The Only 10 Things You Need to Host an Unforgettable New Year’s Eve Party

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2025 came and went like every year before it — memorable, yet gone in the blink of an eye. Despite the holidays, celebrations, highs, and lows, there is one night we all tend to remember (or not, depending on how hard we partied): New Year’s Eve.

Hosting a proper New Year’s Eve party is no small task. From the guest list and décor to choosing the right space and accommodating everyone’s food and drink preferences, there’s plenty to consider well before the first bottle of bubbly is popped. If you’re reading this and haven’t checked everything off your list yet, don’t worry, you’re not alone. Nakhra has you covered with netizen- and personally approved picks that will arrive at your door before the ball drops in NYC.

These are our top ten essential picks to help you throw a memorable New Year’s party. None of them are one-trick ponies either – you can reach for them again and again, no matter the occasion. Most importantly, don’t forget to enjoy the celebration you’re hosting as much as your guests do.

New Year’s Eve Party Essentials‍

Smirly Charcuterie Set: $39.99 (13% off)

Meat and cheese; need I say more? Any good celebration deserves a well-curated charcuterie, and the Smirly Charcuterie Set is a perfect way to elevate the mood and, of course, ring in the New Year.

This thoughtfully designed set includes a large board with useful utility features, such as a pull-out tray with four cheese knives, a matching fruit tray (not limited to its namesake), and two ceramic bowls for an assortment of spreads and condiments. Customers repeatedly praise this charcuterie set with one shopper hailing it as “Exceptional quality, and worth its weight and gold.”

JBL Partybox Encore Essential: $199.95 (39% off)

What’s a New Year's Party (or any party for that matter) without music? The JBL Partybox Encore Essential brings the vibes in spades with an impressive 100 watts of pro sound and deep bass, all housed in an IPX4 splash-proof casing with a built-in dynamic light that syncs to the beat.

If one speaker isn’t enough to fill your home with music, you can wirelessly connect two for an even bigger sound, all controlled through JBL’s PartyBox app. Tactile buttons on top of the speaker also allow for a hands-on experience. As one user put it, it “delivers a powerful, clear sound with impressive bass, perfect for any party or event.”‍

17 Piece Cocktail Shaker Set: $24.99

You’ll want to keep the refreshments going. You wouldn’t want your guests getting dehydrated now, would you? From my own trial and error, I found this 17 Piece Cocktail Shaker Set  to be the best kit for the price. It includes all the essentials you need for a party, while still being a solid addition to any home kitchen or bar setup for year-round use.

The Boston shaker and spout pourers allow for quick pouring and easy drink making while you’re in the midst of your New Year’s Eve party, while the muddler and bar spoon come in handy for recipes that call for a bit more precision or flair. Everything is neatly stored on a handsome wooden shelf that complements just about any setup.

Surehome Plastic Champagne Flutes 40 Pack: $19.99 (9% off)

This may not be the sexiest item on the roundup, but you’ll be glad these are around. New Year’s Eve is all about the bubbly, and the last thing you want to be doing the next morning is washing a sink full of champagne flutes. The Surehome Plastic Champagne Flutes 40 Pack is a bulk deal on shatterproof drinkware that works just as well for mimosas at brunch and birthday toasts well after the New Year.

Customers consistently enjoy the sturdy build and clear design that allow the aesthetic of every drink to shine through. While they may come unassembled, one user said they are “easy to put together, durable, and add an elegant touch to events.“‍

Huski Iceless Champagne Chiller: $59.99

Here I was, still filling my sink with ice to chill bottles for parties, until I was introduced to the award-winning Huski Iceless Champagne Chiller. This triple insulated wine chiller is specifically designed to accommodate the more curvaceous build of sparkling wine bottles and does so without the need for a single cube of ice.

The trick to making this advent of technology work is to have the bottle chilled in your fridge ahead of time. After the initial chilling, the iceless champagne chiller is designed to keep your wine at the temperature it was chilled to for up to 6 hours. And it even has a built-in wine stopper built into the base so your sparkling wine of choice keeps its carbonation. As one shopper puts it, “This thing is the bomb!”‍

Cards Against Humanity: $29.00

The ultimate party game. As an avid board gamer, I say this with the utmost confidence: get a group of friends together, break out Cards Against Humanity, and keep an open mind. This game will push the upper limits of everyone’s humor, and even groups of people who may not have been formally introduced will break the ice fast.

The rules are simple. Everyone gets a hand of cards with different answers on them (a noun, a phrase, and so on). Each round, one person is designated as the judge and draws a card with a scenario. The goal is to answer that scenario with one of your cards in the hope that the judge finds yours the funniest. As one netizen put it, and I wholeheartedly agree, this game “is the ultimate party game… that guarantees laughs and memorable moments.”

‍Govee Smart Light Bulbs

Being able to shift the ambiance from festive neon colors to mellow, ambient lighting — and every spectrum in between — feels like a superpower that only the Govee Smart Light Bulbs can deliver. It’s a smart upgrade that will make you wonder why you didn't make the switch sooner.

 These Wi-Fi-connected LED bulbs you control with an app on your phone or with a smart assistant (like Alexa or Google Home). You can adjust brightness, color temperature, and scheduling, making it easy to dial the lighting up or down on a whim. Sounds too good to be true? One user even says that they “genuinely can’t get enough of them – these bulbs do it all.”

Aofmee 1 Gallon Glass Pitcher: $27.99 (30% off)

This is a true lifesaver at any event. The Aofmee 1 Gallon Glass Pitcher is ergonomically designed and made from highly durable borosilicate glass. It’s easy to clean and pours smoothly, keeping refreshments ready for your guests at all times.

Seeing this pitcher at consecutive events caught my attention. Batched cocktails and refreshments alike were being made and poured quickly, all from the same container. The stainless steel dual-filter allows for easy switching between a traditional mesh for straining ice and other ingredients, while the wide-mouth spout lets every last pour make it cleanly into your glass.

Sensyne Ring Light Tripod: $29.99 (9% off)

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When I first saw this at an event, it hit me that I’d never once considered how useful it could be for those obligatory social media photos. The Sensyne Ring Light Tripod takes the guesswork out of setting the scene for the perfect shot, whether it’s a single candid moment or a group photo with your guests.

Having this tripod makes taking photos so much smoother. The ring light is highly responsive and easy to adjust, and it’s powered via the attached USB cable, so there’s no risk of batteries dying mid-party. And while you could spend precious moments fiddling with your phone’s camera timer, this tripod includes a Bluetooth remote shutter that connects to both iOS and Android devices, allowing for precise snapshots without having to make a mad dash from your phone while the timer counts down.

Unicorn Snot Holographic Face & Body Glitter: $14.99 (6% off)

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New Year’s Eve is already a blast, but once the drinks are flowing and the music’s loud, outrageous makeup is what pushes the night straight into a whole other level of celebration. Unicorn Snot Holographic Face & Body Glitter is a vegan, cruelty-free glitter gel that adds light-catching shimmer without the mess of loose glitter.

It’s easy to use and stays put through a long night of partying, but it won’t haunt you the next morning. When January 1st inevitably rolls around, it washes off easily with makeup-removal cloths or even baby wipes. As one glitter enthusiast put it best, it “survived dancing, sweating, drinking — and still held up.”