How to Throw a New Year’s Eve Party in Your Student Apartment

Parties are a major part of the college experience — and no time of year is more important to have a party than New Year’s Eve. You can throw a successful party for your friends with these helpful tips.

1. Have Plenty of Beverages and Snacks

Guests may bring some food and drinks, but you need to have enough anyway. This is crucial to keep the party going until midnight and beyond. You may like to experiment with some new recipes and cocktails to keep things interesting. However, if you don’t have much time, you could always order a few pizzas at some point in the night.

2. Make a Playlist in Advance

Instead of relying on ready-made party playlists, make your own. Choose music you know guests will love, including some songs that are great for karaoke. Consider the order of your playlist — starting out fun, building up the energy, and finally signalling to guests that it’s time to think about going home.

3. Choose a Theme

Make your party one to remember by giving it a theme. Roaring 20s is a particularly popular idea for this year, but you could also base the theme on your hopes for next year or on saying goodbye to this year. Your party could be classy (such as brunch at midnight) or you could keep things casual with a pajama party.

4. Find Some Games to Play

No one wants to be remembered for throwing a boring party. You can ensure it doesn’t happen to you by coming up with some games to play. It’s best of all if you put a spin on some classics to make them match your theme.

5. Prepare the Space

Make sure there’s enough room for all your guests as well as sufficient seating. Push your furniture to the edges of the room and remove anything that could be damaged. Designate one area to food, another to dancing or playing games, and another for sitting and talking.

6. Change the Lighting

Incandescent (or, worse, fluorescent) lighting doesn’t put anyone in the mood for a party. Hang some string lights or switch out your light bulbs for coloured ones. Black light bulbs are perfect for a party. Alternatively, you could find a smart light that lets you set the colour — make it start flashing different colours once the party is really going. Like with the music, you can use lighting to indicate that a party is coming to an end.

7. Think Carefully About Your Guest List

Decide how many people fit comfortably into your apartment (bearing in mind that some guests may bring a friend or two). If you have several friendship groups, make sure you invite a couple people from each. It can be uncomfortable for people if they don’t know anyone at the party except you. Finally, remember the size of the party matters much less than having your closest friends around you at the turn of midnight.

To throw a party, you need a big enough apartment. This means finding the right student housing. Waterloo has King Street Towers, which offers students large suites (including some with private balconies) and common spaces like a rooftop fire pit and games rooms. Book a tour to see where you could be living.