With New Year’s Eve around the corner, it is time to start planning a party that your guests are going to remember. When it comes to throwing a bash to welcome in the new year, the key is in the details. It isn’t enough to get buckets of confetti and deck the house out in streamers, you need more than glittery decorations to make your party the talk of the town.

Make sure you have these five essentials to ring in the new year with hope, optimism and good memories.

Champagne

Bubbles and New Years go hand in hand. That is why it should come as no surprise that 25% of all bottles of champagne purchased annually are bought in the week before New Year’s Eve. A whopping 360 million glasses of champagne will be drunk over the holiday period.

Give your guests what they want and ensure you have several bottles of popular champagne brands to hand.

A Seasonal Cocktail

Inevitably, not all of your guests will want champagne. As tantalizing as a glass of bubbly is, it is not to everyone’s taste.

As another option, have a seasonal cocktail ready. A winter sangria, loaded with fresh fruit, cinnamon, red wine and orange juice is a hit. Alternatively, mulled wine is always a winter favorite, as is warm cider.

Music

Plan your music out ahead of time so that you are free to enjoy the evening and don’t have to keep rushing to your phone to change the song. Make a playlist that matches the mood of your party and let it run throughout the night.

If you want to take your music to the next level, try and anticipate people’s mood. If you know people are arriving at 9 pm, start the playlist with some light music that will encourage mingling and conversation. Then let the music build with faster and more celebratory numbers as midnight approaches.

Props

New Year’s Eve is a time to let loose. That doesn’t mean donning paper hats and noisemakers. In the age of social media and Instagram, silly paper wearables like moustaches, glasses, bow ties and lips are always a sure-fire way to get people in the spirit of New Year. They also encourage your guests to take photos to capture the moment, offering memories that will stick around long after the morning hangover has worn off.

Disposable Containers

If you are serving food, ensuring you have plenty of disposable containers that people can take leftovers home in is a must. Party hosts always end up left with a gargantuan clean-up job in the morning. Their refrigerators and freezers end up full of leftovers, much of which simply goes to waste when it can’t be devoured in time.

Giving your guests leftovers to take home in plastic containers is a great way to save time cleaning up in the morning and portioning out food. It is also a good way to cut down on food waste.

Make these five components a feature of your New Year’s party and give your guests a New Year’s to remember.