Planning a New Year’s Eve party, or any party for that matter, can be extremely stressful when you are juggling to complete all the tasks in time whilst still trying to enjoy the night yourself. Everyone seems to have such high expectations for their NYE plans and there is pressure to end the year with a bang! So, if you have decided to take on the challenge of hosting a group of people, here are a few planning tips to take some of that pressure away.
I teamed up with Kat and Lauren from HOST to find out their top tips on how to stay on top of things when planning a NYE party. These women are on a mission to make last-minute hosting madness a thing of the past. They now offer a service that creates and delivers carefully crafted cocktail party kits with the essentials you need for a unique and elevated gathering.
HOST’s 5 Tips for Hosting a Fool-proof NYE Party
1. Inventory your supplies
Take stock of what you have and determine what you need – from food to drinks ingredients, to decor and table settings to alcohol – go through it all. We recommend getting everything you need at least 24 hours in advance of the party date or asking guests to bring items you may need. The last thing you need to do on NYE is last-minute errands!
2. Time out your evening
Whether you’re cooking dinner, serving heavy hors d’oeuvres, or ordering food, make sure to plan out when you’ll serve these items. Work backwards and set timers for when you need to place orders or put the food in the oven. You certainly don’t want hangry guests!
3. Make a signature drink
NYE screams champagne flutes and sparkling wine – but you don’t need to break the bank on the bubbly! Check out our recommended NYE drink recipe below and have these drinks at the ready for when your guests arrive. Your guests will thank you!
4. Create a self-service bar
This is a tip we heard from one of our favourite drink experts… and we couldn’t agree more! Create a self-service bar station that allows guests to choose their own adventure and results in natural socialising. Label accoutrements so guests know what they are and how to use them – so you’re spared the questions!
(See my tips on how to set up a self-service bar below…)
5. Lean into the theme
For NYE, we love touches like silver Hershey kisses scattered throughout the space, silver & gold party horns, 2024 glasses, midnight poppers, and edible glitter for champagne flute rims. NYE is one holiday worth going all out on the sparkly for – so don’t be afraid to ask your guests to dress up in their best silver and gold!
Need more help with the theme? See my previous blog post Planning a Theme for a New Year’s Eve Party
HOST New Year’s Eve Signature Cocktail:
The Red Sparkler
Ingredients:
3oz cranberry juice
1/2oz orange liqueur (we recommend Cointreau)
4oz dry sparkling wine (champagne, Prosecco, or cava)
Optional garnish: Fresh rosemary sprig, 2–3 cranberries
Directions:
1. Pour cranberry juice into champagne flute.
2. Add the orange liqueur
3. Top up the glass with sparkling wine of choice.
4. Optional: Garnish with rosemary sprig and cranberries.
Self-Serve Cocktail Bar
A self-serve cocktail bar is a fun way for your guests to enjoy themselves and for you to avoid spending all night making drinks for everyone else. All you need to do is keep an eye out for any mess or empty bottles.
How to:
- Dedicate a table for the bar and add decorations (if you have a big enough kitchen, I recommend you set it up there).
- Make sure you have plenty of glassware ready.
- Bottle all the syrups and lay out the garnish.
- A cocktail bar really only works if you have a sink nearby as otherwise it can be very messy. I recommend you do a “Pimp Your Prosecco” type of bar as there is no shaking involved.
- Have a few easy recipe cards handy as not everyone knows how to play around with different flavour combinations.
- Add spirits, barware, measures and napkins.
- Keep the bubbly (and white/rosé wine) on ice.
- Leave rules on basic tidiness so it doesn’t look like a bombsite after the first few would-be bartenders have tried it out.
- Make sure water is also available.
Now you’re officially party ready! Cheers to ringing in the New Year right!
What are your New Year’s Eve party plans? Are you hosting a party this year?
