New Year’s Eve is one of the biggest events of the year where people count on resolutions and new beginnings to kick off a brand-new chapter, so when it comes to new year’s party planning, you better know what you’re doing. We put together a list of to-dos so that you can be better prepared to host the best New Year party of the season.

How to Organize a New Year’s Party

1. Create a Budget

The first thing you will want to do is create a budget for your party. We recommend making an overall budget and then breaking that budget down into smaller sub-categories such as New Years Eve venues, décor, furniture, staffing, entertainment and so forth. This makes your job so much easier when tracking and managing how much money you’re spending on your party.

2. Choose a Venue

After you create your budget, you will start looking for a venue for a new year party. A great place to start is by searching party venues near me. From there, you will want to start comparing pricing and what the venues have to offer. Working with an event planner can be beneficial because they can help you navigate choosing event space for parties that are best for your needs and wants.

3. Select a Date

Once you choose a venue, you will want to select a date. It’s important to check with the venue as well to make sure your date is available. Once you decide on the date, it’s crucial to send your invites out well in advance to give your guests enough time to plan and RSVP. With a New Year’s party being dead center in one of the busiest times of the year, you will want to give guests even more time to plan for events.

4. Choose a Theme

Now for the fun part, choosing a New Year’s party theme. There are so many New Year’s Party ideas to choose from, so we suggest making a list of ones you gravitate towards and narrow it down from there. Is it themed? Formal? You can make this night whatever you want it to be. The theme should tie into everything, the décor, the food and drinks, the furniture and setup, and so forth. This will make one seamless event that your guests will love to experience.

5. Food and Drinks

The worst thing that can happen at a party is for your guests to go hungry or thirsty. You will want to plan for the size of your party and make it something accessible so guests can eat throughout the night. Especially with a party that surrounds a toast at midnight and celebrating the new year, we suggest doing a buffet style dining or waiters that walk around serving hors d’oeuvres. This will ensure guests never go hungry throughout the night.

6. Entertainment

You’ll also want to put time and attention into entertainment because it’s one of the biggest celebrations of the year. Do you want to have live music? A DJ? A giant ball drop or confetti? With an event like this, you will want to plan ahead and make sure you have something big planned for the event.

7. Marketing

Finally, you will need to focus on marketing. Marketing is important to promote your event and you will want to make sure your audience is defined so you know who you are marketing to. Any successful event is designed to cater to the audience they are trying to reach. Social media, email blasts, digital advertising, sponsorships, are all ways to promote your event for the big holiday.

At Ovation Square, we have an entire team of event planning experts behind us and would be more than happy to help you plan your destination wedding venue.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: If I chose Ovation as my venue, do you have event planners that can help me?
 A: Yes, we have an entire event planning team behind us and can help you plan at any part of the party planning process.

Q: How do I know what a realistic budget is?
A: This comes with working with an event planner or touring multiple venues to start to get an idea of what it will cost and how big you want your event to be.

Q: How long ahead of time should I send invitations out?
A: We recommend around the holidays, 6 weeks in advance because it’s such a busy time of year. This will give guests enough time to plan and coordinate.