If you know me at all, you know that there are two holidays I’m just not a big fan of. And they include Halloween and New Year’s Eve. Don’t get me wrong I love the idea of celebrating the new year. However, I HATE going out on this holiday. It’s full of amateurs, everything is over priced from drinks to Uber rides.
The same goes for Halloween. Instead, I’m all about celebrating New Year’s Eve in the comfort of my own home, or the comfort of my friend’s homes. It’s more cost effective, you can crash in the guest room whenever you want, and there’s little pressure to make it this incredible amazing blow out night.
There’s so many ways you can entertain for NYE at home. And maybe even follow it with a New Year’s Day brunch to help cure the hangover. So today I’m sharing how to entertain at home for New Year’s Eve with friends.
How To Entertain For New Year’s Eve At Home
No matter if you’re hosting just a couple of friends for a casual night in, or want to go a bit grand with your decor, meal and activities, this list will help you find your perfect combination for entertaining and ringing in the New Year however you see fit. Here are some tips and ideas for New Year’s Eve celebrations to ensure you have a fabulous celebration ringing in the new year.
Get Festive With New Year’s Eve Decorations
Set the mood and vibe for your at home NYE celebration with some festive decor. Grab some balloons, fun headbands and anything else that sparks your interest. I always love disco balls for New Year’s, I think they’re a fun way to add some sparkle! A really fun project that’s fairly easy is to also make a really cool balloon arch. This can be your NYE decorations and double as a photo booth backdrop.
A New Year’s Eve Playlist
Music is a must whether it’s a dinner party, or a game night, or a full on rager. Having a good playlist for the tone of the party is essential. For a dinner party, I like more lounge style music, and for a game night or true party, I’d go top hits from the past year to celebrate some favorites.
Host A Game Night
Keep things casual for your at home New Year’s Eve celebration with just game night. This keeps things really casual and easy. Tell your guests to come in their comfy clothes, make homemade pizzas and play some of your favorite games while the ball drops on the TV in the background.
Set Up A Dedicated Bar Cart
Whether you’re hosting game night or a seated dinner, have a bar cart that’s ready to go for pre-dinner drinks, and post-dinner champagne and cocktails to ring in the new year. This will make it easier to host by having a dedicated bar cart stocked with the essentials. Lots of champagne is essential for a New Year’s Eve party. But also include a few bar basics to ensure your guests have what they need. A themed cocktail for the night that you can easily batch for guests will also help to make your life a bit easier when it comes to hosting. Festive cocktails always get people excited to kick off a party!
Recommend A Dress Code With Guests
Guests can easily assume a NYE party is going to be fancy. And it is key to communicate to your guests if that’s the plan or not. I think there are two schools of thoughts here for New Year’s Eve parties at people’s homes.
Either they’re casual and people can show up in their most comfortable clothes, or people want to show up in all the sparkles. Let your guests know if this is a casual thing or a sequined kind of thing. Or a choose your own adventure. Either way, I’d make sure to communicate that to your guests ahead of time.
Host A Dinner Party
A fabulous seated dinner party is a really fun way to host New Year’s Eve at home. Have appetizers and cocktails when friends arrive, then sit down to a delicious dinner and finish it off with dessert and champagne. You can go as fancy or as casual as you want with this. Here’s some tips to hosting a dinner party for NYE and a disco ball tablescape.
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SET THE TABLE
A New Years Eve Tablescape
Hosting NYE at home this year? Get inspired by my NYE tablescape featuring disco balls and pampas grass. It’s the perfect mix of festive and chic to ring in the new year in style!
SEE THE TUTORIAL
Host A Potluck
Personally, I want to avoid any service industries on NYE, so instead of ordering in pizza that’s going to for sure take forever, try a potluck. Assign sides or mains to friends with a signup so you have a well rounded meal. This makes things really casual and easy. Bonus points for using disposable plates and forks to make cleanup even easier. Nothing like starting the year off with a ton of dishes to do.
Make It A Movie Night
If games aren’t your thing, a movie night is the perfect way to get cozy with friends for New Year’s Eve. Get all your friends to get cozy on the couch in your living room with popcorn, champagne and cozy pjs. Have everyone bring their favorite candy to share for the ultimate movie night in with friend’s. And make it a sleepover so people can just crash if they want!
Start The Year Off With Brunch
If you’re hosting friends and family on NYE and they’re staying over, start the year off with an amazing and easy brunch. My go-to is always my blueberry challah French toast. Prep it ahead and bake it in the morning. Serve with any leftover bottles of champagne with a splash of orange juice.
NYE Pizza Party
One way to really have a fun dinner at home is to do a make your own pizza party. Get pre-made dough at the store along with some toppings and let your guests build their own pizzas. You can check out my simple tips on how to host a pizza party here along with my 2 ingredient pizza sauce! Don’t stress about placing a big pizza order and hoping it arrives in time for guests. Make your own pizzas at your own speed so you always have a hot slice to enjoy.
There you have it, a few really great ideas on how to spend New Year’s Eve at home with friends and family. Easy nights in to ring in the new year don’t have to be complicated. You can go as elaborate and fancy as you want, or aim for casual and cozy in sweatpants, movies and pizza.
