When it comes to New Year’s Eve parties, there are three basic types. The first one is the loud and rowdy party that generally ends up getting shut down by the police just after midnight. The second is the one that people are barely awake at midnight. The last one is the kind that no one gets too drunk or loud and rings in the New Year the right way. I, Mark Roemer, suggest that you shoot for the last one. This is the party that everyone will talk about because they will neither be too drunk or too tired to remember the night. There is an art to throwing a New Year’s Eve party, and I am going to share with you how to do this.
As a landlord, I am familiar with apartment etiquette as well as dealing with less than ideal conditions to throw your party. By this, I am talking about small apartments. If you want to throw a party at your residence, it doesn’t bother me. When everything is done right, your neighbors nor I will be mad at you the next day. However, if you throw that first party that I listed, you will likely have to deal with a less than cordial landlord or neighbors the next day.
As I said, option one is pretty much out of the question when you are living in an apartment complex, especially with neighbors. Option two is only useful if you had to perform manual labor all day or over 80 years old. For the purposes of this blog, we are going to focus on party option number three. It seems like a happy medium.
Start Time
When it comes to New Year’s Eve parties, it is all about the timing. You want your guests to have enough time to make their rounds in the room, but not enough time to become bored. For this reason, I suggest that you don’t start your party until around 9 pm. This will give you and your guests approximately three hours to make friends with each other. It will also ensure that you and your guests are not overtired when it comes time for the ball to drop in your hometown. I know that everyone focuses on the ball that falls in Times Square, but not everyone is on east coast time. There are several significant celebrations across the country, and your local news will no doubt have coverage of it. If you absolutely must watch the Times Square, the event is syndicated across the country. Tune in to your local channel and celebrate the New Year as if you were in New York.
The added benefit of starting later is you can have your guest stick around after the ball has dropped if they choose to. The other two parties do not have this option. In scenario one, they are going to be asked to disperse by the police. In the second, they will want to leave so they can go home and go to sleep. Starting the party later allows people to catch a quick nap ahead of time and party on into the night.
Television
It has become a tradition for most parties to watch the ball drop in Times Square. For this, I suggest that you leave the tv on. Your local news will start broadcasting around 8 pm, and you can watch different cities celebrating the New Year as it hits their time zone. Remember, the television does not have to be loud. If you choose, you can even mute it. Either way, it gives people a sense of time if they don’t have a watch or you don’t have a clock where they can see it.
Music
All good parties should have some music. For this, you are going to want to plan a playlist. I would suggest that you keep the music neutral unless you know what kind of music all your friends like and don’t like. Some songs transcend music preference, and they are quite easy to find. All you need to do is look up some great party songs on YouTube or the search engine of your choice.
When designing your playlist, you need to keep in mind how the evening is going to go. When your guests first arrive, they will be a little loud as they greet each other. These songs should be just background noise that does not interfere too much. As the night progresses, people tend to get a little more excited. The songs you play during this time should mimic this emotion. They are known as rising songs. They are designed in such a way to get people more and more excited as the night goes on. Once midnight has hit, you can slow the music back down. After the ball drops, people will naturally begin to unwind. Having music that relaxes them will put them in the mood to leave. Not that you want them to go, but the music is an indicator that it is ok to leave when you are ready.
Cab Companies
No matter how well you plan, there is always going to be someone that overindulges in the adult beverages. Make sure that you have the number to a cab company on standby. Short of that, it would be best if you were prepared to get your friend home safely. Whether you or one of the other party-goers drives them is up to you. Taxis are the safest way to get someone back if you don’t want people to leave your party to take them.
Conclusion
At the end of the night, there must be nothing you have to apologize for in the New Year. I, Mark Roemer, hope that I have provided you with a sound plan to make the best of New Year’s in your small apartment. Don’t be afraid to share this with friends that you know are going to be hosting a party of their own. I wish you a happy, safe, healthy, and prosperous New Year.