Who's planning New Year’s party? If you haven’t hosted a New Year’s party before, or you’re wondering what you need to do to host a great party on New Year's Eve (or any time of year!), these tips are sure to help you!
How to Host a Great New Year's Party
Food & Drinks
Appetizers
Finger foods are a must for any great New Year’s party, so you’ll want to have a variety of things to snack on, both cold and warm. This will keep people awake until midnight and it also gives you a chance to show off your cooking skills!
I have some fabulous appetizers that are perfect for any party! Unless you are planning a seated dinner, make sure everything you serve is easy to eat standing or sitting on a chair or couch. As much as I love ribs, this would not be a great time to serve them.
Seafood Salad Recipe | Food, Fun & Faraway Places
This scallop and shrimp salad recipe is from a hotel in Mexico and it was fantastic. The chef was kind enough to share the recipe so I could share it with you.
Fig & Blue Cheese Bites | Food, Fun & Faraway Places
Combine sweet luscious figs and the tangy bite of blue cheese and you'll have the perfect bite-size treats for any holiday party! You’ll want to make them again and again.
fig ad blue cheese appetizers
Broccoli Salad Recipe | Food, Fun & Faraway Places
This is one of those recipes I see a lot at parties, and I always love it. For those who are committed to their Weight Watchers plan, this is just 4 points per serving.
Holiday Crostini| Food, Fun & Faraway Places
An elegant appetizer that looks and tastes like it took you all day to make. This classy dish will fast become a favorite!
It’s hard to imagine so much taste in such a small space, but that’s exactly what this recipe is. A whole lot of taste in one tiny bowl! Easy to make and easier to love!
Healthy Baked Beef & Cheese Empanadas | Food, Fun & Faraway Places
This savory favorite can sometimes be a challenge to make at home. But this recipe gives you 10 easy steps to baked (not fried) deliciousness that you’ll crave!
Bacon Straws Appetizer | Food, Fun & Faraway Places
What do you get when you combine crunchy breadsticks, parmesan cheese, and bacon? You get a Delicious (and fun to make!!) Bacon Straw! They’ll be a hit everyone will love!
Bruschetta | Food. Fun & Faraway Places
Creamy goat cheese and firm, ripe tomatoes make for a delicious snack all on their own. Add in some sweet basil and garlic and spoon it over toasted bread and you have a masterpiece!
Desserts
You must have desserts for the end of the evening.
White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies | Food, Fun & Faraway Places
Creamy delicious white chocolate and plump juicy cranberries give this oatmeal cookie recipe a special flare! Very easy to make and a favorite for every holiday party!
10 Amazing Recipes with Chocolate Chips | Food, Fun & Faraway Places
Whether it’s Dark Chocolate or Milk Chocolate, or White Chocolate, these tasty little morsels are so versatile there isn’t much you CAN’T do with them! You'll love these recipes!
And speaking of chocolate, this dessert drink is heavenly! Check out how to make a turtle cocktail.
And make these Pecha Poffins from Pokemon for the kids!
Cocktails
Of course, you must have cocktails for the grown-ups, and I have quite a few for you to choose from!
Pear Martini Recipe | Food, Fun & Faraway Places
This sparkling cocktail is fun and so easy to make. We always have sparkling wine or Prosecco on hand.
French Martini | Food, Fun & Faraway Places
Who loves a good martini? This is a sweeter version of the traditional, more like a Cosmo. Hope you like it!
Sake Cruise | Food, Fun & Faraway Places
I had this in Turks & Caicos a few years ago. The bartender at Sandals was a hoot and let me record him.
Decorations
Hosting a great New Years party definitely requires some fun decorations. One of the best parts of New Year’s parties is seeing all the streamers, glitter, and fun decorations.
For an added element of fun, you could also set out some sparklers and party poppers for everyone to use throughout the night! Just make sure there isn’t any kind of fire hazard.
Make sure you have enough room in your house to host a great New Year’s party, and at least enough space to have everyone in one room to celebrate the final countdown together.
It’s probably best to have a TV in this space so people can watch the ball drop if they’d like along with the New Year’s Eve countdown specials.
Activities
You'll want to think about activities if you plan on hosting a great New Year’s party! The best way to make sure there are plenty of activities is by planning a few games.
You can find tons of game ideas here at party411! Some of the best include:
• New Year’s Champagne Race
• Cotton Ball Blitz
• Kiss Countdown
• Guess Whose Resolution
Be a great hostess and encourage conversation
With any great New Year’s party, the hostess is usually the one to rock it out! There will likely be people who don’t know each other and you want to encourage them to talk and have fun with each other!
The best way to do that is to get everyone in a circle and bring up a few topics whether it’s related to everyone’s holidays, the weather, or even something on the New Year’s Eve special on TV!
What do you think makes a great New Year’s party? Let me know in the comments below! Happy New Year!
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