2020 has been a year to remember, but we think it’s probably fair to generalize when we say everyone is eagerly looking forward to what 2021 will bring. At Tent Guys, we have a few ideas on how you can celebrate New Year’s if you’re leaning towards staying home with your quarantine pod, as well as some ideas if you’re wanting to host family and friends outdoors. Our event specialists at Tent Guys will have you covered on tents, power, heating, and accessories to ring in 2021!

New Year’s Eve party ideas for indoor or remote gatherings

Have a family pajama party!

Pajamas for Christmas morning are great, but pajamas at 7 pm on New Year’s Eve say “let’s get this party started!” Cozy up in matching pajamas (definitely make use of the Christmas pajamas and onesies you were gifted may never otherwise wear), argue over what new box office release you’re willing to pay for on one of your many streaming services, and settle in for a night with the family. 

Make the night extra fun by setting up a snack bar filled with treats like butter popcorn, caramel popcorn, salty seasonings, boxed candy, juices, and sodas.

Watch the ball drop on TV as Times Square goes virtual this year.

Like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the NYE Ball Drop party in New York City is also virtual for 2020. Luckily, there will still be plenty of great performances and celebrity appearances you can enjoy throughout the night, and of course, the countdown and ball drop will still happen live!

Host friends close and far with a fancy dress cocktail party remote via Zoom or Skype. 

Give everyone a reason to change out of sweatpants, and host a fancy dress virtual party! Whether it’s a quick excuse to catch up with friends, toast the new year, or settle in and play games together for a few hours, by this point in the pandemic, everyone’s sure to be able to attend since we’re all pros at navigating our social lives via a screen! 

Cook a midnight dinner with your quarantine pod + all the foods to bring good luck, wealth, happiness, and more!

There are a ton of foods associated with bringing good vibes to the new year! This year, consider making a feast for when the clock strikes midnight! You can start the party off with a cocktail hour, and transition into dinner. Don’t forget dessert with hot coffee to keep the party going!

For centuries, there have been foods associated with bringing health, happiness, and wealth in the New Year! If you are feeling a little superstitious, it’s best to play it safe by including some of these recipes in your fortunate feast!

• Black Eyed Peas, Greens, and Cornbread

Don’t knock it before you try it! This tasty combination is intended to be eaten together, as the black-eyed peas represent pennies, the greens are dollars, and the cornbread is gold! Who wouldn’t want to ensure pennies, dollars, and gold are in their line of sight for 2021?

• Cabbage

Cabbage also represents wealth and money, and are a great alternative to bring wealth to your new year if you’re not a collard greens fan.

• Pork

Did you know that eating pork on New Year’s Eve will inspire progress throughout your new year? Whip out your favorite roast pork recipe or savory pork chop seasoning, and make pork the star of your feast. 

• Grapes

In this superstition, eating 12 grapes at midnight will bring twelve months of good luck! If fruit at midnight doesn’t particularly inspire you, you could always take twelve sips of grape juice, grape soda, or grape-flavored prosecco! This fun international tradition comes from Spain and Mexico!

• Pomegranates

Long associated with fertility, pomegranate seeds are thought to bring fertility, life, and abundance. You might remember pomegranate seeds from the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades. Persephone ate a few pomegranate seeds in the underworld to tie herself to Hades in marriage, making pomegranate seeds also a sign of an indissoluble marriage.   

• Fish

Eating fish on New Year’s brings abundance! 

• Noodles

One of the easiest food groups to experiment with and usually a crowd pleaser, eating noodles on NYE brings longevity. 

• Lentils 

Lentils bring good luck, along with being filling and nutritious!

• Rice

Rice represents fertility and wealth! It also pairs well with a lot of the other staple NYE foods, like pork and fish.

New Year’s Eve party ideas for safe, outdoor gatherings: Ring in the New Year by taking it outside with everything you need right from Tent Guys!

Embrace the New York Times Square tradition of ringing in the New Year standing outdoors in the cold by moving your party outside! Abide by state and local COVID-19 ordinances as you plan your party, especially if you’re planning to invite people outside of your household or small social distancing circle. With Tent Guys, you can plan your outdoor New Year’s Eve safely while hosting a few friends and family to ring in the New Year.

Tent + Sidewalls

To protect you from the weather, wind, or sun, a tent is a must for your outdoor party. We offer a variety of tent sizes, whether you’re looking to shelter your foods and drinks from the outside or want a tent large enough to accommodate tables and chairs for dinner and dancing. 

