Countdown to 2018 - hosting the perfect New Year's Eve party

Christmas is almost upon us (don't say you haven't noticed?) and 2017 is waning. It’s time to turn our attention to welcoming 2018.

And if you’re not all ‘partied out’ – now’s the time to think about what you're going to do if you’re thinking of hosting your own New Year’s Eve party. It's a great way to see in the New Year - and 1 January is a public holiday, so you do get a chance to have a 'lie in' and recover (unless you are one of those who has to work that day - in which case we salute you!).

We love a good party at Larkfleet Homes, so we have come up with ten ideas to give you a helping hand with your festive party planning:

1. Use soft, warm lighting to create a welcoming atmosphere. You could use low wattage bulbs with warm colours. Why not get changing colour lightbulbs that come with their own remote control to help you change the mood?
2. Light a scented candle and leave it in the loo so your guests don’t have to fumble around in the dark looking for the light switch. 
3. Use table cloths sprinkled with festive confetti and add matching place mats to protect the cloth and the table underneath from drinks glasses.
4. It’s perhaps the hardest night of the year to get a cab so make sure you have plenty of taxi company numbers to hand.
5. Be prepared to put up guests who can’t get home. Have inflatable beds and pillows to hand – just in case.
6. Make sure you have a large clock visible so that you don’t miss the countdown to 2018.
7. Why not try something a little different? Celebrate the midnight chimes the Spanish way. Get your guests 12 grapes each. Pop a grape into your mouth for every ‘bong’ from Big Ben until they are all gone.
8. Make sure you have plenty of party poppers and streamers to make your party go with a bang. And you could have some fireworks as well!
9. Be flexible with how much food you prepare. If you are having a small gathering put together a full meal for your guests. You can be creative with your menu. If you are welcoming plenty of guests, opt for a range of sweet and savoury bites to allow your guests to eat as much as they like. 
10. Use an online streaming service to create a music playlist. Tailor it to the range of guests at your party. If most of the guests at your party are friends of a similar age, then of course it is hard to resist cramming the playlist full of nostalgic tunes from your youth. Or you could stick on the telly and have a New Year’s Eve party or Jools Holland’s Hootenanny on in the background.

Happy New Year!