Popular ranking of entertainment ideas for year-end and New Year parties
We introduce year-end and New Year party skit ideas in a ranked format!
From students to working professionals, one of the biggest worries around the holidays is, “What should we do for entertainment?”
Especially for juniors or subordinates, you might get asked by seniors or managers, “Got any funny ideas?”
This article lets you check out popular skit ideas ranked by popularity—perfect for those situations!
If you’re looking for ideas that will get laughs or want to know the surefire crowd-pleasers that get everyone hyped, be sure to take a look!
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Year-end and New Year party entertainment ideas: Popular ranking (11–20)
Oshibori Roulette15rank/position
This is a simple game using oshibori (wet towels) that you often see at banquets and parties.
If you have fresh towels prepared on the spot, it’s hygienic and keeps the game fair.
The rules are very simple: players take turns wringing the towel, and the person from whose towel no more water comes out loses.
You can go all out from the start to show off your strength, but if you’re not confident in your grip, it might be more exciting to use strategy and technique—like intentionally wringing lightly—to keep the game going in your favor.
Gesture Game16rank/position
The gesture game is a simple yet profound game where you convey a theme using only gestures, without words.
The topics can range widely—from animals and occupations to movie titles.
By expressing distinctive movements, the performer can energize the atmosphere.
Competing to see how many correct answers you can get within the time limit makes teamwork essential, making it perfect for building camaraderie at New Year’s parties.
The more challenging the prompts, the more excitement it creates, and you can add variations—like preparing prizes—to make the game even more enjoyable.
Bubble Dance17rank/position
The “bubble dance” became a hot topic after the dance club from Tomioka High School in Osaka performed it.
Their sharp moves in flashy bubble-era outfits make for a stunning performance! It’s sure to liven up year-end or New Year parties, so why not give this dance a try? You could aim to perfectly copy Tomioka High School’s routine, or, if someone in your group actually experienced the bubble era, add some original moves they used to do in clubs.
Put on bubble-era fashion and give it a go!
riddle18rank/position
A kind of wordplay often performed by rakugo storytellers and the comedian Nezucchi is called “nazokake.” It goes like, “I compare X with Y; the punchline is: they’re both Z,” and it’s a one-shot gag built around matching phrases.
You find a linguistic link between the first term and the second term and give the answer, which some people might find a bit tricky.
Knowing lots of words can give you an advantage.
It could also be fun to turn it into a cooperative game with several people! There are many ways to play—for example, you can reveal only the punchline starting with ‘The heart of it is…’ and have people guess what two things were compared, making it a quiz format.
Umaibō Sommelier19rank/position
Since its debut in 1979, Umaibo has long been loved for its low price and great taste.
Focusing on one of Umaibo’s key charms—its variety of flavors—this is a game where you guess the flavor relying only on your sense of taste.
The rule is to wear a blindfold and pinch your nose, putting your taste alone to the test.
Because the flavor lineup is so broad, it’s recommended to choose prompts from the classic flavors that most people have tried.
Intro Quiz20rank/position
A simple quiz where you play a short snippet of the intro and have people guess the song.
It’s a classic segment on TV quiz shows, too.
When presenting the questions, the key points are which songs you choose and how long you play the intro.
Using popular songs is fine, but selecting tracks that match the participants’ generation will likely make the event more lively.
To reduce unfairness due to differences in age or musical knowledge, it might also be good to have people think in teams.
Top 10 Entertainment Ideas for Year-End and New Year Parties (Ranks 21–30)
Yamanote Line Game (Categories)21rank/position
The Yamanote Line game is where you take turns listing keywords that fit a given theme.
It’s a party game you can enjoy anywhere—not just at year-end or New Year gatherings.
Because it’s so simple, it’s super easy to customize, making it a great activity anyone can join regardless of age or gender.
You can see how long you can keep it going, but adding a penalty for mistakes might make it more thrilling.
Rather than using general hot topics, choosing themes close to home—like things about your company—will probably make the conversations afterward more lively.
