Are you planning to ring in the New Year at your home? Nervous about what that all entails? Here’s a handy guide of things to help you host the best New Year’s Eve party possible.

Bar Cart

You can’t have a New Year’s party without champagne! Well, you can, but where’s the fun in that? Make sure your guests have access to beverages, both alcoholic and non-alchoholic. This is the perfect time to finally set up the bar cart you’ve been dreaming of. Offer your guests a wide variety of drinks by utilizing a perfectly styled bar cart. A cart on wheels can be particularly helpful, as it can be moved throughout the night to make room for other things or be easily accessible to your guests. Another smaller option could be setting up a drink tray to bring around to your guests. You can put all of the same styled aspects of a bar cart into a bar tray; you just may have to be more intentional or judicious about what makes the cut.

Read our Bar Cart Basics blog post here.

Repurpose Holiday Decorations

Hold on before taking all of your Christmas decorations down. Sure, you can put away the Santas, but many of your holiday decorations can be easily repurposed for New Year’s Eve. Hang on to any silver or gold pieces, especially stars, and utilize your tree’s string lights to create a magical atmosphere without having to go out and get New Year’s specific decor. You can even repurpose some older baubles by spray painting them to match your theme!

Games/Photo Booth

Make sure your guests have something to do before the big countdown. Games that everyone can play can keep your guests occupied once conversation starts to die down. Look for charade-like guessing games that don’t take a lot of set-up. New Year’s Eve is also the perfect time for a photo booth. Get wacky photos of your friends by providing them with cut-outs and props to pose with and post to social media. Include a whiteboard in the mix so that your guests can write down and pose with their New Year’s resolution.

Seating

Sure, dancing the night away is fun, but your guests are going to need a place to sit. Make sure you provide ample seating for everyone so that when they get tired, they don’t have to awkwardly lean. This may be the perfect time to refresh your living room area for the new year with a new sofa or chair. That way, you have it for this party and all the parties coming up. If you’re not looking to update your decor in such a big way, opt for smaller or more portable options. Stools or foldable chairs are great things to always have on hand for any occasion, and fit well in most space sizes.

However you go about throwing your New Year’s Eve party, you’re sure to make it sparkle. By keeping your guests quenched, entertained, and happy, your party is sure to be talked about well into 2018.