Each year, New Year's Eve is perhaps the most long-awaited holiday of the season. Typically, it brings about a sense of nostalgia as you reflect on the memories made, vacations taken or milestones achieved. If you ask us, New Year's Eve is the perfect excuse to gather together with family, friends, or neighbors to toast what's to come at a fabulous and festive New Year's Eve party.

Whether you plan on hosting a cocktail party for your group, an open house to catch up with everyone you've missed, or are thinking of tying the knot in a spectacular surprise, the design of your New Years's Eve invitation template will get guests in a party frame of mind as soon as they click "open." While it's easy to spend days browsing different options, what's equally important is something you may overlook: New Year party invitation wording. No matter how you celebrate, we've got a simplified primer on how to make sure your invites are worded clearly — and even creatively. Still stuck on how to celebrate? Head to our guide on New Year's Eve party ideas.

What do you write on a New Year's Eve invitation?

New Year's eve party invitation from Paperless Post featuring a smiling white moon on a blue celestial background

"New Moon" invitation by Paperless Post.

New Year's Eve parties run the gamut from formal to super-casual, so it's crucial to clarify what kind of celebration you'll be having. Some may associate the holiday with tuxes and champagne, while others are used to the laid-back open house type of atmosphere. Making sure that your New Year's Eve invitation wording is as clear as possible helps set expectations and helps you avoid fielding last-second calls and texts.

Date and time for a New Year's Eve party

New Year's Eve parties will be celebrated on the 31st, of course. However, if you're thinking of hosting a New Year's day brunch (January 1), hosting an open house on the first weekend of the new year, or will be hosting Chinese New Year, the date should be front-and-center, so there aren't any surprise guests on your doorstep December 31.

While your usual party invites might just have a starting time, a New Year's Eve celebration should include the entire time frame so guests won't have to guess if they should leave just after midnight or if the party will roll on.

Where to go, who is included, and what to wear

For events at your home or at another venue, you should include the address. If you are hosting a virtual party, include the URL to your preferred video conferencing platform. (Check out our Zoom backgrounds perfect for your celebration.)

You'll also want to make sure to note if guests can bring a date, a friend, or their family—especially if they have little ones. Tip: If you are hosting a grown-ups-only party, send out your invitations as far in advance as possible so that parents can line up a babysitter before they're all booked.

As for the dress code, be specific (even if it feels silly). Again, everyone has different expectations about what a New Year's Eve party involves, so clarity is very welcome.

What to bring

Potluck celebrations should include exactly what you'd like guests to bring, or else you might end up with countless bags of ice. Some New Year's parties go creatively beyond food-focused potlucks to ones involving wine tastings (ask them to bring a bottle of your favorite, but indicate red, white, rosé or sparkling to keep the tasting balanced) or even creating vision boards (ask guests to bring magazines, photos or anything else that inspires, while you gather up the craft supplies).

RSVP information

This is perhaps the most frequently overlooked part of wording a New Year's invitation. Though most know to put a phone number or email address here, it's important to put a deadline on when guests can RSVP so that you'll have enough time to prepare.

New Year's Eve invitation wording ideas

Now that the basic info is out of the way, it's time to talk about tone. The wording you choose helps set the mood for your party, before it even begins. You can "theme" your New Year party invitation wording by sprinkling in puns for a casual feel or use more formal language to convey that a more highbrow celebration is in store for the evening. Not sure where to start? The following ideas and examples will help you creatively use wording to enhance your New Year invitations:

Funny New Year's Eve invitation wording

Let's be real here: New Year's celebrations are a great way to shake off the stress of the holidays by embracing all things ridiculous. Novelty eyeglasses, glitter backdrops, the shiniest confetti, neon feather boas and personal-sized champagne bottles are here to get even your most buttoned-up friends to cut loose. The tone can be ironic, whimsical, over-the-top effusive or just plain silly:

Out with the old, in with the new! Happy New Year!

New year, same crew.

New year resolution—stay this good-looking!

No new friends.

