If you’re hosting a New Year’s party, you’ll want to make sure it’s a memorable one for your guests – and yourself. Here are some tips on hosting a bash that will set the stage for a fabulous 2025.

Establish a dress code
While you may not want to go fully black-tie formal, sweatpants and hoodies don’t exactly set the party mood. Figure out the right balance and let your guests know how to dress ahead of time.

Party like it’s 2025
Your guests are going to want to share the pictures from your big soiree. Make it easy by printing out a guest password so they can easily access your Wi-Fi. You can also put out extra chargers for guests to top up their phones. If you have a printer like the HP Envy 6100 series, guests can send photos directly from their phones to print onsite as an added takeaway.

Plan activities
Party games are great icebreakers to help strangers get to know each other. Classics like charades, 20 Questions or “two truths and a lie” will get the party started.

Another option, particularly for family gatherings, is to have some age-appropriate activity sheets. HP Printables, for example, feature a variety of seasonal colouring sheets, puzzles or games for guests of all ages that are free and easy to print at home.

Eat, drink and be merry
For a small group, you might want to organize a sit-down dinner. But for a larger gathering, finger foods are best. To make it easier and cost-effective, consider asking your guests to bring a potluck item.

For drinks, make sure you have ice, mix for cocktails and some non-alcoholic drink options available.

Set up your countdown
You don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute trying to figure out how your guests will count down the end of the year. Will you watch one of the televised ball drops? Or will you just gather together and count down the year as a group? Whatever your plan, set a timer to remind you to start getting organized about 30 minutes before midnight.

Note that for younger children, there are online countdowns you can use so they can celebrate the New Year without having to stay up to midnight.