Tonight, at midnight, Rwandans will join the rest of the world to usher in the year 2022 but as it was last year, majority, if not all of us, will be at home, due to the Covid-19 upsurge, which is particularly sweeping through the City of Kigali.

With numbers increasing by the day, the Minister of Health, Dr. Daniel Ngamije, on Thursday, said the Omicron variant, which is known to spread fast, is the most dominant strain.

With daily cases exceeding 2,000 already, it is fair to say that if it was last year, the country would be in a lockdown, but with more than 40 percent of the target group of people vaccinated, the impact is minimal.

However, as expected, there are no entertainment activities planned to usher in the new year as concerts or public gatherings remain off limits.

With the curfew set at 10pm and businesses closing at 9pm (even earlier for bars, at 8pm), it means all of us will be home by the time midnight clocks.

The City of Kigali announced on December 30 that fireworks that were expected to light Kigali skies from different strategic locations at midnight on New Year’s Eve had been canceled. 

But did you know there is a lot you can do at home to spice up the New Year celebrations? Below are a few tips to make your New Year celebrations fun.

Evening barbeque

To make your new year celebrations fun, you can organise a family barbeque at home, outdoors, if you have ample space and a small budget for it. Bring together your family and roast some meat, bananas and potatoes outside with a few drinks as you wait for midnight.

Remember no visitors are allowed, so you don’t want to invite people over. A small family barbeque can be fun. Enjoy as you wait for midnight.

Themed home party

If you are the adventurous type, you can take it a notch higher and organise a themed party with a certain dress code for people at home. Whether it is a specific dress code on themed cuisine, there is a lot more you can do to make your new year celebrations at home more fun.

They can be fancy outfits or traditionally themed dresses. Throw in some face painting for kids and you will no longer think it will be a boring New Year’s Eve.

Music and dance party

If you can’t attend a concert, at least you can play some music at home. Get a small speaker outside and play some music as you go about the aforementioned activities. Dance if you wish. It has been a tough year after all. Once again, make sure you don’t invite people over or risk running into trouble with law enforcement.

Karaoke at home

To make it even better, you can introduce home Karaoke to spice it up. All you need is a screen outside or a computer and good Internet. Make family members request songs and allow them to sing as you wait for the NewYear.

Remember it is not a singing competition. Loosen up, let your guards down and sing the way you know. Surprisingly it will be fun and before you know it the New Year will set it. Feel free to keep going till morning.

Decorate your home

To spice up all the activities mentioned above, engage in home décor activities and involve kids. You can install simple lighting outside in the compound or in the house to make it more colourful. Decorating the home is a good therapeutic activity that can make your New Year celebrations better.

Board games

Under the same lights, board games can be interesting as you wait for the New Year. From Scrabble to monopoly to chess and the local board game ‘Igisoro’, there is a lot of fun if you engage in these games and put in some challenges and prizes to win.

You can also introduce multiple games including cards and more. Other games you can play include physical games such as ‘Truth or Dare’ or an obstacle course.

Just make sure you don’t let Covid-19 make your New Year celebrations boring.