 If you’re worried about staying warm or simply want extra privacy, consider adding sidewalls to your tent. While you will not want the entire tent to be enclosed, walling off two or three sides can capture heat, while still maintaining airflow. Our various sidewall options can be used on all of our tent frames. Let our event specialists assist you in choosing to decide what tent and sidewall combinations will work for your party. 

Patio Heaters

Our propane fueled patio heaters are the perfect solution for keeping your guests warm outside in small radiuses. If you want your guests to stay outside in the chilly air, then our patio heaters are the best option to keep everyone content and protected from the cold. 

Keep the party going with a generator.

The Generator 2200 Watt Quiet and a 100 ft extension cord can power all of your party needs, from lights, music, refrigeration, and more. For outdoor events, generators are essential for ensuring a stable power source that keeps key equipment running.  

Seating + Tabling + Linens

Tent Guys offers round and rectangular tables in a variety of sizes. For tabling households and quarantine pods, we recommend assigned seating at our 5’ round tables. If you’re not planning to host dinner, a less formal solution is to still rent chairs to provide seating around the perimeter – on New Year’s Eve of all times, you don’t want to ask guests to try to bring a camp chair in an Uber! You could also opt-in for our cocktail tables, a great solution for backyards or other venues with limited space, but still planning to serve hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Obviously, you can’t forget about linens either! New Year’s Eve is all about bringing on the sparkle and metallic accents, so opt-in for some combinations of gold and silver tablecloths with sparkly table runners, and have fun with your centerpieces this year.

Stay warm with a backyard bonfire.

The temperatures are sure to be chilly this time of year after the sun goes down, but you’re sure to keep warm by hosting a bonfire! Bonfires don’t have to be basic either! 

Prepare a small dessert bar and serve hot chocolate and s’mores. In addition to the fire keeping your guests warm, consider adding a few complimentary blankets and pillows to keep guests cozy. 

Don’t forget these extras for your New Year’s Eve party:  

• Sparklers + Metal Bucket

If going all out with big fireworks is not on your playbook for this year (sure, we’re not that far off from the South Carolina border), then sparklers are easy, fun, (with parental supervision) kid-friendly, and sold at most big box stores and grocery stores.

• Roll out the red carpet for 2021!

With major event cancellations, social distancing, and off-and-on quarantining, you can bet that everyone has a least one fancy outfit they had wanted to wear in 2020 without anywhere to go. Make your New Year’s Eve a fancy dress party (even if it’s just on your back patio), and invite everyone to get dressed up to say goodbye to 2020. Our 3×25 red carpet is the perfect accessory to welcome your guests, made complete with red velvet roping and chrome stanchions.

• Noisemakers

It wouldn’t be ringing in a New Year at midnight without making some noise, so don’t forget to have bells, whistles, poppers, and party horns for your guests! 

• One-time-user props and hats for an outdoor photo booth

Props don’t have to be fancy! Get an abundance of fun and silly paper props and dollar store hats, spread out your props on a table for easy access, and ensure you place a bucket or bin beside your photo booth for disposal after guests’ use. You can DIY a photo booth as easy as hanging a sheet against the side of your house, a fence, or even off of a tree. Create a hashtag for your NYE party so that all of your guests can find each other’s photos!

• Mini bottles of champagne!

No need for adding another layer of spreading germs by using champagne flutes – opt-in for mini bottles when the clock strikes midnight! These also make a great party favor and are sure to delight your guests.

• 35 gallon trash can

One of the easiest things hosts can forget about when throwing a party is waste management – especially when your party is outside. You probably won’t want people entering your home more than necessary beyond bathroom breaks, and placing trashcans around the party perimeter ensures that guests will have ample access to clean up after themselves. No one wants to start their new year cleaning up after the old one!

A heavy-duty liner is included in trashcan rentals. Trash removal is not provided by Tent Guys.

• 120 Gallon Cooler

This year, forget about fancy glassware that requires dishwashing and touching and opt-in for more germ-safe alternatives like one-use cans, bottles, and plastic cups. Our 120 gallon coolers are perfect for storing a large amount of drinks and food, and work just as well outside as inside to keep your items cold and ready to be served. 

We look forward to servicing your party and event rental needs in 2021!

Happy New Year from Tent Guys! Although we’re midway through December, it’s not too late to plan your New Year’s Eve party. Contact us today and our event specialists can have your party rental needs taken care of in no time!