23 DIY New Year’s Eve Decorations to Elevate Your End-of-Year Party
Store-bought banners work, but these easy make-at-home pieces will really get you ready for 2024.
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New Year's Eve can be a divisive topic. Some folks go all out with a striking outfit, tasty eats, treats and drinks, games and decor galore, whiles others couldn't care less about when that ball drops. For the former, who use the impending New Year as a reason to deck the halls to the nines and host parties that'll definitely leave you with a headache the following morning — hey, we don't judge — our favorite DIY New Year decoration ideas 2024 will take your end-of-the-year bash to the next level.
Sure, you can buy decorations from the store, but putting a homemade, personalized touch on everything is sure to make any New Year's Eve party even more memorable — and one your friends and family will want to be at to watch the clock hit midnight and say hello to January 1. Get inspiration from previous New Year's celebrations with ideas for festive wine bars, homemade watercolor party hats, balloon drops, resolution walls and more thanks to our roundup below— which includes kid-friendly ideas as well should you have to worry about little ones running around.
There's nothing wrong with not going all out for New Year's Eve, but if you're someone looking forward to saying "Adios!" to 2023, you'll love these creative and unique decorating ideas that will make this end-of-the-year celebration your best one yet. Grab some confetti and a glass of champagne and get ready to raise a glass to 2024.
Watercolor New Year’s Eve Party Hats
Party hats might be something you associate with nostalgic memories of birthday parties as a kid, but we like to think they never go out of style. Using some watercolor paint, strips of gold paper and stamps, you can create these chic hats to wear while ringing in the New Year.
DIY Balloon Drop
Fun for the kids and adults! Using a bunch of balloons, a shower curtain, a noisemaker and some string and tape, you can create your own balloon ball drop right at home. Once the clock hits midnight, it's time to pull the "lever" and let all the balloons fall around you and your party guests.
Confetti Party Favors
Confetti is a NYE essential, and what's more fun than presenting it to your party guests in an elevated, unique way? Fill test tubes with strands of metallic confetti in a color of your choosing and cork.
Store until it's time for the midnight countdown, hand out to your friends and have everyone throw them in the air once January 1 hits! Add the black and white gift tag as well thanks to the printable at the link below!
DIY Wine Bar
What would a New Year's celebration be without some spirits? Take an ordinary drink area and transform it into a festive wine bar with tiered trays, gold and silver confetti, some stylish ice buckets and a few more tricks and treats thanks to the tutorial below.
New Year's Eve Balloons
This easy DIY acts as a vibrant piece of decor and works as a cute photo prop for the many pictures that are sure to be taken come December 31. Cut out the numbers for "2024" in different colored cardstock using a Cricut or by hand. Using that same card stock, use a hole punch to cut out confetti, then insert into the balloons using a funnel.
Blow up with the help of a small helium tank and attach some ribbon. Secure the "2024" onto the ribbon with double-sided tape and tie it onto a mini bottle of wine or liquor. Not only do these balloons make a fun addition to the holiday decor, but you can even give away the mini bottles as party favors when your guests head home.
Fireplace Decor
It doesn't take much to make your fireplace sparkle and shine. Get all the gold and silver inspiration you need at the link below to take your chimney area from Santa's Christmas Eve destination to the perfect place to score some photos with friends as you welcome in 2024.
Snow Covered Pine Centerpiece
It's so much easier when your holiday decor can work for Christmas and New Year's, and this DIY centerpiece is great if you like to keep things the same all through the holiday season. Create a snow-covered pine and greens centerpiece with some craft glue, epsom salts and votive candles.
The texture of the salt makes the pinecones have a crystallized wintry look that is absolutely gorgeous. You don't have to light the candles within the centerpiece, but if you do, just be careful to distance the fake greenery away from the flames for safety reasons.
Ornament Chandelier
Have some extra ornaments lying around that didn't make it onto the tree? Easily create a stunning chandelier with the help of some ribbon. You can also always invest in new ornaments for low cost if you're leaning toward a specific color scheme.
Countdown Goodies
These might be designed for kids, but it's the adults who will be itching to get in on the action. Create "Countdown" goodie bags and display them around the house as an added decorative touch. As it gets closer to midnight, let guests dig in and take advantage of the fun goodies you've filled them with.
Disco Party Decor Printables
Who doesn't love a themed New Year's Eve party? Go all out with bright pink and glistening silver treats, eats, drinks and more, thanks to free printables at the tutorial below. Get decorative drink labels, cupcake toppers, favor tags, signs and more!
DIY Glitter Star Wands
Make use of the cardboard leftover from boxes opened on Christmas morning and create these glitter star wands that the kids will like playing with, but can also work as a lovely table centerpiece or wall decor.
Resolution Cards
Nothing better to hold you more accountable to your New Year's resolutions than writing them down in front of your friends and family. Have folks complete this printable card when they arrive, and hang them up somewhere everyone can see. You can even have them filled out anonymously and get your party guests to guess whose resolutions are whose.
NYE Balloon Memory Wall
A new year isn't just about looking ahead — it's also a time to reflect on the past. Create a balloon memory wall where each balloon has a card inside reflecting on a favorite memory from 2023. With each hour that passes as the clock inches closer to midnight, take turns popping the balloons and sharing each other's treasured moments from the past 12 months.
Mini Party Hat Headband
A stylish and frankly more convenient way to don a party hat and still look oh so cute!
DIY Champagne Tower
Since champagne is an absolute must, serve it up in style. Not only does this tower make for a truly beautiful statement piece, but it makes for easy distribution once the guests arrive and are all clambering for some bubbly.
DIY Silver Bell Wreath
Jingle all the way through the Christmas season and well into the New Year with a DIY bell wreath that's festive indoors or outdoors. All you need are jingle bells in a variety of sizes, a wreath frame, hot glue and some ribbon to nail the look yourself. If you want something a little more vibrant, try this DIY with bells in a variety of colors, not just silver.
Sequined Letter Garland
Raise a glass to this garland! Sure, you can always run to the party store and pick up some enthusiastic garland to hang around the house, but this DIY is easier to make than you think and definitely will share more of a glittering statement on your walls.
Countdown to Midnight Photo Backdrop
It doesn't get much easier (or more festive) than this DIY backdrop. All it takes is a recycled cardboard box, gold spray paint and black card stock, and before you know, you and your guests will have all the photo ops.
Gold Star Serving Tray
Help your snacks and apps really shine with this DIY serving tray. If gold isn't your color of choice, you can modify the colors to match your party theme.
DIY New Year Party Poppers
These festive poppers will guarantee you a midnight kiss. Fill them with Hershey's kisses and confetti for a fun surprise when the clock strikes midnight.
Cameron (she/her) is a staff writer for Good Housekeeping, where she covers everything from holidays to food. She is a graduate of Syracuse University, where she received a B.A. in magazine journalism. In her spare-time she can be found scrolling TikTok for the latest cleaning hacks and restaurant openings, binge-watching seasons of Project Runway or online shopping.
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