New Year's Eve is a night guests have to book ahead for. The Aloma bowling centers in Orlando tell guests their evening parties "will sell out," and Rucker Lanes in Alabama says space is limited. The bowling alleys, axe bars and golf venues that post their New Year's Eve plans online sell the night in sessions. The Alley in Salina, Kansas runs two parties, 5:30 to 8:30 and 9:30 to 12:30, at $149.99 a lane for up to six people. Warrior Lanes in Waukee, Iowa runs a Noon Year's Eve glow bowling party for families that, in its own words, "sells out FAST every year."
This guide walks through how to put a New Year's Eve event together at your entertainment venue:
- which sessions to run, and when each one starts and ends
- what to put in each session
- how to price it, with what other venues charge
- what booking rules to set
- how to run the night itself
How do you plan a New Year's Eve event?
Split the night into a family session that's over by nine and a late session for adults with the countdown. Sell each one as a fixed block, priced per lane or bay for a set group size, with food and a toast included. Take full payment when guests book.
You can't add lanes on New Year's Eve, so start by counting how many sessions fit between your first one and closing time, with an hour between each to reset. That count is how many packages you have to sell.
Which sessions should you run?
At least two: one for families and one for the countdown. Families with young kids want to be home well before midnight. Adults want the countdown. If you run one long open-play night, you're serving neither of them.
Here's how venues split it:
- Lucky Strike, Bowlero and AMF: a Daytime Bash (12 to 2 or 2:30 to 4:30), a Sunset Bash (5:30 to 7:30) and a four-hour Ball Drop (9 to 1)
- Arnold Bowl, Arnold, Missouri: a family Cosmic Bowl (glow bowling) package from 4 to 7, then a Rent-a-Lane from 8:30 to midnight with champagne at 12
- Rucker Lanes, Fort Rucker, Alabama: 6 to 9 and 10 to 1
- Family Fun Center, Lakeland, Florida: a Noon Year's Eve from 9 to noon, with a countdown and balloon drop at 12
The noon party is worth a look if you get a lot of families. Kids get a real countdown and a balloon drop, parents are home by early afternoon, and your lanes or attractions are free to reset for the evening. Warrior Lanes' version runs 11 to 1, and it's the one that sells out every year.
Leave a gap between sessions. The Alley gives itself an hour between its two parties, and Arnold Bowl gives itself 90 minutes. That's your time to clear lanes, restock and get the late crowd checked in without the early crowd still putting on their coats.
What should each session include?
Everything's included: the activity, the shoes or gear, food, a drink, and something for midnight. Guests should be able to show up and never reach for a wallet, with options to add on extras like cocktails and more food.
The two sessions get different versions of the same package. Kings, a bowling center in Dedham, Massachusetts, sells a Family NYE Party Package with bowling, shoes, food and sparkling cider, and an Adult NYE Package with bowling, shoes, pastries and a champagne toast. Lucky Strike gives its Daytime Bash a sparkling cider toast, its Sunset Bash cider or champagne, and its Ball Drop champagne at midnight.
What venues put in:
- The activity, unlimited for the session. The Alley adds unlimited laser tag to unlimited bowling.
- Food. Pizza and soda shows up in the family packages at Arnold Bowl, Aloma Bowl and Warrior Lanes. The Alley serves pizza at a set time in each party, 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. Rucker Lanes serves a three-course sit-down dinner. Andrea Lopez, its operations assistant, said "We wanted to offer a sit-down, enjoyable dinner for everybody who wanted to come out and ring in the New Year with us."
- Arcade credit. A $10 game card per person at The Alley, a $5 card at the Aloma centers in Orlando.
- A toast. Sparkling cider for families, champagne for guests 21 and over. AXE MKE in Milwaukee and Boardwalk Bowl in Orlando include a bottle in each lane package.
- The midnight moment. Hats, noisemakers, party favors, a balloon drop, a DJ. Boardwalk Bowl runs a DJ and a balloon drop. Rucker Lanes picked a Wild West theme and asked guests to dress for it.
Keep the bar outside the package unless the package is the whole night. Rucker Lanes includes water or tea with its dinner and charges for other drinks, and The Alley includes a pitcher of soda. Midway Golf & Games in Columbia, Missouri goes the other way, with a buffet and a full bar in one bay price.
How much should you charge for New Year's Eve?
