Add a little sparkle to your New Year’s Eve with some at-home sparklers. 

Wait until dusk and gather outside with those in your household and light these babies up, and watch them fizz and glitter.

It’s the perfect photo opportunity, especially if you snag a pack like those pictured above, which are 2021-themed.

Shop 2021 sparklers at Party Packs, £4.14

Who doesn’t love a good ol’ fashioned pub quiz? From joke rounds to activity challenges, it’s one way to raise spirits and connect with friends and family. 

Although you can’t do this in person right now, it’s still bloody good fun when done over video chat. 

If you fancy hosting a virtual pub quiz for your friends and family but are feeling stuck for quiz questions, round ideas, topics and activities, then check out our ultimate guide.

In the year of lockdown DIY cocktail kits have become the go-to way to enjoy a few tipples at home. And, if there’s ever a night to put your mixologist hat on, it would be New Year’s Eve. 

There are plenty of kits to try, some more immersive than others. If you fancy trying out the bar experience without having to put in too much hard work yourself, Lyaness and Hawksmoor do amazing pre-bottled cocktails. 

Or, if you’re down to have some fun trying them out yourself, pick a kit like The Cocktail Man, which gives you ingredients and instructions to try it yourself.

Read our guide on the best DIY cocktail kits to see which one is best for you.

A virtual murder mystery is a great way to spend an evening because it feels like going to a real event. Dress up, get excited and strap yourself in for a night of calling the bluff of friends and family and trying to guess the murderer. 

The Digital Murder Mystery Co. is a good place to start. It was founded in lockdown by Charlotte Ricard-Quesada and Christina Rhodes who, between them, have stacks of expertise in events.

The simple process guides you through picking a theme for your party (such as Runaway Rudolf, 1920s Paris and Vintage Circus) and the number of people, before sending off interactive digital invites to guests. The starting price is £275 for 12 players and £5 for more thereafter.

These invites are followed by a hefty PDF explaining each person’s character and their backstory, motive and clues, as well as fancy dress tips, a Spotify playlist of themed music to get ready to as well as meal and cocktail suggestions.

We’ll leave what happens when you log in on the agreed date and time a secret, but we think extra points are in order for anyone who dresses for the part.

Usually, New Year’s Eve would be a night for dressing up, going out and staying up until the wee hours. But this year, as we’ll all be spending it at home, there’s much more chance of falling asleep on the sofa before midnight rolls around. 

If you think this might be you, then why not cash in on the 2020 New Year’s Eve trend of enjoying an all-out brunch instead. 

Make a ‘thing’ of this meal of the day and cook something up you would never usually try, while teaming it with lots of bubbles and making sure it lasts all day. 

We’ve got a guide to the best at-home brunches to try for both sweet and savoury fans to give you a little bit of inspiration. 

If going out for a delicious meal is your idea of New Year’s Eve heaven, then your 31 December could be saved with a restaurant kit. 

Scores of restaurants around the country are now doing them, putting together all the ingredients, instructions and sometimes even beverages for their most-loved menu staples, and sending them directly to your home to construct yourself. 

The experience feels fun and immersive, and definitely beats ambling around your local supermarket. We suggest putting on some music and having a glass of something fizzy while you cook to make this a NYE-worthy experience.

Have a look at our at-home restaurant guide to see our favourites.