Kardashian family party planner, Mindy Weiss, shares her secrets for hosting a digital New Year’s Eve celebration

By Virgin TV Edit

There have been enough metaphorical fireworks this year to last us several New Year’s, but of course we still want to end the year with a bang (even if it’s just with party poppers in our living room). Wishing you could throw 2020 the best goodbye party ever, but are unsure how? Let party planner to the stars, Mindy Weiss, share her secrets for a fun digital celebration – with no mention of quizzes or online murder mysteries (we’ve all done our fair share of those).

From a virtual midnight kiss to a digital disco, these ten ideas will make this New Year’s a night to remember. So throw on something smart or sparkly and toast your friends and family virtually to ring in the New Year in style!

Dress and Guess

Have your guests dress up for New Year’s Eve as their favourite actor or character from 2020. Whether political or pop culture, musician, TV personality, or other, and ask your guests to guess who each one is. Make it a costume contest and give away digital prizes to the best – and the worst! The more outrageous, the more fun. Dressing up lends a sense of focus and occasion – and it doesn’t have to cost anything if you raid the wardrobes at home and get creative!

Secret Smooch

Pucker up and send your kiss digitally to the host or hostess of your New Year’s party. Use your video or camera function on your phone to record your smooch – but be careful not to give away clues to your identity through lipstick, jewellery or any glimpse of your face or background. The host share the pics or videos – and guests have to guess whose kisses they are!

Sense of Zoom-our

We are all looking for some joy these days so why not give the gift of laughter and book a stand-up comedian for your New Year’s Eve Zoom party? As well as asking the comedian to cover topics popular topics such as 2020, politics, and culture, you could make it more personal by sharing some stories about your virtual guests with the comedian in advance to bring into the routine. Just be conscious of your guests’ comfort level – you don’t want any New Year’s bust ups!

Project Runway

Send each of your virtual party guests two yards of the same fabric (order online if your favourite local store is closed) – or even get them to buy a roll of tin foil. Consider something sparkly or in theme with your party. Ask your guests to make something out of the fabric that they HAVE TO wear to the party! When everyone gets together online, ask guests to vote for the most creative, the most hilarious and the one you would want to wear outside of the house!

Near, Bar, Wherever You Are

Since most places are closed – can you track down your favourite mixologist to create your own New Year’s Eve cocktail? In cahoots with the mixologist, the host can deliver cool boxes to each of the guests with cocktail supplies, marked “don’t open until party time!” For the virtual party, the mixologist can get everyone to open their boxes and teach them to make their favourite celebratory cocktails together. This is a great way to feel more connected through remembering places you all love.

Digital Disco

Choose an era that resonates most with your party group, and create a disco Group Spotify List with your guests’ favourite songs from, for instance the 70s or 80s, and host your own disco New Year’s Eve party where you all press play at the same time. Corresponding outfits optional!

(On)Line Dancing

Celebrate online together by throwing a virtual dance party. Each guest gets sent a pre-recorded dance (either choreographed by a professional or the host/hostess) to learn before New Year’s Eve and perform it at the party.

High Resolution Resolutions

Gather online with a fun activity for everyone. Ask your loved ones to each write two truthful New Year’s resolutions and one lie. Each guest will take a turn reading theirs aloud on a video call while the group guesses which one is a lie. You can also do this with past NYE tales and experiences, then guess which crazy story isn’t true!

Digital Scavenger Hunt

The host should pre-pick ten household items that the guests will have to go find in their homes. The first one back with the item wins a point, and the person with the most points at the end of the game wins a virtual gift card. Items can be fun, funny, New Year’s Eve themed or anything you can dream up! Involving the environment that surrounds you and your personal belongings is a great way to feel more connected to someone. Consider this list of ten if you’re looking for ideas:

Bottle of champagne
Baby picture
Dictionary
Corkscrew/bottle opener
Crazy party hat
Pair of sunglasses
Banana
British flag
Box of matches
Supermarket receipt

Modem Love

If you’re separated from your partner this year but still want to celebrate together, consider a romantic dinner for two from afar. Order the same meal in for both of you, send your love flowers ahead of time – shop local where you can. Then each of you dress up a table and dress the part for a fancy romantic dinner that you share on FaceTime, Zoom, or any other video calling platform. Quality time is still quality time, even when you can’t be physically together.