Fizzy & Dizzy

Tick tock ball drop

New year, new trouble

We're getting fizzy with it.

Classic New Year's Eve invitation wording

A simple "Let's party!" message on an invitation to celebrate the new year is always appropriate and gets to the point quickly. The following phrases are ideal for parties that are in that sweet spot between laid-back house parties and dressed-up events, especially if you're mixing family and friends. Tip: The shorter the phrase, the more details you may need to convey what you're aiming for in your casual gathering. For example, "Pop the cork!" might be interpreted as a cocktail party, but if it's a relaxed night around the TV watching the ball drop with kids in tow, make sure to make that clear.

Pop the cork!

Watch the ball drop!

Let's have a ball!

Let's celebrate!

Peace & Love

Join us for a midnight toast.

French – Bonne Année

Spanish – Feliz Año Nuevo!

Mandarin – Xin Nian Kuai Le

Please join us for sparkling wine & sparklers to celebrate the New Year.

Our family invites you to celebrate at a New Year's Eve party.

Please join us at the stroke of midnight to ring in another year.

New Year's Eve open house invitation wording

An open house invitation is very versatile. It can be clever or classic, funny or formal, or even offer an inspirational quote for the year ahead. This type of invite can work for celebrations held on New Year's Eve, New Year's Day or even the first weekend of the year. After deciding on the phrasing options below, focus your attention on making the details (when, where and why) exceptionally clear to avoid mix-ups.

So. Much. Joy.

New beginnings.

There will be Bloody Mary's.

Join our family to ring in the New Year.

Happy New Year! Let's eat, drink, and be merry.

There will be Bloody Mary's.

Join us the morning after.

Here's to making more memories in 2023 .

Here's to new adventures. Start the year off right.

Seasons change; years come and go but our family grows stronger.

"Let our New Year's resolution be this: We will be there for one another as fellow members of humanity, in the finest sense of the word." —Göran Persson

"And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been." -Rainer Maria Rilke

Sample open house invitation

Axis by Kelly Wearstler gold and cream New Year's Eve party invitation

"Axis" invitation by Paperless Post.

Come in from the cold.

The season is here for

warm company

and plenty to drink.

Join us at the Shade residence

Saturday December 31st

At 9 o'clock

54 Dulwich Road

New WYE

Please reply

New Year's Eve cocktail party

A New Year's Eve party is often synonymous with a cocktail party for some, especially if you're used to hosting lots of couples instead of lots of kids. But just like the multiple ways to make a martini, there are many different ways to host a cocktail party. Let your invites take a tone that conveys your hosting style. The Holly Golightlys and Gatsbys among us can allude to healthy pours of bubbly, the Don Drapers can invite guests to loosen up their ties and join the conga line, and the James Bond types can offer a toast with international flair. Not sure what camp you fall into? Simply give everyone a permission slip to enjoy a fabulous time.

Champagne anyone?

Pop! Clink! Fizz!

Pop the cork with us at our New Year's Eve bash.

Skal! Cin Cin! Sante! Kanpai! Salud! Prost! Cheers!

Join us for an evening of libation & laughter.

Forget the clients and get ready to conga at our holiday bash.

"Stir the eggnog, lift the toddy, Happy New Year everybody! " – Phyllis McGinley

"Tonight's another chance to start again. It's just another New Year's Eve. Another night like the rest. It's just another New Year's Eve. Let's make it the best!" – Barry Manilow

"Too much of anything is bad, but too much Champagne is just right." —F. Scott Fitzgerald

Sample New Year's Eve cocktail party invitations

New Years Eve cocktail party invitation wording featuring a martini shaker and two glasses as constellations in the sky

"Cocktail Constellation" invitation by Paperless Post.

