5 Essential Tips to Plan a Virtual New Year’s Party

Gathering with your friends and family has become nothing short of an obstacle this year. And now, believe it or not, it’s almost time to ring in the New Year! With the pandemic still in full force, it’s time to start thinking about how you’re going to celebrate virtually this year. And even though it’s disappointing not to be able to gather with friends to ring in the new year, there are still some great ways to throw a virtual party to celebrate.

Here are five of our favorite best ways to plan a virtual New Year’s Eve get-together:

Figure out who’s attending

Just like any other event or holiday you plan, you’ll want to start with deciding on what guests you choose to invite. Evidently, NYE is a busy night for everyone and it can be one of the tougher times to get someone to commit to plans, so the earlier, the better! Luckily, since most people will be at home this year, it may allow for more people to log-on online to get together.

With still over a few weeks left to go, send online invitations to your friends, or simply communicate with them to see who’s interested in having some drinks, playing some games, and even catching up with friends you haven’t talked to all year. This is your chance to be creative as well! Feel free to include details of the night ahead to create some excitement. Tease some activities, layout a theme for the night (if there is one), and even leave a note about bringing their drink of choice to the party. Creating some buzz ahead of your virtual party will surely get your friends excited to celebrate.

Spruce up your background

If you are going to be confined to your square virtual window for New Year’s this year, you might as well decorate it a bit to get into the 2021 spirit! Your background can be the thing to set the mood and the more effort you put into it, the better your party will be. New Year-themed wall hangings, confetti, and so much more are just some fun items you can include in your background and make it really feel like you’re entering a new year. Check out your local store to grab some novelty items for your party.

If going to the store and purchasing some decor isn’t your thing, there are still ways around it. Try searching around your home for some colorful and fun things to add to your background. Unique items can even lead to conversation and talking points so be creative and make it yours!

For last-minute planners or attendees, you can even explore virtual backgrounds that apps like Zoom and FaceTime offer. These platforms will surely offer NYE-themed backgrounds or you can create a custom one yourself.

Decide on entertainment for the night

In order to keep the good times flowing, it’s important to have a plan of attack for the night in order to keep your guests engaged and having a good time. This means figuring out what kind of entertainment you want to schedule for the night, what time, and what’s needed from your friends on the other end of the call. The possibilities are truly endless when it comes to this as there are so many fun things to do online. Here are some of our favorites:

Have a trivia night: Depending on the number of guests, start organizing into teams, and get ready for a game of virtual trivia. Questions can be about anything 2020 and beyond! A great way to put your and your friends’ knowledge to the test.
Share New Year’s resolutions: Everyone surely has something they want to work on, and if you’re feeling inspired, and go around and share what you’re focusing on in 2021! Maybe your friends can even help you stay focused on achieving it!
Compile a photo slideshow: A year in review is always a great walk down memory lane, so creating a photo compilation of your year will surely have smiles on everyone’s faces. Don’t forget to tell your friends to submit photos as well so it’s a collaborative effort!

Have fun with food and drink

Even though there’s no need to gather goods for an in-person New Year’s party, there are still ways to get creative with your food and drink. One idea is to create a “virtual menu.” Come up with a list of foods, snacks, and drinks that everyone should bring so that it feels like you’re physically together. This doesn’t have to be elaborate either! Go with something easy so it doesn’t stress out your guests.

Another idea when it comes to drinks is to either have a wine tasting activity or tell everyone to bring their favorite cocktail with a recipe. Coordinate with your guests to gather the same brands of wine and have a taste-off! Nothing like discovering something new for the New Year! For the latter, have a show-and-tell for cocktails. Talk about everyone’s, how to make them, etc.

Something to keep in mind as you plan as well is online delivery services and how they can help out (especially with food and drink). Forgot your bottle of champagne to pop at midnight? Get your alcohol of choice delivered in minutes. Run of out snacks right before the ball drops? They can help with that too. Since everyone will be celebrating on their own, tell your friends too so they can take advantage of the convenience!

Create a virtual atmosphere

Last but not least, it’s important to create a virtual environment at your virtual party. Obviously, this can be a tough thing to replicate via Zoom or FaceTime but there are some easy ways to create a “feeling” with the biggest being music. Throwing on a playlist in your virtual room can be a great way to break the ice and little bits of awkwardness that naturally come with virtual settings.

Be sure to keep it to a low volume however so you’re guests can still chat and mingle all while listening to the sweet tunes. There’s never been a better moment to throw on a “Best of 2020” playlist to relive the year’s best hits!

As you make your final preparations and plans in the upcoming weeks, be sure to keep all of these things in mind so that you and your friends have the best party possible. With that said, have fun and Happy New Year!