25 New Year’s Eve party themes ideas for a bright new year

As the holi-daze begins to wind down, everyone starts to wind up for the next big reason to celebrate—and the only party important enough to span two years: New Year’s Eve.

Friends, families, and coworkers are making plans for their big night, so give the people what they want: a memorable, impeccably themed New Year’s Eve party. Most fabulous New Year’s Eve parties tend to center around Champagne, festive cocktails, good company, and watching the ball drop at midnight. To get you started, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite New Year’s Eve party ideas for a guaranteed good time—plus a few New Year’s Eve invitations that will help you spread the word in style.

Tips for hosting a New Year’s Eve party

So how do you make your event an affair to remember well into the new year? Before you pick your ideal theme, follow these quick tips for planning the perfect New Year’s Eve for your friends and family.

• Send out invitations early: Think around December 1st. Guests may receive lots of New Year’s Eve party invites, so make yours the first to arrive.
• Smaller may be better: When it comes to fun New Year’s Eve party ideas, it’s easier to put together a dinner party for 4–6 than to clear space for a dance party.
• Go creative: To make the small event feel special, go for a creative theme that guests won’t forget.
• Match décor to your theme: Stick to party decorations that are in a specific color palette for a pulled-together look.
• Consider hosting at home: For a cozier, more intimate—and possibly pajama-centered—affair, have your NYE party at home.
• Have a brunch party: If staying up until midnight is a challenge, opt for either an earlier celebration or a New Year’s Day brunch; night owls can keep the fun going much longer. 
• Specify a dress code: It can be anything from PJs to something whimsical, a particular color, or inviting guests to bring out special occasion outfits.
• Get the invitations just right: Check out our guide to New Year’s party invitation wording to nail the vibe you’re going for from the get-go. Include Guest Surveys for dietary restrictions or have guests vote on playlist suggestions. You can even add a Video Block with your favorite NYE movie scene to get everyone in the mood.

Whether you plan on dancing until dawn or you’d rather be in bed long before the ball drops, we’ve found a variety of themes you and your guests will want to toast to. Find inspiration in our New Year’s Eve party ideas for adults and kids, which include suggestions for food, drink, activities, and New Year’s Eve party decorations that add just the right touches to your year-end bash.

Casual New Year’s Eve party themes

Some people love to party like it’s 1999 with drinks and frivolity until the wee hours of the morning. Others prefer to take a more laid-back approach, celebrating early and cozying up under the covers long before fireworks start shooting off into the night sky. 

If you find yourself nodding vigorously—and maybe nodding off—to option number two, then a low-key fest focused on New Year’s Eve party food ideas might be right for you.

1. Low-key New Year’s Eve

Image via Type A Style; “Let’s Disco” by Hello!Lucky for Paperless Post.

 

Friends, food, and maybe even a midnight screening of “When Harry Met Sally”—sounds good to us! Host a low-key New Year’s Eve party to ring in the new year as casually as possible.

• What to wear: A PJ party fits perfectly with a low-key vibe. 
• Food: Serve something just as chill as your party—pizza, takeout, chips, or anything else you can get delivered.
• Drinks: Pick up a variety of fancier-than-usual thirst-quenchers for guests, mix a few easy cocktails, or supply beer, which always pairs well with pizza.
• Décor: Spruce up your place with some light NYE-themed decorations, such as gold and silver balloons and party hats for each guest.
• Do: Ask guests to bring their favorite board games to play while you’re waiting for the last minutes of the year. 

2. NYE pre-party

Do you plan on heading out for an unforgettable night on the town to ring in the New Year? Time for a pre-party! Invite your friends over to pregame or clink Champagne coupes with your besties before heading out to dance and drink the night away. 

• What to wear: Your friends can come in casual gear and bring their going-out clothes so you can get ready all together. 
• Food: Prep some turkey pinwheels to fuel up before partying down.
• Drinks: Stock your bar with quick drinks to avoid spending tons of money at the bar later.
• Décor: Hand out celebratory Champagne-shaped crackers to pop off the party like professional partygoers.
• Do: Send out a fun “Ring It In” Flyer with all of your pre-party deets.