Celebrate the season with a boozy evening of

Holiday spirits

At Sally and Harry's

Friday December 31st at 8:30pm

1 Union Square South

or

Food, Booze & You

Please join us

Saturday, December 31st

At 9PM

154 East 54th Street

Clark Gable & Carole Lombard

RSVP

New Year's Eve wedding invitation wording

If your kiss at midnight will be with your new bride or groom, your New Year's Eve wedding invitation wording will get everyone excited for your celebration. Think of the first lines of your invite as the lead up to an exciting "reveal." Hint at a surprise with a simple statement that talks of the future or borrow a romantic quote to create context.

The best is yet to come.

The future is bright.

Cheers to new beginnings.

How can our love go wrong if we start the new year right? -bing crosby

Wonder whose arms will hold you good and tight. When it's exactly twelve o'clock that night. Welcoming in the New Year, New Year's Eve? -Ella Fitzgerald

Sample New Year's Eve wedding invitation

New Year's Eve wedding invitation wording ideas from Paperless Post featuring a photo card that reads A New Year Together

"New Year Together" wedding announcement by Paperless Post.

Join

Clara & Archie

At the stroke of midnight

As they ring in the New year

New Year's Eve at 9PM

60 Hyde Park Gate

London

RSVP

 or

Join Rosamond and Tetrius as they

ring in the year with funny glasses and lots of fizz

 or

Seth & Marcos tie the Knot

We invite you to celebrate our marriage ceremony.

Dinner and dancing to follow.

or

Amanda & Hannah's Wedding

We're getting married!

Join us for a New Year's Eve celebration

New Year's Eve at 9PM

black tie

New Year's Eve potluck invitation wording

New Year's Eve potluck invitation wording featuring black eyed peas on a coral background from Paperless Post

"Peas on Earth" invitation by Paperless Post.

P otlucks save you the hassle of coordinating catering, takeout or having to whip up a whole menu. If your celebration has a lot of friends and family involved, consider hosting a New Year's Eve party where everyone brings their favorite family dish, or make it a feast of delicious cheeses or desserts. Keep the tone fun, casual or even funny. The key here will be follow-ups: As you collect RSVPs, make sure that there won't be duplicates (you might need to "assign" busier guests a specific item to bring).

In the mood for food

Let's get potluck

Say cheese!

Let us eat cake!

Going out is overrated

Pull up a chair

Chz plz

Nom Nom

Lunar New Year greetings

This year, the Lunar New Year welcomes the Year of the Tiger. If you'll be celebrating the holiday, include wishes for luck and happiness. Since many Lunar New Year parties and customs can vary from traditional to more informal, be specific about how you'll mark the occasion. Here are a few phrases to get you started, along with a note on the etiquette of how to address those close to you versus those you might not know too well:

In Mandarin, "Happy Chinese New Year" is "xin nian kuai le," which is used for strangers or acquaintances and means "New Year happiness."

While  "xin nian hao" (pronounced shin nee-an how) is used for friends and family.

恭贺新禧 (gōng hè xīn xǐ) – Good luck in the year ahead in Mandarin

心想事成 (xīn xiǎng shì chéng) – May all your wishes come true in Mandarin

万事如意 (wàn shì rú yì) – May everything go well for you in Mandarin

春节快乐 (chūn jiē kuài lè) Happy Spring Festival in Mandarin

Sample Lunar New Year invitations

Lunar New Year invitation wording ideas from Paperless Post with a red card covered in gold branches reading feast of good fortune

"Hongbao" Lunar New Year invitation by Paperless Post.

June Woo invites you to a feast of good fortune to celebrate the Year of the Tiger on February 18th at 6PM 610 Rhode Island Street San Francisco

Browse New Year's Eve Invitations

Now that you've brushed up on the ins and outs of how to word your invites, it's time to raise a glass of bubbly — and to start picking out the perfect New Year's party invitations. From stylish New Year's Eve invitation templates that suit glamorous cocktail parties, whimsical cards for a relaxed open house to gorgeous greetings for the wedding of the (new) year, Paperless Post's templates make it easy to add any of the above messages in mere minutes. Thinking of taking the celebration online? Find our guide to throwing a virtual party to remember. Skipping the party this year? Send a New Year's greetings.