Alternative New Year celebrations

Are you fed up with spending your New Year's Eve handing out silly sums of money or waiting in line at the bar the whole night? The Mix has come up with five ideas for your New Year's celebrations.

"I'm so happy I didn't have to pay £50 to get in."

Murder mystery game

Role plays for around 10 people, where you all dress up as characters in a plot and you spend the evening trying to work out ‘who dunnit’. You can buy these online or in the shops and they can be a lot of fun, and civilised too. Best played over dinner with a bottle or 10 of wine. Warn your guests a few days in advance if they need to get costumes or props together.

Dinner party

Always a winner, even if you can’t cook! Rope a partner or best mate in to help you get it all set up, and pick a dish that isn’t too complicated. That way it will be hard to fail. Invite a handful of your good mates over and tell them all to bring a bottle – you could even delegate some of the hard work by asking some to bring a starter and others a desert so you have a slap-up three-course meal. Remember that you’ll need to have finished eating a good half an hour before midnight so you can all jump around and celebrate the New Year without having to worry about your pasta going cold.

Fancy dress

Make those distant dreams of being a ’30s movie star, rock god or porn legend (whatever turns you on) into action with a fancy dress party. It’s best to pick a theme so that everyone really goes for it, and carry that through to the way you decorate your house and the food and drink you serve. Before long, everyone will be believing they really are their character. Work it, baby, work it.

Kids party

If you can’t be silly at New Year, when can you? Remember the days when you dressed up as superheroes, ate jelly and ice cream, and went home with a party bag? Well they could be yours again if you throw a kids party for all your big kid mates. Crisps, sweets, fairy cakes and cheese and pineapple should be on the menu; as should fancy dress, pass the parcel, musical chairs and kiss chase. Only this time you can throw some booze into the mix. Vodka jelly anyone?

Sleepover

Another one from kiddie land, but that doesn’t mean you’re too old, and the bonus of being older means both sexes can attend! Gather some mates, duvets, several movies and plenty of junk food and you’re away. Cheap, fun – and you can all snuggle up smug in knowledge that you’re not queuing in the rain with hundreds of other New Year’s revellers for a taxi home. Mmmm.

Photo of new year by Shutterstock