Top tips: How to have a great New Year's Eve

It’s that time of year… yes, the END. This transitional period inspires fresh starts, new beginnings, renewals of gym memberships, abstinence from all manner of intoxicants and, before all of that, an almighty party.

There is a hell of a lot of pressure, expectation and debate around New Year’s Eve; where to go, what to wear, how much to spend, go to a house party or head out to town for a proper rave, or do both?

Of course, with all this pressure and anticipation there is a far greater likelihood of the night being a disappointment, especially if you’re aiming to have a (very) big one. There's chance that NYE will be the biggest and best night of your year, so to make sure you get it right, here are a few tips from Team Skiddle. 

Find New Years Eve events. 

1) Assemble a dream team

NYE has a strange effect on people. Some completely lose their mind while others, who’ve long since given up on going out, come creeping out of the woodwork. This increases the odds of having a few liabilities on your squad, which is a big no-no anytime of year, especially NYE.

You know the type, they just have an amateurish approach to going out; inherently good people but they may be a bad drunk, or have no social airs and graces, or they’re unpredictable, a loose cannon... this may be fine on a regular weekend night out, but not on New Year’s Eve.

So take a considered approach to assembling your NYE crew, you don’t want to end your night abruptly when ‘that friend’ has spewed all over the toilet attendant, tried to snog the condom machine and called the bouncer a mug before the clock has even struck midnight. 

2) Save the resolutions for another day (if at all)

Yes New Year’s Eve can be a good time to start thinking about making some positive changes to your life, but not on your night out eh. First of all, drunken resolutions are ill-advised, and second you don’t want to bring everyone down by talking about things you’re going to give up or stop doing altogether.

What’s needed is to focus on having fun for the night and considering making resolutions another day. That’s if you make any at all - according to statistics 80% of resolutions fail by February. Why? Because a lot of these decisions are made because feel like they ‘should’ rather than actually wanting to commit to long-term positive change.

If you are going to make some resolutions, consider giving yourself some ‘me time’ to really kick back and think deeply about how you want to change your life and start small. Aiming to quit booze forever is unrealistic, whereas cutting down your intake per month is a lot more achievable and will inspire you to continue… 

3) Pace yourself

This old chestnut is an old chestnut for a reason. Not pacing one’s self is an extremely well trodden path that many have stumbled along and failed to get to the end of. In fact, it’s probably safe to say that every single person who drinks on a regular basis has failed to pace themselves at some time in their lives.

New Year’s Eve is particularly pertinent for this sensible course of action because of the all-important countdown. If you’re too hammered to enjoy the ushering in of the new year then you’re going to miss out on one of the biggest moments of the night, and maybe a smooch from that hot stranger you’ve been eyeing up. Trust us, a sloppy snog is much better than a vommy one… 

4) Have a (loose) plan

NYE is no ordinary night and there are many factors that come into play and change the game when it comes to going out and painting the town red. On most nights out you can be a bit spontaneous; for example, stuck at a boring bar? No problem, just make a swift exit, hail a cab and go somewhere else.

On New Year’s Eve though the transport network is clogged up with tons more people descending on the town centre, taxis are more expensive, club entry costs more and a lot of bars charge entry fees, too. You’re limited in many ways, which means you need to choose well when selecting somewhere to celebrate. By the same token, deciding on a good time to head home is also imperative.

No one wants to be that last person on the dance floor when the lights come on and the only other people around you are the ones sweeping up all the discarded crud that’s accumulated throughout the night. “Wooooo, HAPPY NEW YEEEEAA… Oh, where’s everyone gone?!”. 

5) Keep your expectations modest 

Yeah yeah, everyone wants to end the year on a high, we all it to be the best night ever, all the singletons need to pull someone at midnight and everyone wants to wave goodbye to the past year and drown all our sorrows. But hey, guess what? It’s not as easy as that, and if you’re using all those cliches to hype yourself up for your night out then it’s definitely not going to be very fun.

Instead, treat the night as a chance to look forward, enjoy the company of your bezzies, to let loose and immerse yourself in the waves of positivity that emanate from pretty much everyone on NYE, arguably still the busiest, happiest night of the year in most towns and cities.

Don’t build it up into a bigger deal than it needs to be. One night of getting smashed is not going to resolve broken relationships or fix the car you crashed. So cancel out all that garbage, relax and start the new year with a smile on your face.

6) Let your hair down

Sounds simple doesn’t it? But bearing in mind how much pressure people put on NYE being a blinder it’s very common to find that it’s harder to let your hair down at the year end, than it is at any other time of the year.

SO, have a drink, have a dance, have a laugh - surround yourself with fun people and try to take head of the above tip and don’t put too much expectation on the night. Don’t dwell on negative experiences, embrace the opportunity to be very silly; as long as you’re not disturbing anyone else’s fun New Year’s Eve provides a chance to get really giddy and childlike.

It’s the time of year when pretty much everyone talks to each other on the London Underground; yes, insane isn’t it?! Talking on the Tube! Accost a stranger, ask their name, get embroiled in a silly conversation - avoid any depressing Brexit talk and enjoy yourself. 

Find your perfect NYE event.