New year's Eve party - upto 40 adults and similar amount of kids. wtf are we thinking of?

[hatwoman]

the reality is that I reackon only half will come at most. even so that's a lot of people. any ideas what's to be done? I am favouring the strong g and ts at 6 pm and let it all wash over me approach. is the host allowed to do that?

Yep
Have you got films for children to watch?
Enough beds?
paper plates?
er, caterers?

We did a lesser number for the last couple of years (20 adults + 30 children) but started at 4pm so that the parents of small children could get drunk but also out of the house by 10pm without feeling obliged to stay until midnight

I do a pre-Christmas party for this number. Food is always the same: I cook a (very large) whole ham, buy a lot of cheese and some interesting bread and some decent salads. Dips, crisps, nuts, a shedload of sticky cocktail sausages and a few boxes of posh canapes. Set up a bar and stick DH behind it, circulate with the canapes myself and let people help themselves to the buffet. Not to much effort and it always seems to work. Oh yes - I try to stay two drinks behind everyone else, that way it looks like I'm sober when I'm not.

we've done quite a few summer parties - starting at 3/4 for the kids but NYE feels different. In part becuase I'm expecting a few of the kids will stay up late - previously we've packed them all off to bed by about 9. I think we'll set up the play room as kiddie cinema for when they've got too tired and crotchety to amuse themselves.

I am actually thinking that people will have had enough of buffet type stuff so was planning on doing a huge pot of french sausage and bean casserole with nice bread plus maybe sausages and baked beans for the kids. only consideration is that it's not so easy to eat hot buffet style. but seems simpler than cold buffet (from cooks pov).

Last time we went to a NYE party the hosts did a designated DVD watching room for the children and chucked in a load of cushions and sleeping bags. By 10pm they were all lined up in a row watching Peter Pan in their sleeping bags. Almost all of them were asleep by midnight!

Yes Rosa we did that for NYE - made it a "pyjama party" for the kids and "cocktail dress" for the grown-ups (with a menu of cocktails to choose from - with lots of cocktail decorations)

Had sleeping bags and we laid out the guest beds to play on - I think it made things a bit different

I think that snack-y food is not so good with excessive quantities of alcohol so a solid casserole is a v. good idea

We just do pizzas for the children and a large bowl of pasta

We have a mirror ball and spotlight to transform the lounge into a disco

Oh one year we did a "Thai New Party" and had thai food and thai-themed cocktails - and "called" the new year at 7pm I think (when it was 12 in Thailand) so that the kids all had the "new year experience"

that was fun

well we are the proud new owners of a playroom - with a hoooge projector for watching dvds - so I am thinking along those lines. let the kids run around til 9 and then throw them downstairs with lots of cushions and some pop corn and see what happens. and yes pizza sounds easier for the kids. the idea of doing a decent toulouse sausage and bean casserole for grown ups and sausage and baked beans for the kids amused me, but baked beans and kids at a party probably not such a good idea.

not if you are fond of your flooring