New Year’s Eve has a reputation as the night to meet someone, which puts a lot of pressure on a single evening. The good news: everyone is out to celebrate, people are open to new faces and the end of the year hands you a topic everyone can answer. Take the pressure off and it becomes one of the easiest nights to meet people.
Choose a place you can talk
A packed club makes conversation almost impossible. A house party, a bar with a quiet corner or a friend’s balcony gives you room to actually talk. If you are going out, go with friends who will introduce you around.
Start early in the night
People are most open in the first few hours, before the bars get loud and the countdown takes over. Say hello early and you have time to build a real conversation instead of rushing one at 11:55.
Use the year as your topic
The best openers on New Year’s Eve are about the year: “Best thing that happened to you this year?”, “Do you do resolutions, or have you given up?” or “One thing you want to do next year?” Everyone has an answer, and the answers tell you a lot about a person.
Midnight is a moment, not a deadline
Do not panic-approach someone in the last five minutes so you are not alone at midnight. And a midnight kiss needs a clear yes like any other kiss: if you are not sure, a hug, a toast or a high five is the right move. Celebrating the moment together is what people remember.
Look after yourself and others
Plan how you are getting home before you go out. Keep an eye on your drink and on your friends. If someone has had too much to drink, they cannot say a real yes to anything, so the only move is to make sure they get home safely.
Suggest a plan for January
The new year gives you a natural reason to meet again: “Coffee in the first week of January? I want to hear how the resolution is going.” Ask for their number while you are still having fun, not as they are leaving.
Lines to borrow
- Early in the night: “Hi! Are you a big New Year’s Eve person, or here for the snacks?”
- About the year: “What’s the one thing from this year you’d happily do all over again?”
- About resolutions: “I’m making one resolution: say yes to more things. What’s yours?”
- At midnight: “Cheers to next year being even better than this one!”
- A plan for January: “Let’s do dinner in January, when everyone’s skint and the restaurants are empty.”
Practice it
From 27 December to 2 January the game’s New Year’s Eve event opens The Countdown, on a quiet balcony half an hour before midnight, and The Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day. Rooftop Bar practices the same skills all year.