To ensure that the New Year’s Eve party is anunforgettable event, it is important to prepare well. Whether you celebrate New Year’s Eve as a couple, as a small family, or with friends – you need to get all the details right, from the food to theNew Year’s Eve decorations. To make sure that the party preparation between the Christmas holidays and New Year goes well, we have gathered the most important points for New Year’s Eve party planning and, on top of that, we provide some New Year’s Eve party ideas as well as inspirations for New Year’s Eve theme parties.
Table of contents
New Year’s Eve party planning: 1 month before
New Year’s Eve party planning: 1 to 2 weeks before
New Year’s Eve party planning: 2 to 3 days before
New Year’s Eve party planning: 1 day before
Celebrating New Year’s Eve as a couple
Planning a New Year’s Eve party as a theme party
Organising a New Year’s Eve party: Tips and checklists for New Year’s Eve party planning
To ensure that the period between Christmas and New Year is not too stressful, it is a good idea to start planning the New Year’s Eve party in good time. Our checklist‘Planning a New Year’s Eve party’summarises the most important steps to ensure that everything is ready for the big night:
New Year’s Eve party planning: approx. 1 month in advance
Send out invitations in good time and ask questions if necessary: Which song should be played? Which drinks should we offer? Do any guests have food intolerances?
Decide on the party location that is big enough for all the guests (e.g. living room, party cellar).
Decide on how theparty will be catered:Will you do all the catering, will there be a catering service, or will the guests contribute something?
Give people plenty of notice if it’sa New Year’s Eve theme party.
Get your ownparty outfit.
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Bear in mind that...
If you want to organise a larger New Year’s Eve party, e.g. for your club, there is of course more to consider. You should start planning the party two to three months in advance to book a suitable location, take care of the catering, and organise any entertainment if necessary.
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New Year’s Eve party planning: 1 to 2 weeks in advance
Inform your guests what time the party will start and how long it will last if it is not open-ended.
Think aboutactivitiesfor your guests. If there are alot of children at the New Year’s Eve party, you should have plenty for them to do so that they don’t get bored.
Put together a playlistwith suitable music – maybe you can find someone in your circle of friends who would be happy to take on the role of ‘DJ’.
Plan your New Year’s Eve decorations.Especially if want to make your own handicrafts, you can also get DIY-enthusiastic friends and relatives to help you.
Organise fireworks good time and/or find a suitable place nearby to watch the fireworks.
Start buying non-perishable drinks and snacks early.
Tip:If you are not sure how many or which drinks to choose for your New Year’s Eve party, it is a good idea to buydrinks on consignment. This means that you can return unopened bottles to the retailer and get your money back – which is an advantage for party planning. Many beverage stores, but also some supermarkets, sell drinks on consignment. You can discuss the exact details with your local supplier.
New Year’s Eve party planning: 2 to 3 days before
Do the final shopping(e.g. perishable food).
Organise enoughcrockery, cutlery, and glasses.
Make sure that all guests have aplace to sit.
Clear an area for adance floor.
Decorate the roomwith your chosen New Year’s Eve decorations.
Enlist some volunteers tohelp clean up the next day.
New Year’s Eve party planning: 1 day before
Clear the cloakroom so that guests can take off theircoats and jackets.
Remove breakable items so that nothing gets damaged during the evening.
Prepare the food for the New Year’s Eve party andchill the drinks.
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Don't forget...
When planning larger New Year’s Eve parties, it is a good idea to think about the guest list well in advance. Do you only want to celebrate with your closest family or are your friends also welcome? How many guests will fit in your location? Are there vegetarians or vegans among the guests? Which guests will need overnight accommodation?
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Celebrating New Year’s Eve for two: New Year’s Eve ideas for couples
Even without a big New Year’s Eve party with friends and family, you can still have a special start to the new year. New Year’s Eve is also an ideal opportunity to spend time with your partner. If you’re looking forNew Year’s Eve for two ideas, then read on:
On New Year’s Eve,catch up on the things you haven’t had time to do all year. Have you been wanting to try out a new board game or video game for ages? Have you been meaning to watch a new mini-series for months? The long hours leading up to midnight are a great opportunity to spend valuable time together.
