Everybody’s going to remember where they were when the ball dropped at the start of 2024. New Year’s Eve is when folks are looking to get dressed up, blow off some steam, and start the new year by making once-in-a-lifetime memories.
You want them making those memories at your event — and we’re here to help.
At Eventbrite, we support a diverse community ringing in the new year all over the world — and we want to support your next big event by showcasing what our event creators have been cooking up.
This guide will highlight why New Year’s Eve events are the ultimate way to engage your attendees and walk you through 12 of the best New Year’s Eve party ideas for upscale, quirky, and even kid-friendly events.
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Why host a New Year’s Eve party?
Many of us spend all year looking forward to the big countdown to midnight on New Year’s Eve. In fact, a recent YouGov poll found that one in three people say they love celebrating New Year’s Eve more than they enjoy celebrating their own birthdays.
A New Year’s Eve party is a great way to capitalize on a built-in holiday where people want to get out and celebrate in style at the end of the holiday season.
And if you really want to create an amazing experience for your New Year’s bash, consider hosting a themed party.
Themed parties are a fantastic way to build a community around your events.
Think about it: Themes allow you to create immersive experiences that take your party-goers on a journey. This engages your audience and can transform casual attendees into brand advocates — 86% of happy customers say they’ll recommend a favorite brand to friends and families.
That also translates to the potential for higher ticket sales and more sold out events. If you’re providing a quality experience they can’t find anywhere else, you’re also going to be able to charge more for tickets.
Our 2023 Event Trends Report found 47% event attendees are willing to pay more for an event if they know they’re going to have a great time.
From a logistical point of view, themes also simplify the party-planning process by steering your decorations, catering menu, drinks, and entertainment.
Best of all, New Year’s Eve party themes are flexible and inclusive. You can adapt them for couples events, family events, charity events, formal gatherings, and everything in between.
Upscale New Year’s Eve party ideas
In the mood for a fancy party? Here are four of our favorite theme ideas for formal events.
To help you decide which idea is the best fit for your New Year’s Eve party, we’ve rated each idea on a scale of one to three based on difficulty, cost, and family-friendliness.
1. NYE fireworks spectacular
Difficulty: 🎆🎆
Cost: 💸💸💸
Family Friendly: 👧👧
New Year’s Eve is virtually synonymous with incredible fireworks displays — which is why this is the perfect party theme for a large outdoor event.
Aim for a Times Square vibe where everyone’s watching the ball drop at midnight. Your entertainment will, of course, revolve around a fireworks display — but you could also hire a live DJ to get a dance party going.
If you want to see how this theme can be done a little differently, check out event creator VIP Nightlife and their Hoboken New Year’s Eve Fireworks Party Cruise 2024 event.
This adults-only event features an open bar, a four-course dinner party, complimentary party favors, a live DJ, and a front-row seat to an amazing fireworks display.
2. Masquerade ball
Difficulty: 🎆🎆🎆
Cost: 💸💸💸
Family Friendly: 👧
A New Year’s Eve masquerade ball is ideal for ballrooms, historic buildings, or large industrial spaces with plenty of room to mingle and dance.
Your decor could include colorful banners or tapestries, medieval bric-a-brac, lots of black and purple, and (of course) fireworks.
Need inspiration? Royal Docks Brewing Co. and their upcoming Formal Royal Masquerade Ball is a great one for your swipe file. With live music, fancy hors d’oeuvres, flowing champagne, and a dress code encouraging glamor and “enigmatic” masks, they definitely understood the assignment.
3. Roaring Twenties
Difficulty: 🎆🎆🎆
Cost: 💸💸💸
Family Friendly: 👧
If you’re looking for a creative party theme that appeals to a wide audience, the Roaring Twenties is the perfect option. TV shows like Peaky Blinders and Boardwalk Empire have brought the prohibition era and Art Deco back into fashion — which means this theme has a built-in audience.
In terms of party entertainment, a swing band or jazz band will fit in perfectly. You could also hire professional dance performers, set up a guest dress code, stage a costume contest, and finish the night with fireworks.
