This past year was a wild ride, but there are plenty of good things on the horizon — and that’s worth celebrating. When it comes to New Year’s Eve, there’s no better way to kick off another trip around the sun than by throwing an awesome party — but if you’re going to celebrate this year, just make sure you’re doing so responsibly. We know it’s hard around the holidays, which are normally a time filled with parties and family festivities, but it’s important to follow the CDC’s holiday event safety guidelines to minimize the spread of COVID-19, especially as the Omicron variant is on the rise.
You can opt for a small masked gathering, or have your party over Zoom. From decor ideas to delicious New Year’s desserts, we’ve got some great tips to start 2022 off on the right foot. Of course, we’ve also included some photo wall ideas, because you’ll want to show off your best look (don’t forget the perfect New Year’s Eve Instagram caption!)
No matter what your NYE party theme is, you can never go wrong with cute decorations, a sparkly outfit, yummy appetizers and lots of champagne. Whether you’re keeping it small with a few friends or going all-out by inviting everyone you know, here are some of our favorite New Year’s Eve party ideas to help end 2021 with a bang. And don’t worry, we’ve got your New Year’s Day brunch covered, too.
1
Have a New Year’s Resolution Jar
2
Create Mini Champagne Bottle Labels
Your pals will be so excited to see they each get a mini champagne bottle as a party favor (even if they live at home with you, and they probably saw you assemble them). You can print up your own, or go for a surprisingly cheap label designed by a pro.
3
Play a Party Game
Mattel Games
amazon.com
$19.99
Get the party going with a good, old-fashioned board game. Scrabble and Yahtzee are always fun if you’re celebrating in person with people in your household, but Pictionary is definitely ideal if you’re playing over Zoom.
5
Have a Party Game Handy
Instead of traditional card games, try a printable challenge like this “Drink If” game. You can instantly download a PDF of these game cards on Etsy and print them out on card stock — or you come put them in randomize generator if you’re playing over Zoom. You can also customize the text on the bottom to fit your group better!
SHOP PARTY GAME
6
Try Your Hand at Mixology
Cocktails and New Years go hand-in-hand, after all. If you’re celebrating in person, have everyone in your household come prepared to make a batch cocktail of their favorite drink — just make sure you get enough supplies ahead of time. If you’re celebrating over Zoom, find a fun cocktail recipe that everyone can follow along with at home as you video chat!
RELATED: 21 Best New Year’s Eve Drinks to Elevate Your Party
7
Decorate Your Drinks
Sure, champagne is already festive — but there are a few ways to kick it up a notch. Before your party, hot glue a few gold pom-poms onto wooden skewers to make your drink a little more exciting.
Get the tutorial at Kristi Murphy »
8
Recap the Year
A lot can happen in 365 days, and New Year’s Eve is a great time to reflect on it all. Choose the most special moment that you experienced this year, and everyone can join in on your feel-good story!
10
Dance It Out
Have everyone you’re celebrating with choose one song, and then turn them all into one big dance party playlist. Spotify has a feature were multiple users can edit a playlist — so that should make it easy. It’ll be fun trying to guess who added what — who knows? You may just learn a thing about your friends’ music tastes …
11
Create an Instagram-Friendly Balloon Wall
Spell out an inspirational phrase in balloons on the wall and share it with everyone in Instagram. You can also purchase a full set of matching party balloons for an extra $25, but you’ll need helium if you want ’em to float.
SHOP CUSTOM BALLOONS
14
Light Glitter Votives
Every New Year’s Eve party can benefit from more glitter and more mood lighting. Accomplish both by DIYing a few glitter candle votives and placing them around your party space.
Get the tutorial at Julie Blanner »
15
DIY Your New Year’s Eve Noisemakers
16
Add Some Sparkle to Your Champagne
Ditch the red Solo cups (and your breakable glasses!) and opt for sparkly plastic flutes instead. They’ll make you look (and feel) fancier without having to risk breaking the good stuff (not to mention the cleanup will be a breeze).
SHOP GLITTER CHAMPAGNE FLUTES
17
Deck Out Your Bar Cart
18
DIY Your Confetti Poppers
20
Don’t Forget the Sparklers
If there’s one thing that’s for sure, it’s that you need a plan for when the clock strikes midnight! Sparklers are a fun (and often inexpensive) idea to go with a champagne toast.
SHOP SPARKLERS
Katie Bourque
As an Editorial Fellow for Good Housekeeping, Katie covers health, beauty, home, and pop culture.
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io