3. New Year’s Eve baked potato bar

Perfect for small dinner parties, watching a holiday movie, or meeting up before going out, this idea is borrowed from the annual Academy Awards dinner, which features a decadent baked potato bar with caviar. (Wolfgang Puck goes so far as to wrap the potatoes in gold foil for an unexpectedly elegant touch.) 

• What to wear: Make it an Oscars affair and have guests come in their best dresses and suits.
• Food: Bake up a batch of Russets, then transfer to a silver platter just before guests arrive. Set out bowls and trays with smoked salmon, caviar, creme fraiche, olive tapenade, trout roe, chives, onion jam, crumbled bacon, fresh herbs, and anything else that elevates a potato into a meal.
• Drinks: Accompany the spread with a Champagne bar for a decadent touch.
• Décor: Serve potatoes with funky paper napkins for an additional splash of gold on the table.
• Do: Take pics of your potatoes and post them on social media for some unofficial voting to determine the best one.

4. Belated housewarming

If you’ve recently moved into a new place but haven’t found the time to invite everyone over to celebrate, what better excuse to host a housewarming party than on New Year’s Eve? Celebrate your newly furnished abode and the positive vibes of a brand new year to come.

• What to wear: Ask guests to match the décor of your home for a fun touch. 
• Food: Bust out your skillet and whip up some spinach artichoke dip on your new stove.
• Drinks: Serve beer and hard seltzer—especially helpful if you haven’t finished unpacking the kitchen.
• Décor: String up a glitter stars garland to dress up the bare spaces on your walls.
• Do: You probably can’t ask friends to help you unpack—unless they’re really good friends—but they’ll be happy to take a tour of your new digs.

5. New Year’s potluck

Potlucks are a wonderful New Year’s tradition and conversation starter, and they bring guests together for a good cause—enjoying delicious food. Add Guest Surveys to your Paperless Post New Year’s Eve invitations for guests to mention what they’d like to bring to the party. 

• What to wear: Comfy clothes with waistbands that expand.
• Food: Find a fun theme for guests to match, whether it’s childhood favorites like tater tots and chicken nuggets or an array of appetizers like cheesy pesto bread and chicken and waffle skewers.
• Drinks: Encourage guests to bring their favorite wine to share.
• Décor: Set out mirrored gold glass chargers for an elegant touch beneath the potluck platters.
• Do: Organize a group trivia game to play after everyone has enjoyed the magnificent meal.

6. Après-ski fondue party

If you can host outdoors, the ambiance is just right for this fun New Year’s Eve theme. 

• What to wear: Request that guests dress in their coziest winter whites or comfiest sweaters,
• Food: Set up a fondue station—or a cheese board if you don’t happen to have a fondue pot.
• Drinks: Gather everyone around a fire pit for hot toddies and mulled wine.
• Décor: Serve warm drinks in pretty white brushstroke cups.
• Do: Pass out inexpensive fleece blankets for favors that might come in handy as the night wears on. And if keeping warm isn’t enough of an activity, try making a snow-themed craft, like a book-carved snowman.

7. Pajama party

 

This New Year’s Eve party idea is perfect for a close group of friends, especially if chilly weather makes everyone want to get cozy. 

• What to wear: Ask guests to show off their chicest pajamas with an emphasis on glamor. It’s a great time to break out classic poplin pajamas, lounge sets (check out Sleeper for options), nightgowns (Hill House Home has options that could even double as daywear), matching PJ sets, silk slip dresses, slippers, feather mules, and fanciful eye masks.
• Food: Serve breakfast for dinner with a buffet of bagels, smoked salmon, waffles, and Pop-Tarts—depending on your group’s preferences.
• Drinks: It doesn’t get yummier or prettier than a red velvet cake martini, the ultimate sleepover drink.
• Décor: Put out pretty Annika Paper luncheon napkins for guests to use with meals and drinks.
• Do: It’s a classic sleepover complete with movies—extra points for flicks from your teen years—as the year comes to an end.

