If you want to throw a New Year’s Eve party that will go down in history, you have to be creative and willing to go the extra mile to bring a thoughtful theme to life. Not sure where to start? Here are the top 10 great ways that you can ring in the New Year…

10 – Throw a Casino Night & Party

Have you ever wanted to be the big shot at a casino, with patrons watching your every move as you win bet after bet? Well, by ringing in the New Year with a casino night party, your dream can finally come true—and it’ll be a lot less risky if you’re not as lucky as you thought.

9 – Throw a Dreaming of Times Square Party

So, you couldn’t make it to Times Square to ring in the new year. That doesn’t mean you can’t still party like you’re in the Big Apple. Celebrate the big night with a Dreaming of Times Square party!

There are plenty of ways that you can work New York, New York into your food and drinks. For instance, you can set out apples and caramel dip as an hors d’oeuvre, or stock your fridge with hard apple cider & sparkling apple cider for the kids to represent The Big Apple. You can decorate cookies or cupcakes with the Statue of Liberty, taxicabs, and “I<3 NY” designs. For the main dish, nothing speaks to New York more than a buffet of thin crust pizza and deli sandwiches.

8 – Ring in the New Year with an Elegant Masquerade Ball

If you want to ring in the new year with a touch of mystery and wonder, throw an elegant and mysterious masquerade ball! For your decorations, stick to black and jewel tones—sapphire (dark blue), garnet (dark red), emerald (green), etc.—along with silver accents. Send out fancy invitations that will simultaneously inform guests of the dress code: everyone should dress in formal attire, and all must don a mask before entering the party. You can either prepare a bin of masks before the festivities—which guests can choose from upon arrival—or you can request that they provide their own.

7 – Celebrate with a Decade Party of Your Choosing

Ten years is a long time; definitely long enough to form something to celebrate. If there’s a particular decade that speaks to you, throw a party that will transport you and your guests back in time! Here are a few ideas:

• 50s: throw an old school rock n roll party. Think classic cars, jukeboxes, drive-in movies, etc.
• 60s: throw a groovy tie-dye party. Think lots of tie-dye, peace signs, flower power, etc.
• 70s: throw a disco party. Think colourful disco balls, bell-bottom pants, afro wigs, etc.
• 80s: throw a glam rock party. Think neon colours, vintage video games, big hair, etc.

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6 – Indulge in a Pre-Resolution Party

If you’re constantly making New Year’s Eve resolutions that revolve around you becoming a healthier, more motivated version of yourself—no matter how much you end up regretting your decision—this New Year’s Eve party idea is perfect for you: a pre-resolution party. Instead of spending all night dreading the loss of what you’re going to give up in the new year, invite your friends and family over for a night of complete and total indulgence. Cook up all of your favourite fried foods, buy a whole cheesecake from your favourite restaurant (you know, the one that’s more than 1,000 calories a slice,) and serve up as many alcoholic beverages your guests can drink.

5 – Host A “Best of 2016” Party

So much happened in 2016. Not all of it was good—I know. But there are a lot of good things worth celebrating, too. End this year of ups and downs on a positive note by throwing a “Best of 2016” party. Here are a few memories that you can work into your decorations, food/drink inspirations, costume clothing, etc.:

• The Chicago Cubs finally won the World Series.
• Leo DiCaprio finally got his Oscar.
• The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro were awesome.
• The breakthrough success of the Ice Bucket Challenge.
• The rise of Pokemon Go (and how it motivated video gamers).
• We were blessed with another Harry Potter book.

4 – Throw a Blacklight Party

For a successful blacklight party, request that all guests come in all white, or other light coloured clothing. Pass out glow sticks, glow stick accessories, and rainbow glasses upon their arrival for an added layer of fun. For snacks, serve up cupcakes with white icing, or neutral coloured foods that will give off a glow (hummus, cheese dip, or even bananas if you want to provide a healthy option.) For drinks, make ice cubes out of tonic water, or buy some glow-in-the-dark straws/stirrers to give cocktails an intriguing glow.

3 – Celebrate the Chinese New Year Early!

Here in the States, we follow the Gregorian calendar, and our New Year is roughly a month earlier than it is in China. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t celebrate the Chinese New Year a bit early this year. Clean your home prior to the festivities, that way your home is ready for the good luck to enter with your guests. Decorate with lots of red and gold tones, work in pictures/figurines of the zodiac animal for the coming year, and place a bowl of mandarin oranges (with their leaves still intact) at the centre of your table for good luck. The oranges should be in an even quantity, and if they get eaten, make sure it’s in sets of twos!

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2 – Throw a Going-Green Party

With an eco-friendly party, not only will you be doing the environment a favour, but you might even inspire your guests to create some forward-thinking resolutions for the new year. First, focus on eliminating waste. Secondly, if you’re going to include a photo booth as a part of the festivities, switch out throw-away props with cool items you already have laying around your house. Cat ear headbands and wigs from old Halloween costumes, diffraction glasses from the Fourth of July, books, musical instruments, and corded telephones are all good options.

1 – Get Your Drink On with a Champagne Mixology Party

Drinking is always a big part of New Year’s Eve parties, but with this theme, you won’t have to wait until midnight to pop the bubbly—you can drink it all night long. With a champagne mixology party, you and a few of your close friends can have an eventful night experimenting with champagne cocktails.