Well, we hope so anyway! A good party needs lots of ingredients, including music, drinks, nibbles and guests – but a great party has that extra secret ingredient that keeps people talking about it for months. If you’re aiming to throw an unforgettable celebration, exploring the availability of party houses for rent can be a great option to ensure a lively and fun-filled atmosphere. Wherever you’d holding your party, add a little extra sparkle to your festivities with some of our ‘ultimate party’ ideas.
Resolutions
The best time to make your resolutions is New Year’s Eve itself. Put a stash of pieces of blank card in a nice jar or bowl, provide a pen and let everyone write down their resolutions. These can be private (i.e. everyone just slips the card in their pocket to retrieve at their leisure) or public (everyone reads their resolutions out) depending on your guests. If you’re going for public, do make sure everyone is comfortable with it though! An alternative idea, if your guests all know each other well, is to for everyone to choose a positive resolution for another person. For example, you might choose ‘go for long walks together once a week’ for a friend.
Create special party favours
Everyone loves a little souvenir. If you’re having a proper sit-down meal, you could present each guest with a quarter bottle of fizz, a miniature of spirit or a little box of chocolates, all with a personalised label.
Create a signature cocktail and give it a personalised name
This one needs a bit of practice beforehand to create the perfect blend. Use mixers, fruit juice, spirits, ice and garnish to create your ‘house cocktail’, and name it after your surname, part of your address or even the dog. For a ‘full strength’ cocktail, try two parts spirit to one part sweet (sugar syrup, fruit syrup, honey) and one part sour (lemon juice, grapefruit juice). For a weaker version, use 1:1:1 alcohol/sweet/sour – it might also be worth creating a non-alcoholic version for drivers.
Celebrate the year
Ask each of your guests to send you a photo of the highlight of their year, for example the birth of a new baby, a holiday of a lifetime, a graduation or marriage. Make the photos into a slideshow and go through them after dinner as a joint celebration.
Party games
It wouldn’t be a party without party games! Again, you’ll have to gauge your audience here. Some people may love a good old-fashioned game of Twister, others may draw the line at grubbing around on the carpet in their best clothes! Don’t overlook kid’s party games, it’s surprising how much fun they can be when everyone joins in. Some suggestions include musical statues and pass the parcel, or more sedate games such as Cluedo.
Music
Ask everyone on your guest list to send you suggestions for two or three songs each, and make up a personalised ‘New Year’s Eve 2022’ playlist. There’ll probably be a lot on the list that’s not your cup of tea, but it’s a great idea for discovering new genres and artists. Cue up something specific for midnight, as well. Alternatively, you could make it a house party wherein you blast music through your speakers or you could rent out silent disco headphones if you want to experience the party a different way. Either way, it’s going to be a blast!
Food
If you’re just doing nibbles, then bite-site appetisers are probably easiest and don’t require people to sit down. If you’re serving a full sit-down meal, remember that most people will have been eating solidly for about a week and will probably appreciate a lighter menu! Choose dishes that can largely prepared in advance and frozen, or at least made a few hours ahead. Your guests would rather have the pleasure of your company than eat orange mousse in a sugar-spun basket!
Happy new year!
All images (c) Pixabay.
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Really loved your suggestions.