Review the year.Look at the most beautiful, romantic, and funny photos and videos you took last year. To top it off, add a few selfies to the photo collection on New Year’s Eve. With a few funny props or in a crazy party outfit, you can create new memories that will stay with you for a long time.
New Year’s Eve for two is the perfect opportunity for aromantic candlelight dinner: cook together, buy the treats you don’t usually get, and enjoy the time together to the fullest.
In the year, everyone needs a little cheering up. You can also use a quiet moment on New Year’s Eve towrite a few little ‘love letters’ to each other that will only be opened later in the year. Store the motivating, comforting, and loving messages in a small box or a jar to be opened later.
If you have a little more time and feel like baking, you can also surprise your partner with
homemade fortune cookies.They can be filled with personal wishes for the new year and a few words of love.
New Year’s Eve theme party: Ideas & tips
If you’re planning a New Year’s Eve party with friends, atheme partyis a great idea – funny, cool, or elegant costumes are a great way to lighten the mood. Especially if you invite a mix of friends, acquaintances, and colleagues to your party who don’t necessarily know each other very well, a theme party can be a good starting point for conversations and a relaxed get-together. You should add a fewicebreaker gamesto get to help everyone get to know each other.
But even if you are celebrating just with your family, a New Year’s Eve theme party can be great fun. After all, children like to take every opportunityto dress upor to be as smartly dressed like adults for once.
Preparing for a New Year’s Eve theme party
Themed parties take longer to organise. After all, your guests must have the opportunity to find a suitable outfit for the theme or dress code. And you (as the host) will probably need a bit more time todecorate your party location.
Think about the following points before you get started:
1. Choose a theme suitable for the age group: princess or pirate parties are great fun for kids, but probably too silly for adults. Kids, on the other hand, probably can’t do much with the 70s and 80s themes.
2. Send out invitations to your guests atleast a month or two in advanceand get a firm yes or no answer if possible. If you are still undecided about your party theme, you can also leave room in the invitation for guests’ wishes and suggestions.
3. Once you have decided on a theme, start shopping for the appropriate decorations and party outfits asearly as possible. Many New Year’s Eve decorations are sold out by Christmas time.
New Year’s Eve party ideas: Themes for a New Year’s Eve theme party
When planning a theme party, consider who your guests will be. After all, not everyone feels comfortable in crazy outfits or wants to invest money in elaborate costumes. Here are a few New Year’s Eve ideas that are simple and fun:
Simple themes for New Year’s Eve theme parties:
All White
Black & White
Dotted Striped
Bad Taste Party
Tip: A ‘Bad Taste Party’ during the cold season is the perfect opportunity to get thatUgly Christmas jumperout of the closet one last time!
Themed New Year’s Eve party ideas for adults:
The 70s/80s/90s
Hollywood Glamour
Golden Twenties
Masked ball
Casino party
Hippie Boho Style
Themed New Year’s Eve party ideas for children:
Fairy-tale worlds
Pirate adventure
Underwater world
Superheroes
Witches & Wizards
Aliens & Astronauts
Dinosaurs
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Did you know that...
Of course, the simplest way is to choose a theme that can be styled from everyday clothes. If you want something a little more outlandish or elaborate, a costume rental is a good idea.
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Discover more articles:
New Year's Eve customs around the world
Finger food for New Year's Eve
Fancy New Year’s Eve decoration
Fun games for New Year’s Eve
Celebrating New Year’s Eve with children
New Year's Eve Outfit
The perfect New Year’s Eve makeup
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Image sources:
iStock.com/svetikd
iStock.com/simonapilolla
iStock.com/AleksandarNakic
iStock.com/Maksym Belchenko