For best practice, look at event creator Archer Hotel Napa’s A Roaring ’20s New Year’s Eve event last year. With casino games, a dessert display, a VIP lounge, a photo booth, and a live band, it turned out to be a winning combination to get guests up and dancing the Charleston until after midnight.
4. Casino night
Difficulty: 🎆🎆🎆
Cost: 💸💸💸
Family Friendly: 👧
If you’re looking for the perfect party theme for an adults-only shindig, go for New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas.
Your Vegas party can draw on inspiration from the 1960s or ’70s. Decorate your space with flashing lights and a palette of reds and blacks, rent casino tables, and bring some professional dealers to create your own Las Vegas casino in your event venue.
If you’re catering, this is a great opportunity to set up a casino-style buffet and festive cocktails.
Want to give your Vegas night something extra? Get inspired by event creator Social Architects – Terry Fraisier and their 12th Annual NYE Casino Night – MARDI GRAS EDITION. With casino games, showgirls, a brass band, and a range of performers on deck, this looks like the sort of event that would wow a crowd in any Las Vegas casino.Unusual New Year’s Eve party ideas
If you’d like to throw a New Year’s party with a bit more character, we’ve got the perfect party ideas to satisfy your quirkier party-goers. Here are a few of our favorites.
5. Scottish Hogmanay
Difficulty: 🎆🎆
Cost: 💸💸
Family Friendly: 👧👧👧
If you’re looking for a quirky party theme that adds a bit of culture to your NYE party, try transporting your guests to the Scottish Highlands. In Scotland, they call New Year’s Eve “Hogmanay,” and it’s one of the year’s biggest celebrations.
This one is great for historic buildings, but you can convert any space into a Scottish castle with the help of some tartans, swords, and medieval bric-a-brac.
For entertainment, hire a local bagpipe band (there’s always one closer than you think), dare your guests to try a bit of Scottish haggis, and finish the night with a champagne toast and a bit of highland dancing.
If you want to see how this theme works in the US, the Scottish American Society of Dunedin threw a New Year’s Eve Hogmanay Party with Seven Nations party in Florida that included Scottish music, dancing, and plenty of champagne.
6. Y2K party
Difficulty: 🎆🎆
Cost: 💸💸💸
Family Friendly: 👧
For an adults-only bash, a Y2K theme is perfect for a large club or a bar. Just aim for decor and pop culture references from the late 1990s, or go all chrome and focus your millennium disco party on Y2K.
Traditional party decorations like balloons, streamers, and even party hats are perfect for this theme.
And for the dress code? In case you’re having trouble remembering 1999 in all its glory, think bucket hats, bandana tops, plastic chokers, knee-high socks, double denim, and tracksuits.
You could also set the scene with cardboard cutouts of A-list celebrities from the late ’90s and early 2000s. You could even stage a costume contest and hand out awards for the best outfits.
The Orpheum and their upcoming Y2K Party are a great example of how to do this theme right. With DJs spinning hits from NSYNC, Destiny’s Child, and Kelly Clarkson — plus Y2K photo backdrops and a Disney Channel party game — this party is nostalgia at its finest.
7. New Year’s Booze Cruise
Difficulty: 🎆🎆🎆
Cost: 💸💸💸
Family Friendly: 👧
Everybody loves a booze cruise, so what better way to ring in the New Year?
Of course, you’ll need access to a yacht, barge, or ferry to facilitate a cruise — or you could partner with a local cruise operator and then stage an after-party at a dockside venue.
Your floating venue will largely take care of the decor. But you can dress it up with streamers, string lights, and bunting. You might also want to incorporate a tour guide offering sightseeing information, a live jazz band, a champagne bar, and some dancing.
For inspiration, look to event creator LUXE Cruises and their New Year’s Eve Fireworks Dinner Cruise on San Francisco Bay event, with a dinner buffet, live DJs, and a front-row seat to the city’s biggest fireworks spectacular.
8. “Last laugh” comedy night
Difficulty: 🎆
Cost: 💸
Family Friendly: 👧👧
At the end of a long year, a lot of us could use a good laugh. That’s why a comedy night makes the perfect theme for a New Year’s Eve party.
