How to host a great New Year’s Eve party

Start with a good tidy up

Christmas can leave the house messy with lots of new presents as well as discarded wrapping paper, boxes and packaging to clear away. So, the day before your party, have a good tidy up and clean round the rooms. If you’ve got a lot of friends and family coming round and you’re short on space, it might be a good idea to pack away the Christmas decorations too. It’s amazing how much space the Christmas tree takes up! Here’s a quick cleaning checklist to make sure you’ve got everything covered:

• Pop any new presents away in their new homes
• Give the floor a quick hoover or mop
• Plump up cushions in the living room
• Clean the kitchen and wipe down surfaces with anti-bac spray or plastic-free wipes
• Wash any pots in the sink
• Wipe down the shower and bath with bathroom cleaner
• Give the toilet a good clean and add a rim block to keep it fresh

Party prepping!

You’ve finished the cleaning and now you have the perfect place to throw a party! But how do you prepare? Here’s some handy tips:

• Decide on your guest list, who’s coming and how many people your budget/space will stretch to
• Decide on what time you’re going to ask your guests to arrive (remember, it’s New Year, so guests will be staying at least until midnight/1am – so opt for a later start!)
• Make a shopping list of all the food/household bits you’ll need. It’s also worth asking your guests about any dietary needs so everyone’s catered for
• Plan some entertainment, get in some games to play, or create your own quiz – and make sure to have a fab party playlist!

Top tip: Save yourself the stress on the day by doing as much as you can in advance

Prep the food

When it comes to food for your New Year party, you want to spend your night enjoying time with family and friends, not stuck in the kitchen! Here’s a few tips to make things easier on the day:

• Choose bits you can just pop in the oven (ideally all at the same temperature)
• If you want to serve a hot supper dish, a slow cooker is a great way to keep things like chilli con carne hot and ready for guests. Simply cook in the slow cooker during the day and pop onto a low heat to serve and keep hot – perfect with jacket potatoes!
• New Year is the last excuse to enjoy all the festive treats of the year, so buy in festive favourites like mince pies, it’ll be your last chance to enjoy them until next year!
• Have a selection of cold bits like crisps, mini pizzas, sausage rolls, etc – cocktail sticks make the perfect companion to picky bits to avoid fingers touching all the food
• If there are little ones coming to your party be sure to have a few bits they’ll like nibbling on too

Don’t forget the drinks...

As with the food, it’s a good idea to opt for drinks that don’t need too much effort, so you can relax and enjoy the party. Make it easy for yourself and guests by going for the self-serve option. We love:

• Festive mulled wine…perfect to keep out the December chill!
• Slow cooker hot chocolate - just add milk and your preferred hot chocolate powder to the slow cooker and let guests serve themselves straight from the pot into mugs. Add a dash of Irish cream for the adults for that wow-factor!
• Be sure to get in some champagne flutes ready to welcome in the New Year with a big “cheers!”

Top tip – Set up a self-serve drinks station so your guests can keep their own drinks topped up. Add some fruity punch to a drinks dispenser with glasses and straws and you won’t have to lift a finger - that’s a little win!

Decorate the house

It wouldn’t be a New Year’s Eve party without some party décor!

You can create just the right party atmosphere with these simple ideas:

• Welcome in the New Year with our number balloons – simply, spell out 2023 with our silver foil self-inflate balloons
• Accessorise with our regular balloons in different colours and complete the look with our party balloon banner
• Fairy lights always make any area look pretty and lighten the space as well. Also, they’ll add a last bit of festive sparkle!
• Our naked wire lights are battery operated and just require two AA batteries. Use Command damage-free strips to hang your lights around windowsills, fireplaces, or on the kitchen counter
• Our candle holders will add a bit of glam to any table set up. Simply fill them with fairy lights instead of candles if there are little ones around