Formal New Year’s Eve party ideas

Kick off your New Year’s Eve plans with a bit of glitter and a lot of glam. Whether you’re planning a black-tie gala or a sparkling masquerade, these formal New Year’s Eve party themes are the start to your classiest year yet.

8. Cocktail party

For the classic NYE vibe, put on the little black dress—or the little silver-and-gold dress—and enjoy cocktails with your loved ones. Count down to the new year with a glass of Champagne already in hand!

• What to wear: Fancy cocktail dress attire. 
• Food: Prepare a platter of light appetizers, such as bacon-wrapped scallops, for guests to enjoy as they mingle.
• Drinks: Step up your Champagne game with sparkling margaritas.
• Décor: Decorate with Champagne table accents for a festive, boozy feel.
• Do: Consider hiring a bartender instead of preparing the drinks yourself, so you can catch up with friends before the ball drops.

9. Roaring ’20s

 

With all of the glitz and glitter that New Year’s Eve brings, it’s the perfect excuse to recreate one of the most glamorous decades of years past—the Roaring ’20s. Live it up Gatsby-style with an epic NYE (and flapper-themed) party.

• What to wear: Flapper dresses, tuxedos, and vests. 
• Food: Consider serving a plated dinner for this turn-of-the-century affair.
• Drinks: Serve up sidecar cocktails, a signature drink of the Prohibition era.
• Décor: Hang a silver tinsel chandelier above the bar or main party space for a true flapper feel.
• Do: Gather ’20s-themed photo props for a New Year’s Eve photo booth.

10. Black and white masquerade

One of the most elegant New Year’s Eve party ideas is inspired by one of the most famous themes of the century: The Black and White Ball, hosted by Truman Capote at New York City’s Plaza Hotel in 1966 and attended by the era’s most glamorous members of high society.

• What to wear: Ask guests to dress to impress: Black tie (or formal) in black and white, with masquerade-style masks.
• Food: Replicate one of the ball’s unexpected main dishes: spaghetti and meatballs.
• Drinks: Serve up Truman Capote’s favorite cocktail—a classic screwdriver.
• Décor: Set the dining table with a red tablecloth and a few white taper candles.
• Do: Clear the room for dancing, mingling, and that important midnight kiss.

11. Bubbly bar Champagne party

 

Celebrate the official drink of New Year’s Eve by focusing solely on Champagne. 

• What to wear: Something bright and sparkly like Champagne will do the trick.
• Food: Focus on light appetizers like dates two ways to avoid distracting from the drinks.
• Drinks: Set the bar up with Champagne flutes, mixers for Champagne-based cocktails (elderflower liqueur, simple syrup, lemon twists, herbs like rosemary, berries, and fresh juice), and swizzle sticks. 
• Décor: Decorate with a gold and silver palette, using your Champagne bar as the focal point. 
• Do: To keep the bubbly flowing and your party on budget, make it a “Champagne potluck” by asking guests to bring their favorite brand to sample. Play a 1920s jazz playlist to further the bubbly mood.

12. New Year’s Eve on the red carpet

Everyone’s a celebrity on New Year’s Eve! Walk the red carpet like a movie star with a Hollywood-themed New Year’s Eve party.

• What to wear: Red carpet-worthy attire.
• Food: Prepare small, bite-sized apps, such as Swedish meatballs, for guests to carry and eat while they mingle.
• Drinks: What better drink to serve at a red carpet party than a red carpet cocktail?
• Décor: Add star mini toppers to your meatballs or desserts for that extra movie-star sparkle.
• Do: Take photos of everyone on their red carpet walk! Then screen the biggest movie of the year or another popular New Year’s Eve film.

13. Casino night party

Turn your living room into a fabulous casino right out of a Bond movie. Nod to Vegas with music by Elvis, Frank Sinatra, and the rest of the Rat Pack. 

• What to wear: Ask guests to wear their “Vegas Best” (read: Sequins).
• Food: Push a table to a wall and set up buffet stations with easy-to-eat appetizers.
• Drinks: Serve up classic Vegas cosmopolitans alongside your Champagne toasts.
• Décor: Go all out in Vegas decor—think glitter, neon, playing cards, the works.
• Do: Renting game tables (some party rental services may also have slot machines and dealers available for an even more authentic ambiance). 