Take a look around your local area to see if there are any comedy clubs you could hire out as a venue. If not, any theater or community space with a stage will do.
Your entertainment can then revolve around a line-up of stand-up comedians or set up an open mic for wannabe comics.
If you want to make it family-friendly, aim for an event like the Adam London Laughternoon – Afternoon Comedy Magic Show. With magic, jokes, and a free rubber duck for every guest, this is how you create a comedy show for the whole family.
You can even make this event virtual, featuring comedians and allowing people to participate from all over the world!
Family-friendly New Year’s Eve party ideas
Want to extend a party invitation to families with kids? The little ones might not last until midnight, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be a part of the fun. Here are four of our favorite party themes for New Year’s events with children on the guest list.
9. Winter wonderland
Difficulty: 🎆
Cost: 💸💸
Family Friendly: 👧👧👧
If you’re looking for a fun theme for a family-friendly bash, it’s worth turning your venue into a winter wonderland.
This theme is perfect for a community space or an outdoor venue — think of a ski resort or Disney’s Frozen.
For entertainment, no winter wonderland is complete without a hot chocolate bar for the kids, a champagne tower for the adults, and a bit of live music. You could even set up a snowman-building contest or winter trivia game.
Want to take this theme and elevate it a little? WEE Care Juvenile Success & Community Re-Entry do just that at their Winter Wonderland | Black Tie Charity Gala. Although still focusing on the winter theme, they’ve dressed it up as a black-tie charity event to raise money for a great cause.
10. Silent disco
Difficulty: 🎆
Cost: 💸💸
Family Friendly: 👧👧
A silent disco is the perfect party idea if you’re working with a nightclub or a bar and want to create a unique club experience.
Need help picturing it? Take a look at event creator Vice Hospitality and their upcoming Silent Disco Party on Sunset Boulevard. With a choice of multiple DJs and free headphone rental, this party gives everybody the chance to get down to whatever they want to hear.
But here’s the twist: Make your silent disco a family-friendly affair.
This is a great option for kids with noise sensitivities, as they can control the volume through their headphones (or choose not to wear them). The kids, however, won’t be silent, you can bet!
You could even set up a craft corner, board games, and a quiet space. This is a great event to make alcohol-free as well, if that’s your jam.
11. New Year’s Eve roller skating
Difficulty: 🎆
Cost: 💸💸
Family Friendly: 👧👧👧
Roller skating is an activity that bridges a gap between generations. That’s why it’s the perfect party idea for a family New Year’s event.
Just look at event creator United Skates of America and their Annual Family New Year’s Eve Party. With free roller skate rental, an all-you-can-eat pizza buffet, laser tag, and a confetti explosion to finish off the night, this is one evening with friends that everybody in the family can roll with.
You’ll need to stick to established skating venues or a municipal building with appropriate courts, and you can dress it up fairly cheaply using fun party supplies like streamers, a disco ball, or free confetti poppers.
12. New Year’s scavenger hunt
Difficulty: 🎆🎆
Cost: 💸
Family Friendly: 👧👧👧
Start the new year with a low-key party idea like creating a geo-caching adventure to create a scavenger hunt competition with teams.
This theme is perfect if you’re working with a large community building or an outdoor space. The friendly competition of your scavenger hunt is the main attraction, and you’ll need to make sure it’s well sign-posted or that you’ve got extra event staff to direct the competition with teams and give families hints.
For inspiration, check out event creator Creative Soul Scavenger Hunts and their upcoming The Cat’s Meow Steamboat Springs Scavenger Hunt. With each experience curated differently, the hunt gives families (and their closest friends) a chance to chat with friendly locals, learn about the area, and see all the sights.
Ready to turn your New Year’s Eve party ideas into reality?
Once you’ve explored these party ideas and chosen the best option for your event, it’s time to start thinking about getting things up and running — and that’s where Eventbrite comes in.
With Eventbrite, you can create a searchable event page, identify potential sponsors, create ticket types and VIP experiences, promote your party on social media and via email, check your guests in on the day of, and even sell tickets at the door using the Eventbrite Organizer App.
