How to Throw an Over-the-Top NewYear’s Eve Party on a Budget
Quick! What’s the first thing youthink of when you hear the words “ultimate New Year’s Evecelebration”? I bet you’re thinking of Times Square in New YorkCity. You’re imagining colorful confetti fluttering around and thelights from giant billboards twinkling in the night sky while youwatch the Black Eyed Peas rock out on stage in front of you. Soundsfun, right? I’m sure it is. But celebrating New Year’s Eve inTimes Square also has its negatives; it’s cold, crowded, and ifyou’re an out-of-towner, very expensive. So, you want to hear thegood news? You don’t need to fly your whole family to NYC in orderto celebrate New Year’s in an over-the-top and exciting way. Hereare some ideas for how to bring the thrill of Times Square to yourown home without breaking the bank!
1) Set the scene. Get crafty!
Part of what makes Times Square specialis its display of colorful billboards. To get that effect in yourhome, gather any movie, band, or sports posters you have around thehouse and use them to cover the walls of your family room. Try tofill up as much of the wall space as possible, from floor to ceiling! You can also get the kids involved and create your own billboards bymaking collages of ads and pictures from old magazines on posterboard. Another inexpensive way to capture the fun chaos of TimesSquare is to fill the room with helium balloons that cover the entireceiling!
2) Recreate the big city lights byreusing your Christmas decorations in creative ways.
Bring the city lights to your home byfeaturing decorations that are bright and shiny. A thrifty way to dothis is to use your leftover Christmas supplies. Put table cloths onthe flat surfaces in the room and sprinkle glitter all over them. Place colorful, round ornaments in different-sized glass bowls andarrange the bowls on the tables. Take Christmas ribbon and wind itaround chair legs, and cut up leftover wrapping paper to use asconfetti for midnight. Finally, place tea light candles intomismatched wine glasses and then pour extra holiday candy like M&Msor small peppermints around the candles. This is a creative way tolight up the room, just make sure nobody knocks the glasses over!
3) Check out the dollar store forparty favors.
Festive party favors like New Year’sEve hats and noisemakers can be bought for low prices at your localdollar store. Making your own noisemakers is an option too,especially if you’re looking for an activity the kids can do tostay busy during the party. An easy idea is to take empty toiletpaper rolls, fill them with uncooked rice, and then cover them inconstruction paper or leftover Christmas wrapping paper. Secure thewrapping paper with clear tape and then decorate the noisemakers withstickers or glitter!
4) Be your own DJ.
Make a rocking musical playlist on youriPod or computer! If you want to feel like you’re at the TimesSquare concerts, play only music from artists who are performingthere this year. You can also give the kids a chance to play DJ andpick out a few songs themselves!
5) Serve small bites of Big Applestyle cuisine.
A popular way to save money on NewYear’s Eve is to serve appetizers instead of a full dinner. Youcan even make the party food fit your Times Square theme by choosingpopular New York staples like pizza (cut into small pieces), buffalowings with blue cheese, pastrami on rye finger sandwiches, bagelbites with cream cheese, and mini hot dogs served with barbeque sauceand ketchup. Set the food up on your decorated table for no fussfeeding!
6) Get the kids involved—make yourown Times Square ball to drop.
Don’t forget the most iconic part ofa Times Square New Year’s Eve bash—the countdown to the balldropping! Of course you can watch this event on TV, but why not alsomake your own ball to drop when the clock strikes twelve? A simpleway to do this is to glue shiny sequins or tiny craft mirrors onto aStyrofoam ball. Then push a chenille stem or some floral wire intothe ball and secure it with tacks to the ceiling. This is anotherfun activity for kids to do during the party!
Follow these tips and you’ll be onyour way to throwing a budget friendly New Year’s Eve party thatyour friends and family won’t be able to stop talking about!
This article waswritten by Eileen Sather, who works for a company that sells adultcostumes, with accessories and clothes perfect for any festiveparty.
