28, 2011