14. Disco fever New Year’s party

Embrace a Studio 54 vibe for a New Year’s Eve that’s a blast from the past. Your disco playlist should include classic dance hits of the era by Donna Summer, Bee Gees, ABBA, and the Village People. 

• What to wear: Ask guests to observe the glamorous dress code of slinky dresses, big hair, sequined anything, or bell bottoms.
• Food: Carry the disco ball theme forward with a homemade cheese ball and crackers.
• Drinks: Bring the “it” drink from Studio 54—a Midori Sour—to your NYE soiree.
• Décor: Order a disco ball and plan for a “disco ball drop” at midnight, or simply place it in an unexpected place to further the theme.
• Do: Clear floor space for dancing, and cluster seating for a VIP area. If there’s availability in your area, a restaurant with a kitschy ’70s feel and a dance floor would be ideal—and so would an indoor skating rink.

15. ’80s party

New Year’s Eve is all about looking to the future—so take a time-travel trip “Back to the Future”-style! Set your party up in the way everyone thought it would look in the future (flying cars, big silver jackets) with an ’80s theme party. 

• What to wear: The dress code is key for this ’80s New Year’s Eve party: Ask guests to interpret the “’80s version of the future” or opt for anything neon.
• Food: While you probably can’t rehydrate an entire pizza, you can order one that makes your party feel timeless.
• Drinks: Serve up futuristic, color-changing galaxy Moscow mules.
• Décor: Decorate with “holographic” touches, like silver Mylar fringe backdrops and iridescent balloons.
• Do: Have a mini-marathon of ’80s classics (“Back to the Future,” naturally) and make a highly danceable playlist of ’80s hits. 

Professional New Year’s Eve party themes

 

Choosing a New Year’s party theme for clients or coworkers doesn’t have to be a bore. We’re here to spice up your professional NYE gathering with these fresh ideas. 

16. Noon Year’s Eve

The impending new year is a fabulous reason to have a professional party. This theme is similar to a typical New Year’s Eve party, except that it takes place—you guessed it—as a countdown to noon instead of midnight. Send out a matching invite like “New Year’s Toast” to hit the theme home.

• What to wear: Keep it casual or go all out—the choice is yours.
• Food: Lunch food is perfect for this party—consider a sandwich platter to get more bang for your buck.
• Drinks: If a daytime work party isn’t the best time for alcohol, serve up fabulous New Year’s Eve mocktails like a cranberry-lime mocktail.
• Décor: Gold party fans are sparkly, cool, and easy, no matter your location. We say, go for the gold.
• Do: Set up a video of a previous New Year’s Eve celebration at Times Square so the ball drops exactly at noon your time.

17. Book swap

A NYE book swap could be the most exciting event you’ve hosted all year, and will inspire your coworkers to share the year’s best reads. (It also fits in well with so many people’s resolutions to read more.)

• What to wear: Dress as your favorite book character or get decked out in your best librarian gear. 
• Food: Choose non-messy snacks to avoid getting the books dirty, such as individual veggie dip cups. 
• Drinks: Serve up hot cocoa for the ultimate curl-up-and-read-a-book feeling.
• Décor: Since it’s a New Year’s Eve book swap, give your office celebratory vibes with some well-placed gold tinsel and offer your drinks in festive gold swirl cups.
• Do: Hold a book swap like a White Elephant exchange—guests take a number and unwrap their book, and then the next person either unwraps another book or “steals” a previously unwrapped book.

18. New Year’s resolution Yankee Swap

If you aren’t as familiar with your coworkers’ hobbies and resolutions, a New Year’s resolution Yankee Swap or White Elephant can be a fun, entertaining way to connect and celebrate the upcoming 12 months. 

