Decide the offer first: an early family sitting, a late sitting or a ticketed package, each with a set menu and a price per head. Take full payment or a deposit with clear refund terms. Launch in November to your email list, then open to everyone and run ads. Send everyone to one booking page and set Google special hours for 31 December and 1 January.
New Year’s Eve is the one night of the year when people decide early and pay ahead. If your offer is clear by November, the night can sell out before December gets busy.
If you leave it to Boxing Day, the good tables in town are already gone, and so are the people who wanted them.
This guide follows on from the Christmas marketing guide. Same idea, one big night, less time to fix mistakes.
Decide the offer first
Do not open the books until you know what you are selling. “We are open, come in” does not fill a room on the 31st. A clear offer does.
Most venues pick one or two of these:
| Offer | Who it suits | What to put in it |
|---|---|---|
| Early sitting | Families, older guests, people with plans after | A set menu, a fixed time like [time] to [time], a lower price than the late sitting |
| Late sitting | Couples and groups who want to see in midnight | A longer set menu, a glass of something at midnight, the table until close |
| Ticketed package | Bars and venues with a view or entertainment | Entry, food, a drinks package for a set time, a DJ or band if you have one |
Two sittings let you turn the room once. The early sitting also brings in guests who would never book a late table.
Keep the menu set. A short set menu lets the kitchen prep ahead, keeps the night on time and makes the price easy to show. Put the price per head on it. “Set menu [price] a head, drinks extra” is a real offer. “Prices on request” is not.
Take payment up front
A no-show on New Year’s Eve is a table you cannot resell. Ask for a full prepayment or a deposit at the time of booking.
Write the terms once and show them everywhere: on the booking page, in the confirmation email and on the ticket.
- Whether it is a ticket paid in full or a deposit, and how much
- Whether the deposit comes off the final bill
- The last day to change numbers or dietaries
- What happens if someone cancels, and by when
- What happens if you have to cancel or change the night
- What is included and what is extra, like drinks or a service charge
Use plain words. If a term would surprise a fair-minded guest, rewrite it. Australian Consumer Law still applies to prepaid bookings. This guide is general information, not legal advice, so have your terms checked if you are not sure.
Launch in November
People plan New Year’s Eve weeks ahead. Many start looking once their Christmas plans are sorted. Be ready before they look.
- Late October. Lock the menu, the price, the sittings and the terms. Build the booking page.
- Early November. Tell your email list and regulars first. Give them a few days before anyone else.
- Mid November. Open to everyone. Post on Instagram and Facebook. Start ads if you need them.
- December. Post real updates as sittings fill. Push the dates and times that still have room.
- Boxing Day to the 30th. A last push for any tables left, then lock the run sheet.
Running Christmas at the same time? Keep the two campaigns apart. One page and one message for each. The Christmas party bookings guide covers the functions side.
Send everyone to one booking page
Every post, email, ad and Google listing should point to the same page. Not your home page. Not a PDF. One page built for this one night.
That page needs:
- The date, the sittings and the times
- The set menu, with dietary options shown
- The price per head or ticket price, and what it includes
- The deposit or payment terms, in plain words
- A real photo of the room and the food
- A booking button that works on a phone in a few taps
If you have a fireworks view, say so and show it. But only if it is true. If guests can see the fireworks from three tables on the balcony, say three tables, not “fireworks views”. Misleading claims break the law and ruin the night for the guest who paid for a view they did not get. The landing page checklist covers the rest of the build.
Email your list first, then run ads
The people already on your list know you and trust you. They are the cheapest bookings you will get. Send to them first.
Subject: New Year’s Eve at [venue]: first look Hi [first name], Before we open bookings to everyone, you get first pick. Early sitting: [time] to [time], [number] courses, [price] a head Late sitting: [time] to close, [number] courses, [price] a head, [what happens at midnight] [Payment or deposit] secures your table. Full terms are on the booking page. Book here: [link] We open to everyone on [date]. [Your name] [Venue]
Only send to people who agreed to hear from you, and include a working unsubscribe link. Australia’s spam rules apply to venue emails. The email marketing guide covers how to build that list.
Once your list has had first pick, run ads to fill what is left. Aim them at people near you and at people who visited the booking page but did not book.
Set your Google hours for 31 December and 1 January
Many people check Google before they go out on New Year’s Eve. If your listing shows normal hours and you close early, or shows closed when you are open, you lose them.
- Add special hours for 31 December and 1 January in your Google Business Profile
- Do the same for Christmas Day and Boxing Day while you are there
- Post a Google update with the offer and a link to the booking page
- Add a photo of the set menu or the room dressed for the night
The Google Business Profile guide walks through the rest.
Sell New Year’s Day too
New Year’s Day is a different crowd with different needs. People want a late start, a big breakfast and something cold.
- A late brunch from [time] with a short menu that is easy to cook in volume
- A simple deal: brunch and a drink for [price]
- Bookings for groups, walk ins for everyone else
- A mention on the New Year’s Eve page and in the confirmation email
If you are closed on the 1st, say so clearly on Google and on the booking page, so nobody turns up to a locked door.
Plan the staff and the run sheet
A smooth night is what gets the review and the rebooking. Plan it like a function.
- Lock the roster early. Staff make plans for this night too.
- Write a one-page run sheet: arrival times, courses, the changeover between sittings, what happens at midnight
- Give the early sitting a firm finish time, and tell guests that time when they book
- Name one person to handle any problem on the floor
- Plan how guests get home, and share taxi and rideshare details
Responsible service of alcohol rules still apply on the busiest night of the year. Check what your licence and your state’s liquor regulator require, brief every staff member, and make sure your drinks packages fit those rules.
Follow up for reviews and January bookings
The night ends. The marketing does not.
- On 1 or 2 January, send a short thank you with a link to leave a Google review
- In the same email, give a reason to come back in January, when many venues go quiet
- Mid January, email the guests who came with a weeknight offer
- In your notes, write down what sold out first, what did not, and what to change next year
January can be slow. The guests who loved New Year’s Eve are the easiest people to bring back. Give them a midweek reason to come in.
Get New Year’s Eve sold out
HospoPro builds the booking page, sends the email, runs the ads and updates your Google listing, so your team can focus on the night itself.
FAQ
When should a restaurant start marketing New Year’s Eve?
Lock the menu, price, sittings and terms by late October. Tell your email list and regulars in early November, then open bookings to everyone a week or so later. Many people plan the night once their Christmas plans are sorted, so being ready in November means you catch them first.
Should we take a deposit or full payment for New Year’s Eve?
Most venues ask for either full prepayment or a deposit, because a no-show on the 31st is a table you cannot resell. Whichever you choose, write the refund and change terms in plain words and show them on the booking page, the confirmation email and the ticket. Have your terms checked if unsure.
Is an early sitting worth running on New Year’s Eve?
Often, yes. An early sitting brings in families and guests who would never book a late table, and it lets you turn the room once. Give it a set menu, a lower price than the late sitting and a firm finish time that guests are told when they book.
Can we advertise fireworks views from our venue?
Only if it is true, and only as far as it is true. If just a few balcony tables can see the fireworks, say exactly that. Misleading claims can break Australian Consumer Law and leave a guest who paid for a view feeling cheated on the biggest night of the year.
We run the photos, posts, ads, email and reporting for hospitality venues across South East Queensland. Everything in this guide comes from doing the work on live venues, not a textbook.
