What to Bring to a New Year's Eve Party (Yes, Including the Bottle)

Every December I get the same message from guests. They want to know what to bring to a New Year's Eve party, and most of them are really asking one thing: is a bottle of something a good gift for the host?

Short answer: yes, and I'll tell you exactly which bottle. Long answer: you don't need to bring anything at all. Let me explain both.

You Don't Actually Have to Bring Anything

I never ask my guests to bring something. I want it to be as easy as possible for people to say yes and show up. A potluck is great when that's the plan, but for a normal New Year's Eve party, the fewer things standing between someone and my front door, the better.

Here's what I actually tell people when they ask:

So, if somebody asks, "Hey, oh my god, I'd love to come. What can I bring?" Then I say, "Absolutely nothing is required, but if you want, a bottle or a can of something that you would drink." That makes it easy for somebody not to feel obligated that they have to bring something.

That's it. Nothing is required. I think being invited to a party is already a gift, whether you show up with a bottle or with empty hands.

So don't stress about this part. But if you want to bring something anyway, and most people do, here's how to pick it.

The Best Bottle to Bring

A bottle of something you'd actually drink is the easiest gift at a New Year's Eve party. It works whether the host is your best friend or someone you're meeting for the first time.

Here's how I'd break down the price and the pick:

• $12 to $20: Prosecco or cava. This is the safe, crowd-pleasing choice. It fits the night, since there's a good chance someone pours bubbles at midnight anyway, and it's not expensive enough to feel like a statement.
• $25 to $45: A real bottle of champagne. Something like Veuve Clicquot or Moet sits right in this range. Bring this for a host you know well, or for a party where you want to stand out a little.
• $20 to $35: A solid bottle of wine. Good for a host who you know prefers wine to bubbles, or for a smaller, quieter night instead of a big countdown party.
• $30 and up: A bottle of the host's favorite spirit. Only do this if you actually know what they drink. Good tequila or bourbon for someone who mixes cocktails all night is a great gift. For a host you barely know, it's a guess.

If You Don't Know the Host at All

Say yes to the party. Bring the prosecco. That's genuinely the whole strategy.

You're not trying to guess a stranger's favorite whiskey. You're bringing something for the table that fits the night, at a price low enough that it never reads as an attempt to impress anyone.

If You'd Rather Bring Food

Some hosts want a hand with snacks more than a bottle. If yours does, keep it simple. You want food a guest can eat one-handed, with a drink in the other hand, without needing a plate.

My go-to list:

• Baby carrots
• Hummus
• Guacamole
• Chips
• Salted nuts
• A cheese plate
• Grapes

Nothing here needs a fork or a trip back to the kitchen. That's the whole point.

A Few Things to Skip

A couple of things make a host's night harder instead of easier.

Don't bring an uninvited plus-one. If you want to bring a date or a friend, ask the host first, even at a big party. A New Year's Eve guest list often has a hard cap.

Skip anything that needs the host's oven or stovetop right before midnight. Their kitchen is busy enough already. If you want to bring food, pick something ready to eat straight out of the container.

And leave the confetti cannons and glitter at home unless the host asked for them. They're fun for five seconds, and then somebody's vacuuming glitter out of the couch in February.

How to Be a Great Guest Once You're There

Bringing the right bottle gets you through the door. What you do after that matters more.

I'd rather show up early to a party than late, and I've got two reasons for it:

I prefer to show up to a party early rather than late and I'll tell you why. Two main reasons: number one, you get more quality time with the host if you show up early.

The second reason is you get to watch the party build around you instead of walking into a loud, crowded room as an outsider. The host is calmer before the room fills up, so you actually get to talk with them instead of getting a wave from across the kitchen.

Once you're in, look for small ways to help. Ask if the host wants a hand serving drinks. Offer to take some candid photos, since hosts almost never remember to do this at their own party. If cups and plates start piling up, clear a few. And if you notice someone standing alone, bring them into your group.

That last one has an easy trick. When you walk up to join a conversation:

If you walk up to a group and you wanna join it, simply say, please continue. Don’t make them feel like they have to go around and everybody introduce themselves. Just join the group. Say, please continue.

Two words, and you're in. No awkward round of introductions required.

If small talk with strangers isn't your strong suit, these conversation topics will get you through the countdown without an awkward silence.

Games to Play Before (or After) Midnight

Once the toast is done, a good group game keeps the night going. These are my favorites for a mixed group of adults:

• Charades. An all-time classic. Get your best miming game on.
• Pictionary. Draw it if you can. Artistic skill is not required.
• Two Truths and a Lie. Everyone shares three statements about themselves, two true and one false. The group guesses the lie.
• Who Am I? Stick a celebrity's name on each person's forehead. They ask yes-or-no questions to figure out who they are.
• Mafia. A deck of cards is all you need. The mafia eliminates someone at night, and the villagers try to catch them by day.

If half the room hasn't met before, start with an icebreaker instead of jumping straight to Mafia. It gives people something easy to talk about before you ask them to lie to each other's faces.

Hosting Instead? A Quick New Year's Eve Checklist

If you're the one throwing the party this year, the guest questions above matter less than getting the basics right. Here's a short checklist:

• Send invitations early. People book up their New Year's Eve plans fast. RSVPs through Mixily make it easy to see who's actually coming.
• Send a reminder a few days out, and again the morning of. A short reminder message works better than a long one.
• Stock up on supplies before the stores get picked over. This supply list covers what you actually need.
• Plan a midnight moment. A toast, a countdown, something everyone does together at 12:00.
• Label your bathroom and trash cans. This sounds small. It isn't.

I learned that last one the hard way, at somebody else's party.

I went to this New Year's Eve party at a billionaire's house and I snuck up from dinner to go to the bathroom. I'm opening up guest room doors, I'm walking into... because all the doors look alike and they're closed, I had no idea where the dang bathroom was.

Even a beautiful, expensive house is confusing to a guest who's never been inside it before.

Put up a little simple handwritten sign on a note card: Trash Can, Bathroom, stuff like that.

It takes two minutes, and it saves every guest from opening five closed doors looking for the toilet at 11:55pm.

This page is about the guest side of a New Year's Eve party specifically. For general "what to bring" ideas outside the holiday, this guide covers more ground.

FAQ

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