How to Have a Casual New Year's Eve
by Lianamar Dávila Sanabria
08.24.2010
New Year’s Eve is made out to be this big media spectacle with the elaborate ball-dropping celebrations in numerous cities around the world. But in reality, who wants to be that up-close-and-personal with total strangers and, in some cities, turning into human popsicles in below freezing weather? Having a more casual and laid-back New Year’s Eve celebration sounds like a better idea any day, well at least to us. Here are a few ideas on how to throw together a more low-key New Year’s Eve get-together.
What to eat for a casual New Year’s Eve?
You can never go wrong with finger foods and chips and salsa, but sometimes people would actually enjoy eating a full meal at a soiree, especially when it comes to New Year’s Eve. An advantage to having a simple event at your home is being able to make it a potluck and ask guests to bring their favorite foods to share with everyone. Also, getting a local restaurant to cater the event is a much less complicated alternative to having to be in a kitchen all day.
What to wear on a casual New Year’s Eve?
Since you’re not going to a fancy-schmancy event, try to keep the sequined dresses and black-tie suits in your closet for the night. But this doesn’t mean you can’t look elegant and festive on a casual New Year’s Eve. Don’t feel confined to silver, gold and any other shimmery variation. One of the main reasons you’d choose a casual New Year’s party is just so you can wear whatever you desire. So do just that, but try to keep it classy.
What to do for entertainment on a casual New Year’s Eve?
Try something new and give a local cover band a chance to rock out at your party. Just make sure you actually listen to their music before hiring them. Don’t forget a karaoke machine, everyone loves karaoke – especially when alcohol is involved. Many radio stations have their in-house DJ available for events and having a local celebrity DJ at your party is pretty cool in anyone’s book. If you don’t have the budget for this, you can always resort to an iTunes playlist.
Where to have a casual New Year’s Eve?
Don’t just limit yourself to hosting something at your home. If space is available, you could even plan something with neighbors and host a neighborhood New Year’s Eve block party. For those who are lucky enough to live in a coastal community with nice year-round weather, you can never go wrong with a shindig under the starry skies. If not, there’s sure to be a local community center you can rent out.