How to Host the Best New Year’s Eve Party
Why does it always feel like we’re scrambling to figure out New Year’s Eve plans after Christmas? Everyone focuses their attention on the Christmas festivities but NYE is a complete afterthought. I personally LOVE an excuse to wear something shiny, so I start planning where I’ll be for the ball drop ahead of the Christmas chaos.
Whether you’re a planner like me or are quickly needing to throw something together, I’ve got some ideas for hosting the BEST New Year’s Eve party.
So let’s get into it!
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Step 1: Create the guest list
Ok, hear me out. You have to consider who you are inviting to this shindig before making a bunch of decisions about the party itself. Because this is a NYE party, you’ll want to consider bedtimes for kids (and adults if we’re being honest).
If you are really hoping to have your full friend group in attendance but some of your friends have little kids who need to go to bed at a certain time (likely before midnight lol) then maybe host a NOON Year’s Eve party instead! You can do all the things you would at a traditional NYE party, just 12 hours ahead of schedule. This offers some flexibility for those guests who might get cranky if they miss their bedtime (again, talking kids and adults alike).
Once you’ve got a few ideas swirling in your head based on your guest list, find a cute digital invitation and start sending!
Step 2: Plan the Menu
Now that you roughly know who will be attending your soiree, you can more easily plan what you’ll be serving.
General event planning rule of thumb: if your party happens during traditional eating times (lunchtime: noon, dinnertime: 6) it is typically expected that you will be serving a full meal or heavy hors d’oeuvres.
If you’re doing the traditional midnight ball drop celebration and starting your party after 8 pm, you can likely get away with serving drinks and light apps, like a small charcuterie board.
Because this party happens later at night, you could opt to do a dessert bar or board featuring a variety of cupcakes, cookies, candies, etc.
Another fun option is to throw a New Year’s Day brunch. This could work for groups that plan to go out somewhere for NYE, or again, people that don’t want to/can’t stay up late to watch the ball drop. Grab some bagels or donuts from your favorite local spot, make a breakfast casserole, serve mimosas and/or bloody marys. Boom. New Year celebrated!
Step 3: Plan the Drinks
You literally HAVE to have champagne/prosecco/bubbly at a New Year’s Eve party. It might even be illegal not to.
You can either leave it at that, or add a fun twist to your bubbles like creating fruit ice cubes, adding a fun garnish like rosemary or cotton candy, or just find some really fun glasses to serve the champers in.
You could also rent a champagne wall from ME! (Available for local OKC residents only)
Another great gimmick would be to have these cocktail trees out pre-filled with champagne:
I typically opt for a signature cocktail just to make my friends think I have my sh!t together. My favorite during the winter is a vodka cranberry with frozen cranberries and a sprig of rosemary. Couldn’t be easier.
You should also have beer, wine, and maybe some bottles of liquor and mixers, depending on who your guests are. Oh, and don’t forget the non-alcoholic drinks!!! I have learned that one the hard way. 😬
Step 4: Decorations!
Decorations can either make or break a party. Luckily, for New Year’s Eve celebrations, you don’t really need a “theme”. Unless you want to.
Disco balls have been crazy trendy the last couple of years so it would be extremely easy to find string lights, garlands, balloons, anything you need for decoration within that theme.
I personally LOVE these vases.
Why these glasses had a chokehold on us as kids, I’ll never know. And now they don’t even try to use numbers for the frames. But these are classic, nostalgic, and everyone will (maybe reluctantly) wear them at some point during the night.
You gotta have something noisy for when the ball drops. I’m not talking airhorns. Just a little *toot toot*.
Step 5: Think Up Some Activities
Unless ALL of your guests know each other, having an activity is not a bad idea in case there are one too many awkward silences or you need to break the ice.
Something like the “We’re Not Really Strangers” card game could be great to have on hand for any party in case of emergency.
Having cards with prompts that people can fill out as they please is also a great idea to kill a bit of time, and it can serve as a talking point. For New Year’s Eve, you could do something around resolutions, reflections, and goals for the new year. These are great printables!
If it turns out everyone is having a good time, you could easily forgo the activity and save the materials for your next party.
I personally love a craft activity, so if you know you’ll have time to fill, you can choose to do something fun like a candle-making session. I have done this before with a local candle company and it was fairly inexpensive. I got a bunch of different glass vessels at the thrift store and the candle materials and lesson were the only expenses.
You could do this with whatever makes the most sense for the theme of your party. Soap-making, flower arranging, making ornaments, t-shirts, whatever floats your boat.
Step 6: Have Fun!
Just like at a wedding, your friends won’t likely remember the place settings, the specific drinks, all the tiny details that you may agonize over. So be sure to take a moment to soak up the memories of laughter and good talks.
Don’t stress about the small things, have a backup plan for things you’re not sure will work (like if you’re cooking some elaborate dish that you’ve never cooked before), and go with the flow if things don’t go as planned.
A good event planner has a plan. A great event planner has a plan and backup plans for nearly every aspect of the event.
Happy celebrating!
