15 Rockin' New Years Eve Party Ideas

Resolve to make your party a hit! Browse this ideas gallery for tips on how to mix up delectable drinks, throw a Hollywood-themed bash, go wild with an animal print party and more – with cocktail recipes, menu suggestions and decorating tips. You'll want plenty of hats and noisemakers to go around, so choose a party kit based on your number of guests. Shop below and at Party City stores to get the party started!

Go for a nostalgic celebration by planning a movie party with New Year's flicks like About a Boy, Meet John Doe, Sunset Boulevard and Sleepless in Seattle. Choose a pattern inspired by old Hollywood glamour like Black Tie Affair, with top hats, champagne coupes and noisemakers in gold and silver. Serve light fare like seasoned popcorn, salty-sweet kettle corn and parmesan puffs. Last but not least, get the champagne flowing and you're set!

When the ball is dropping, be ready for popping! For a chic display, serve the bubbly on a silver tray garnished with decorative pearls in different colors and sizes. To make the classic champagne cocktail, soak a sugar cube in two dashes of bitters and drop into a glass of champagne or sparkling wine. Cheers!

The fun starts when the ball drops! Along with the bubbly, serve trays of shots in mini glasses:

Kahlua Shots: 2 oz. Kahlua, 2 splashes sweet vermouth. Shake with ice, strain, serve. Top with whipped cream and chocolate espresso beans.
Raspberry Lemon Drop: 1 oz. citron vodka, 1 oz. triple sec, 1 oz. raspberry liquor. Shake with ice. Rim glasses with lemon juice and fine sugar. Strain and serve.
Vodka Shots: Straight shots of black vodka such as Blavod.

And that's just for starters – explore the mini barware page for more mini glasses and serve your own favorite shots!

Shake things up with an animal print party. Let your wild side come out to play with foods like spicy sushi rolls and pink-frosted cupcakes. The Sparkling Clover Club is the perfect cocktail: Combine 1-1/2 oz. gin, 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice and 2 tsp. raspberry syrup in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, then strain into champagne coupes. Top with pink champagne and garnish with fresh raspberries.

Want a new year filled with passion and daring? Set the tone with a sexy pink drink!

Combine 2 oz. peach schnapps, 2 oz. Tequila Rose strawberry cream liqueur and two splashes of cranberry juice in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake, pour into a martini glass and top with a splash of lemon-lime soda. Garnish with a twist of lemon and a raspberry on a puff pick.

Let go of the bitter past and toast to a sweet new start! To make this clever concoction, fill goblets with a generous pinch of cotton candy and have a tray ready for when the ball drops. At midnight, gather everyone around, pop the bubbly, pour... and watch what happens! Use pink champagne for an extra-special sipper.

Dish out some midnight breakfast and party until the break of dawn! Serve Belgian waffles with fresh berries and whipped cream, or go savory with scrambled eggs, lox and bagels served on bright New Year's plates. Breakfast isn't complete without some OJ, so pour some tangerine mimosas to complete the meal! Fill flutes with 2 oz. tangerine juice, top with 3 oz. champagne and garnish with raspberries.

Out with the old and in with the blue – serve up an unexpected bright neon refresher that's perfect for cruising into the new year.

Combine 2 oz. vodka, 1/4 oz. lemon juice, 1/2 oz. Hpnotiq liqueur and 1 oz. white cranberry juice. Mix in a shaker with ice. Serve in champagne glasses garnished with lemon rind and a matching puff pick. Here's to a bright future!

Create black-tie ambience by hanging strings of white lights all around and decorating the table with top hats, Happy New Year crackers and silver-and-gold fringed horns. Bold square chargers topped with themed plates match the mood. For a colorful and pretty effect, serve a variety of bubbly champagne varietals in different hues. Simply lovely!

When the ball is dropping, wow everyone with a drink that glows in the dark! Wait until you're ready to serve to combine the ingredients. Fill each tumbler with one part pink lemonade from concentrate, 6 parts tonic water and 1 part gin or vodka. Turn out the lights and turn on a black light, and the quinine in the tonic water glows neon pink. To extend the theme, serve with neon drink stirrers and hand out glow sticks.

If you'd like to host a more formal sit-down dinner, dress up the room with a silver and gold color scheme. Bold round metallic chargers handsomely frame a variety of New Years-themed plates. You can also place a charger under the centerpiece to tie in with the rest of the tablescape. Create drama with hanging decorations to match, and sprinkle confetti to add sparkle. Just the place to laugh and talk all night!

Holiday flavors abound in this festive drink with hints of vanilla, hazelnut, butterscotch, ginger and cinnamon. Serves beautifully on a gold tray brimming with New Year's confetti.

Combine 1 oz. vanilla vodka, 1 oz. hazelnut liqueur, 1/2 oz. butterscotch schnapps and 2 oz. ginger beer in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and serve on the rocks. Garnish with a cinnamon stick. Spirited and spicy!

We're taking our New Year's Eve party to the tropics with this Cuban-style fiesta! Serve medianoche sandwiches with Swiss cheese, roasted pork, ham and pickles, plus plantain chips and cigar cookies on festive New Year's celebration tableware. Your tropical cocktail? Champagne Mojitos! Muddle 6 mint leaves, 2 slices lime and 2 tsp. brown sugar in a cocktail shaker. Add 1-1/2 oz. rum, then fill the glass with ice and stir. Top with 3 oz. champagne and garnish with fresh mint and a lime wheel. Salud!

Delight in this decadent martini that marries warming spirits with rich chocolate syrup. Drizzle chocolate syrup on the inside of a martini glass. Combine 1/2 oz. vanilla vodka, 1/2 oz. Kahlua, 1/2 oz. Irish cream liqueur, 1/2 oz. chocolate liqueur and 1/2 oz. half and half in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake and serve. Garnish with a mint sprig and present to guests with celebratory beverage napkins. Enjoy early – those resolutions kick in at midnight!