How to throw a safe yet fabulous year-end party

Social distancing, safety measures and work-from-home, these have become the new norm. But that is no reason to not ring in the new year with joy and good cheer like we always do — well, almost.

Many of the restrictions to the number of people per table and compulsory masks are going to be mandatory for some time, but events and party planners have taken events in their stride and decided to creatively explore the virtual side of celebrations.

And why not? We have spent a good part of the year working via video-conferencing apps — by now, we know the most flattering lighting set-ups and the most professional virtual backgrounds like the back of our hands.

There’s no reason not to end the year with a bang too. In fact, this year the possibilities are quite literally limitless as you can have a roaring virtual party over Zoom or Google Meet and fit in more people in it than your living room would ever have been able to accommodate.

Themed celebrations

Distance makes the heart fonder, but it also compromises the attention span — blame it on digital lag and screen sizes. So, it’s a good idea to give someone something to prepare for and look forward to like a themed party. You can have more than one.

For instance, if you have a decade theme for adults then perhaps something a bit more fun and relatable for children like dressing up as their favourite superheroes or even a Halloween theme.

Whether they stick to the theme or not is a personal choice, but one steadfast rule is that they must dress up! This is no pyjama party.

Decorate and celebrate

Don’t hold back on the decorations just because it is a virtual event. In fact, a customised backdrop can add so much more to the ambience of a virtual party, says event planner Kristina, founder of Little Red Balloon.

Centering your decorations around a theme and motivating the guests to decorate their spaces accordingly will get everyone in the mood right early. Better yet, once you decide on a theme, Little Red Balloon can whip up curated DIY party boxes and send to the guests to decorate whichever corners of their house they are going to be logging in from. 

Plan ahead

One downside of virtual parties is that not everyone would be comfortable with the technology —schedule calls before the party with specific guests beforehand to ensure they are familiar with the platform.

Another downside of virtual parties is that if you have more than 30 people, you are bound to have people excitedly speaking over each other with not much conversation happening.

So, encourage guests to gather in numbers — as per safe distancing rules — in friends’ houses and schedule catch-up time before the party festivities start — one person can host two calls on Zoom, for instance, at the same time. 

Send an itinerary to all the guests so they can plan their time as well.

Wine and cheese

When clinking your glasses, why not learn a little about the vino you are drinking as well. Organise a virtual wine tasting session.

Online wine marketplace Vivino’s Wine Adventures are fun as well as educational. All that guests need to do is download the app and choose what kind of wine they would like to explore. A quick-response quiz at the end of each lesson seals the deal. 

The conversation can continue after that with some wine and cheese, with help from Shruthi Thomas of InTheEventSG. The young entrepreneur has pivoted from curating parties, weddings and other events to creative and giftable party solutions for her clients in the wake of Covid-19.

Think, customised cheese boxes that can be sent to your guests’ houses so everyone can partake in the same kind of hors d’oeuvres. 

Get ready to play

How about some bingo to test your luck? Go to My Free Bingo Cards and you can customise the bingo cards according to the party theme. Keep some prizes handy—you can get creative, it can be anything from an IOU for a girls’ night out to a gift card or a physical gift, which you can mail to the winner. 

Take a step

Travelling may not be a possibility this year but how about a tango lesson from an instructor in Buenos Aires for your guests? Or, a flamenco lesson from Spain? You can book a private session for up to 100 people through Airbnb’s online experiences platform. 

You and your guests can continue on with a personalised playlist from Spotify and practice some of the moves well into the night as well. 

Take your pick from the various options for a fun year-end party — like we said, the possibilities are endless. Or if you are a consummate party organiser, cram all of the above into one night — don’t forget to schedule various Zoom events — chill some champagne and enjoy!

This article was first published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.