Pull out all the stops for one banging good time
If your condo boasts breathtaking city vistas like those offered at residential buildings of Century Properties, chances are, you’ll also get excellent views of the pyrotechnics that will light up the sky when the countdown for New Year begins. Throwing a fireworks viewing party for family and friends is, as they say these days, lit. Here’s a handful of tips to help you plan a festive affair that will make your space the place to be on New Year’s Eve.
Add a little sparkle.
A New Year’s Eve party is the perfect excuse to turn your condo into a whole new world—one that’s shining, shimmering, and splendid. Metallic shades like gold, rose gold, and silver are perfect for a fireworks viewing party. You can add these shiny hues to virtually any color palette, whether you’re into trendy pastels, minimalist nudes and neutrals, or classic black and white. And don’t forget to add some sheen (literally) to the smallest details: Hang up clear balloons filled with metallic foil confetti.
If you’re using disposable party supplies to make cleaning up easier, get paper plates and table napkins with gold foil designs. Add a glittery trinket to each guest’s table setting, or put a bunch of them in a basket on the living room coffee table. Just for one night, add a little (or a lot) of sparkle to your space.
Be fashionably late.
Since you and your guests will wait for the clock to strike twelve, and the party will likely carry on until the wee hours of the morning, consider starting the festivities around 9 PM or 10 PM. The late start will give you extra time to spruce up the place and also save you from having to serve dinner on top of booze and media noche.
Bring out the bubbly.
Booze is standard fare on New Year’s Eve. But why not up the ante by adding a cheese platter for a certified wine and cheese affair? A crowd-pleasing cheese platter isn’t difficult to assemble (there’s plenty of help on the Internet for the utterly clueless), while the alcohol will help guests loosen up and mingle. Want to mix your own drinks? This is the best time to bust out those creative concoctions you’ve been experimenting with, along with good ol’ classics like mimosas, martinis, and champagne cocktails. Of course, save a bottle of champagne to pop when midnight strikes!
Divvy up the menu.
You can make it a potluck party so you won’t be saddled with all of the party prep, especially if you’re expecting a large group, or at least have a few guests bring desserts or extra entrées. If you insist on cooking, try making a Sicilian roasted chicken served in a glass baking dish. It’s fairly easy to cook: Throw in veggies like potatoes, onions, and green beans; and serve this main course straight out of the oven.
Decorate like a pro.
The holidays aren’t exactly the best time for DIY projects, what with parties and festivities left and right. Thankfully, many party supply stores carry a wide array of décor, from elegant tassel garlands to huge paper pom-poms, so you can easily replicate that peg you found on Pinterest or Instagram. Don’t forget to buy those big balloons made out of Mylar and spell out 2-0-1-8! They make for an instant backdrop for your New Year’s Eve photos and Snapchat or Instagram stories, not to mention festive props for your Boomerang videos.
Plan some fun and games.
While you’re waiting for the big bang, keep everyone entertained with activities like New Year’s Eve bingo (Here are some suggested squares for your homemade bingo cards: Disneyland-esque fireworks, drunk texting, a midnight kiss) or Two Resolutions and a Lie, a year-end twist on the classic game Two Truths and a Lie. You can also have each guest write one new year’s resolution anonymously on a piece of paper, then drop it into a fishbowl. Everyone will then try to match each resolution with the correct guest. Crazy laughing fits ensue!
Play that funky music.
Once the fireworks show has started, make some noise by playing the Best of the Year tunes. You can’t go wrong blasting the hottest dance tracks now! If you want keep things a little more mellow, get some smooth jazz playing in the background. For those who want instant gratification, look up Spotify’s New Year’s Eve playlist then press play.
There’s no better way to ring in the New Year than gathering your loved ones under one roof for an evening of fun, food, and merrymaking, especially when you have an epic view of the most spectacular fireworks displays the metro has to offer. By the end of the night, your guests will be raising their drinks to you—what an awesome way to start the New Year!