Price per lane or bay, for a set number of people, the way you'd price a party. A per-person price makes the desk count heads all night; a lane price is one number per booking. Here's what venues charge for their late sessions:
| Venue | Late session | Price | Group size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold Bowl, Arnold, MO | 8:30 pm to midnight | $75 a lane | up to 6 |
| Airport Lanes, Sanford, FL | 9 pm to 1 am | $120 a lane | up to 6 |
| AXE MKE, Milwaukee | 10 pm to 12:30 am | $120 an axe lane | up to 8 |
| The Alley, Salina, KS | 9:30 pm to 12:30 am | $149.99 a lane | up to 6 |
| Aloma Bowl, Winter Park, FL | 9 pm to 1 am | $150 a lane | up to 6 |
| Boardwalk Bowl, Orlando | 9 pm to 1 am | $179 a lane | up to 6 |
| Midway Golf & Games, Columbia, MO | through midnight | $899 a heated driving-range bay | up to 6 |
The bowling centers here charge $75 to $179 a lane for a late session of three to four hours, and the price climbs with what's included. Arnold Bowl's $75 covers bowling, shoes, favors and champagne. Boardwalk Bowl's $179 adds pizza, soda, game cards and a DJ.
Family sessions run cheaper and shorter. Warrior Lanes charges $79.95 a lane for two hours and up to five guests, and Aloma Bowl's daytime package is $69.99 for up to six. The Alley is the exception and charges the same for both parties.
Charge more for the better lanes. The Alley charges $10 more for lanes 21 to 28, which have projector screens.
What booking rules should you set?
Full payment at booking, no cancellations, and a cutoff for each session. Bowlero's New Year's Eve terms say "you must pay for the party package in full upon booking" and that "New Year's Eve events are noncancelable."
That's the right call on this night. When a group cancels on December 30, you'll struggle to resell its lane with a day to go.
Bowlero's terms do allow one change: guests can add people to a booking up to the day of the party, based on space, but can't take people off. Copy that. It lets a group grow and protects the number you planned food around.
Then set when booking closes for each session. Lucky Strike closes its day sessions three hours before they start and the Ball Drop at 6 p.m. on the 31st. Pick your own cutoffs and put them on the booking page.
When should you open bookings?
As soon as your sessions, menu and prices are set, then remind past guests in December. AXE MKE, Rucker Lanes and the Aloma centers all tell guests to reserve, and Warrior Lanes tells families to "Book your lane now."
The big chains open later. Lucky Strike, Bowlero and AMF don't open New Year's Eve lane reservations until December 26. Nothing makes a single venue wait that long.
How do you run the night itself?
The sessions only work if each one starts and ends on time. Set these up before the first one:
- One check-in line per session. Everyone in a session arrives at about the same time, so have their names, lane numbers and package ready.
- Food on a clock. Serve at the same time for every lane in a session, the way The Alley does at 6 and 10.
- Toasts poured before midnight. Have the champagne and cider at the lanes a few minutes before midnight, so nobody's stuck at the bar for the countdown.
- A reset crew between sessions. Lanes wiped, shoes sprayed and returned, tables cleared, favors restocked.
Start planning this month
Pick your sessions, put the food, toast and favors in each one, set a per-lane price with a group cap, and take payment in full when guests book. Post the packages as soon as the details are set, and give yourself a gap between sessions to reset.
For more on building the packages themselves, see our guide to building the ultimate party package. For pricing different time slots differently, see our guide to dynamic pricing for entertainment venues.
Rex runs online booking for entertainment venues, with packages and tickets for special nights paid at checkout. Book a Rex demo to see how a New Year's Eve night would run on it.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time should a family New Year's Eve party end?
The early evening sessions here end between 7 and 9 p.m.: Arnold Bowl's family package at 7, Lucky Strike's Sunset Bash at 7:30, The Alley's first party at 8:30 and Rucker Lanes' first party at 9. Daytime parties end sooner. Lucky Strike's last Daytime Bash ends at 4:30 and Warrior Lanes' Noon Year's Eve at 1.
Do family New Year's Eve packages include alcohol?
None of the family packages here do. Kings in Dedham puts sparkling cider in its family package and champagne in its adult one, and Lucky Strike pours cider at its Daytime Bash and champagne at the Ball Drop.
How many people should a New Year's Eve lane package include?
Six is the most common cap for a bowling lane, at The Alley, Arnold Bowl and the Aloma centers. Warrior Lanes caps its noon lanes at five, and AXE MKE sells an axe lane for up to eight. Sell a second lane for bigger groups, the way Airport Lanes does at $200 for two.