• What to wear: This is a great time for the ugly sweaters to come back out on display.
• Food: Encourage coworkers to bring their favorite holiday appetizers.
• Drinks: Try a cucumber ginger mocktail for a cool, refreshing start to the year.
• Décor: Serve food on gold stripe star plates to set a festive tone.
• Do: To make this gift swap unique to New Year’s, ask guests to bring wrapped gifts that represent New Year’s resolutions. Ideas might include a knitting kit for beginners, a fitness tracker, a mini zen garden for destressing, or a schedule book for staying organized.

19. Office talent show

Your office has talent! Let coworkers show off their non-work skills in a New Year’s Eve party featuring an office talent show. Set the scene with the “New Year Scene” invite.

• What to wear: Costumes, formalwear, matching dance uniforms—whatever the talent calls for.
• Food: Serve popcorn and candy for colleagues to enjoy the show.
• Drinks: Simmer hot apple cider in a crock pot for the holiday tastes and smells everyone enjoys.
• Décor: If you don’t want to make a big fuss over decor but still want to breathe New Year’s Eve life into your party, you’ll appreciate the simple elegance of a gold balloon arch.
• Do: Print out scorecards and give out awards at the end of the talent show.

20. New Year’s Eve lunch

Bid farewell to the year with a proper afternoon send-off. A fancy New Year’s Eve lunch packs all the celebration and festivities into one (long) lunch break!

• What to wear: Casual is key here. 
• Food: Take your team out to lunch at a restaurant they might not normally visit on a workday.
• Drinks: Prepare New Year’s Eve mimosas for the ultimate NYE daytime experience.
• Décor: Pass out multicolor party hats so guests can become part of the decoration.
• Do: Go around the table and discuss New Year’s Eve resolutions, goals, or projects—outside of work.

Unique New Year’s Eve party ideas

Want to throw a New Year’s Eve party that guests truly won’t forget? Take a look at these unique New Year’s Eve party themes and ring in the new year in a distinctly new way.

21. New Year vision boarding

If your friends are big dreamers and go-getters, a vision-boarding theme might be the perfect New Year’s Eve party idea for you. The idea here is for each person to fill up their poster board with their goals for the new year—how they plan on living it and what they want to accomplish. 

• What to wear: Have guests dress in a way that represents their hopes and goals for next year. 
• Food: Make individual pizzas before starting your vision boards. Consider them creative inspiration!
• Drinks: Have guests bring their favorite bottle of wine, Champagne, or non-alcoholic seltzer to ring in the new year.
• Décor: Get a hopeful message across with a customizable letter banner that can spell “More Good Times.”
• Do: Before guests come over, fill your party space with magazines, newspapers, and online print-outs. Provide a poster board for each guest, plus scissors and glue sticks or tape. Then put on a great playlist, pop open some bubbly, and let everyone’s creativity run wild.

22. Midnight brunch

If you find yourself frequently looking for ways to sneak extra brunches into your life, look no further. Obviously, you can still count down with a flute of Champagne in hand (or a mimosa, if you’re truly committed to the theme). But when the ball drops, the midnight brunch buffet begins.

• What to wear: Cozy brunch attire to hit on the theme.
• Food: Host a waffle bar with all the toppings. Syrup and whipped cream are a must, but you can be a little creative and offer a few more exciting toppings like edible glitter sprinkles, chocolate chips, fresh fruit, caramel sauce, nuts, and shredded coconut.
• Drinks: Mimosas and coffee—who can ask for anything more?
• Décor: Serve your fabulous brunch on large gold dinner plates.
• Do: Take pics of your waffles and post them on social media for friends to weigh in on their favorites.

23. Burning bowl ritual

 

For the group that yogas together has a standing date for Daybreaker, and has been cultivating mindfulness before it was a thing, the burning bowl ritual is the perfect way to welcome a new year. It’s all about setting intentions and releasing what is no longer serving you, so you can make room for what you do want in your life in the months ahead.

• What to wear: Anything comfortable and cozy. 
• Food: Keep the positive energy going by serving lentils, a New Year’s tradition for bringing good luck.
• Drinks: Cool down from the burn bowl with a sparkling Malibu strawberry spritz.
• Décor: Channel universal spirits with a celestial New Year garland.
• Do: Write what you want to let go of on a slip of paper, then burn it (safely). 

