Top 10 Tips for Hosting a New Years Eve Party

As a company originally based in New Orleans, we’ll admit we’re a bit biased in our of love for Mardi Gras.  The colors, the music, and the revelry are hard to beat.  But if we had to pick a party that was equally as compelling, then New Years Eve takes the cake – easily!  We LOVE New Years Eve parties and we simply can’t wait for this year’s celebration!

We’ve helped customers countdown from ‘10’ more times than we can remember and we’ve got tons of advice to make your New Years Eve party this year as amazing as ever!  If you’re a host or hostess looking for top tips, then look no further, because here’s 10 freebies on us:

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Plan accordingly.  People have expectations for New Years Eve parties because it’s not only the last party of the year, but it’s also the kickoff party for next year and who wants to start that off with a dud?  Plan out the party details, including what you need, how much you need, who’s on the guest list, and so on, at least a month before the event.

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Treat your guests with the utmost respect.  This isn’t your average party; it’s a big-name bash!  Remember to do the polite things, like inform guests about parking, have enough hangars for coat and hat check, offer a drink on first arrival, and make your event space extra clean.  Even the little things matter, such as fresh hand soap and clean towels.

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Delegate responsibilities.  New Years Eve parties have a very important time component (midnight, duh) and you’ll need to get help from people or wait staff at the party.  You don’t want to be running around 2 minutes before midnight handing out champagne, passing around 6″ Flutter Flicker Confetti Launchers (perfect for low ceiling parties), turning off music, and trying to get everyone’s attention all by yourself, because it’ll never get done.

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Make midnight a special moment.  The best way to do that is to indulge in crowd-favorite decorations!  Each person at your party should be decked in New Years Eve hats, noisy horn blowers, 14” Flutter FETTI Confetti Sticks, champagne glasses and any other celebratory items.  Have an uplifting music list ready to play too, so when that clock strikes 12:00, the party will be ready to dance, drink, and party into the wee hours.

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Give your guests a dazzling display!  Unless you’re in Times Square watching the ball drop or staring at the fireworks behind London’s Big Ben, then you probably want to provide your guests with some extra entertainment.  If your celebration is outside, give your guests a few 14″ FireCracklers Confetti “Snappers”, a safe alternative to fireworks, or shoot off die cut confetti in handheld MEGA Blaster Launchers, especially if you’re in a place with high ceilings.

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Merriment means more food and drinks.  Unlike your average party, New Years Eve parties usually start 3-4 hours before the big moment and then go for 3-4 hours afterwards too.  In many ways, this is (for many people) the longest party of the year so you’ll need to have extra food and drinks available for hungry and thirsty revelers.

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Be safe and be smart.  New Years Eve has a bad reputation for drunk drivers and other drinking-related hazards.  It’s okay for guests to over-indulge at the bar (that’s part of the fun, right?), but it’s not okay for them to then drive home or go out on the town by themselves.  Be prepared to call taxis, sober up guests, or have them stay the night.

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Get help with cleanup.   A long party means a big mess and you don’t want to clean it up when you’re exhausted or hung over.  Before everyone departs for the night, ask a few of your close guests to help you throw away garbage, clean dirty plates, recycle bottles, and sweep up the floors.  As a thank you, give them any food or drink leftovers and promise to help them at their next big gathering.  Of course, if you have hired wait staff, then your cleanup will be a lot easier (if you need to do it at all).

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Smile, laugh, and have fun.  After all, you are the host(ess) with the most(ess) and everyone is looking to you that night.  So if you’re having fun, your guests will too.  You’ll have plenty of time for reflection and resolutions after the party is over.

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Happy New Year!  It’s a little bit early, but here at Flutter FETTI we want to make sure you have the most amazing New Years Eve celebration in the entire world.  If you’re still not sure how to do that, contact one of our confettiologists and we’ll help you add the “WOW!” factor to your New Years Eve party.