Whether you're having 40 guests or 4, you can host a fun, inexpensive New Year's Eve party in the comfort of your own home! You can even do it via ZOOM!
Here are some DIY ideas to get your 2022 started off with a bang!
Get guests excited by hosting a contest!
- Design your own wine bottle. Set up a designated “label size” and have guests design their own wine bottle label, attach it to their favorite bottle of wine, and have them to bring with them to the party. Not only does this cover the drinks for the night, but it’s a fun competition. You could choose to do the “best” label or have them design a label that represents them and have other guests try to guess which label belongs to which guest.
- Cooking competition – choose a =theme, for example, a chili cook-off, and invite each guest or family to bring their own rendition. You can provide the “add-ons” to the meal and it will cut down on your prep and food costs. If you already have an idea for the menu, or you’re just doing finger foods, you could always choose desserts as your contest theme.
- Host a Mascarade party and vote on the best home-made mask! You can have guests create them at home and bring them, or provide supplies for them to make them during the party. (just remember glue takes time to dry and glitter makes a huge mess – do you really want to clean all of that up on January 1st?)
Decorate!
- Create your own balloon drop! Simply use a plastic dollar store tablecloth, fill it with inflated balloons and tape the four corners to the ceiling or a ceiling fan. Place a ribbon under one of the pieces of tape. When the clock strikes, pull the string to release the tape and the balloons will float down too!
- Have everyone at the party write down something to add to a “time capsule” – create a theme, such as a New Year’s Resolution, where I want to be in 5 years, etc. and place it in a container. Seal the container and open it again at new year’s New Year’s Eve party- or at a pre-decided date in the future.
- Selfie Booth - tack a solid tablecloth to the wall and print out a couple of fun 2022 signs for guests to hold up.
- Hot Cocoa bar - Set up a crock pot hot chocolate, some cute mugs and some toppings like marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crushed candy canes.
Having something small and including the kids? Here are some kid-friendly ideas as well:
- Create a simple scavenger hunt form with items/people typically seen on the New Year’s Countdown. Watch the countdown together and check off the items as they pop up – the first to find them all wins (you could also do it “Bingo-style” and the first to cover a row wins)
- Make your own noisemakers for midnight! Grab some tissue paper, empty toilet paper or paper towel tubes, rubber bands and beans. Decorate the tubes, cover one end with tissue paper (fold it a few times so you have some thickness) and attach it with a rubber band. Add beans and cover the other end the same way. Alternative: This could also be done with a plastic cup filled with beans and hot glue paper over the top.
- Cover a hard floor with bubble wrap. At midnight let the kids jump on the bubble wrap so it sounds like fireworks!
Whatever you do - have fun! Happy 2022!