24. All holidays welcome

Whether you bring out the Halloween decorations in August or wear bunny ear Easter headbands year-round, this New Year’s Eve party theme is for you. Invite everyone to proudly sport their favorite holiday gear—from any holiday. 

• What to wear: Festive attire from your favorite holiday.
• Food: Birthday cake and deviled eggs belong on the same table this year. Add as many different holiday specialty foods as you can.
• Drinks: Serve something that goes with as many holidays as possible, such as a cranberry margarita.
• Décor: Grab a decoration to represent each holiday—Valentine’s hearts, Jack-o’-Lanterns, Christmas trees, even “Happy Birthday” signs.
• Do: Have an Easter Egg hunt, White Elephant exchange, and carve a pumpkin all in one party.

25. Fringe fest

Inspired by CONFETTISYSTEM, a Paperless Post design partner specializing in truly unique ways to use fringe and confetti, the decor at this dance party is something that’ll get everyone smiling. 

• What to wear: Fringe or confetti-colored outfits. 
• Food: Whip up some Funfetti cupcakes to keep the colorful theme going.
• Drinks: Serve confetti Champagne, a sparkling way to toast the new year.
• Décor: Make your own fringed backdrops with scissors and crepe paper, or order pre-made ones from CONFETTISYSTEM. Accessorize with fringed cocktail picks, party crackers, and hats.
• Do: Have a midnight pinata drop filled with confetti and candy for little ones, or if it’s an adults-only affair, fill it with mini bottles of liquor, lottery tickets, and other grown-up surprises. You can also blast into the new year with a confetti cannon.

How do you make a New Year’s Eve party fun?

 

The key to a fun New Year’s Eve party is getting guests involved. Here are a few ways to keep everyone entertained, whether you’re hosting kids or friends.

• New Year’s countdown practice: Get little ones in on the fun with a slumber party that includes a countdown before bedtime (rather than midnight). Mini snack bags filled with popcorn and pretzels along with sparkling cider make the evening feel special. Instead of noisemakers, wave the new year in with wands tied with ribbon.
• New Year’s appetizers: Small apps make it easy to stand up, dance, and mingle. So unless you’re hosting a dinner party, order finger foods, small bites, petite desserts, or cupcakes from your go-to local restaurant, gourmet store, or bakery. Remember, cheese plates also count as “small bites” and are extremely easy to put together.
• Set up a home bar: If you don’t feel like playing bartender all night, set your bar up so it’s easy for guests to serve themselves. Pick one crowd-pleasing cocktail, have garnishes made ahead of time and portioned into ramekins, then fill out the rest of the cart or table with beer and wine. Keep enough bubbly on hand so every guest can have one glass of Champagne for the midnight toast. For tips on the perfect pour, check out this advice on how to serve sparkling wines. Don’t forget to accommodate guests who prefer not to indulge, with options like ginger ale, sparkling cider, seltzer, and fresh juices. Also commonly overlooked: The ice bucket! Keep it filled, and make sure to set out tongs or a scoop. 
• Make some noise with New Year’s Eve noisemakers: Send the year off with a bang—literally. Have noisemakers on hand to celebrate the stroke of midnight—whether it’s pots and pans, holiday crackers, sparklers, or confetti poppers.

Ring in the New Year with Paperless Post

After you’ve carefully selected your celebratory New Year’s Eve theme, the rest of the party preparation can begin. First stop? New Year’s Eve party invitations.

Paperless Post has hundreds of invites you can customize to your liking. For a more formal affair, send beautiful stationery-inspired designs. Or if you’re hosting a more casual gathering, try animated Flyers, which let you add gifs, stickers, and fun text effects. Add a Video Block to include your favorite NYE scene—or maybe some clips from last year’s party! Then, send them out via text message, shareable link, or email and track opens and RSVPs instantly.

Looking for party supplies and décor to make your New Year’s Eve party truly sparkle? Visit Paperless Post Party Shop—it’s fully stocked with all the silver, gold, and glittery things (plus, break-proof “glassware”) you’ll ever need.

 

Hero image via Maria Buscemi/Flickr.