NEW YEAR'S EVE

New Year's Eve toast examples

A New Year's Eve toast takes a minute or less. Thank whoever is hosting, name one moment from this year that the room shared, wish for one thing next year and finish before the countdown starts.

Look up New Year's toasts and you mostly get quotes, one-liners and photos of champagne glasses. A quote works on a card. Read out at a party, it sounds like you found it on your phone, and it says nothing about the people holding the glasses. The toasts below are made up, so keep their shape and put in your own people. First comes a template. Then come eight toasts: the host's, a short one, a funny one for friends, one for family, one for old friends, one after a hard year, one for a seniors' party and one for a room that knows big news is coming. After those: when to start, how long to talk, what to leave out and how to say it.

A New Year's Eve toast template

Examples 1, 4 and 7 follow all five parts. Examples 2, 3 and 8 skip part 3. Example 5 skips the thank-you to the host. Example 6 spends its middle on the hard year and on thanking the people who helped. Fill in the blanks, then say it out loud once before the party.

Get the room's attention and thank whoever is hosting: "Before the countdown, I'd like to say a few words. Thank you to ___ for ___."
Name one moment from this year that the room shared, and keep it specific: "This year, ___."
Remember who isn't here, if the room would want that: "We miss ___ tonight."
Wish for one thing next year, as specific as the story: "Next year, ___."
Raise your glass and say the toast last: "Happy New Year, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To ___."

Part 2 is the one people will remember. One real moment, like the night the power went out at Sam's birthday dinner and everyone ate cake by phone light, does more than a review of the whole year.

Eight New Year's Eve toast examples

The names and stories are made up. Each one runs under 150 words, about a minute or less out loud.

1. From the host

A house party for twenty, about five minutes before midnight.

Okay, everyone, can I have one minute before the countdown? Someone turn the music down. Thank you all for coming, and thank you to Jess for the dumplings, which are almost gone.

This is our first New Year's in this apartment. In March it had no furniture, and our first guests sat on paint cans. Tonight there are twenty of you, and nobody is sitting on a paint can.

We miss Omar, who's working the night shift at the hospital. He just sent a picture of the cafeteria's sparkling cider.

Next year, I want this room this full at least once a month, not just tonight.

Happy New Year, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To all of you.

2. Short and simple

Under 50 words, for a loud room or a toast you're asked for with two minutes to go.

Thank you, Dana, for having us. This year Max finished his first semester and Grandma got her new hip, and both of them are dancing tonight. Next year, let's all make it to the lake. Happy New Year, everyone. To next year.

3. Funny, for friends

Every joke is on the person giving the toast. Nobody else in the room gets roasted.

Hi, everyone. I'll be quick, because last year I talked right through the countdown.

Thank you to Rachel and Ben for hosting, and for trusting me with the playlist again. I'm sorry about the polka.

A year ago I stood right here and said this would be my year. I'd run a marathon, learn Spanish and fix my bike. I ran one 5K, I can order a coffee in Spanish, and the bike is still in the hallway. I'm calling that two out of three.

So next year I'm making one resolution: to be back here with all of you.

Happy New Year, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To lower expectations, and to all of you.

4. For family

A family dinner with kids who won't make it to midnight. When the ball drops in New York, it's 9 p.m. in Los Angeles, so some West Coast families toast with the kids at nine.

Before the kids head to bed, I want to say something. Thank you to Mom for the lasagna, and to Uncle Ray for driving up through the snow.

This year Lily lost her first tooth, Sam learned to ride a bike, and Dad finally retired, after six years of saying he would.

We miss Grandma Rose, who's in Arizona with Aunt Carol. She called during dinner to ask if it's snowing. It is.

Next year, we're doing the camping trip. Lily, Sam, you heard it here. Hold us to it.

Happy New Year, everyone. Please raise your glasses, or your juice boxes. To family.

5. To old friends

For friends who go back years. It ends on "auld lang syne," the song many people sing just after midnight. Robert Burns wrote his version of the words in 1788, and the phrase roughly means "times long past," according to National Geographic.

I've known most of you since the dorm on Elm Street, when New Year's Eve meant a two-dollar bottle of something pink and a radio on the windowsill.

That was twenty years ago. This summer, eight of us finally took the lake trip we'd been planning since the dorm, and we got lost before lunch.

We miss Theo, who's in Singapore, where it's already tomorrow. He texted to say next year is fine so far.

Next year, let's not wait until December. Let's do this in June.

Happy New Year, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To old friends, and to auld lang syne.

6. After a hard year

If this year brought a layoff, an illness or a lot of hospital visits, everyone in the room already knows. You don't have to explain it. Say it in a sentence, thank the people who helped and then look ahead. If the room lost someone this year, ask whoever was closest to them before the party whether they'd like the person named.

Before midnight, I want to say something. This was a hard year for us, and for a while we didn't know what came next.

A lot of you sent job leads, a few of you sent dinners, and Priya sent both. Thank you. You got us through it.

We're not sorry to see this year go. We're grateful for every one of you who was in it.

Next year, the first dinner is on us.

Happy New Year, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To an easier year, and to the friends who got us through this one.

7. For a seniors' party

For a party at a senior center or a retirement community, from a resident or whoever runs the activities. If the party ends before midnight, give the toast whenever the glasses go up.

Good evening, everyone. Thank you to Maria and the activities team for the decorations, and to the kitchen for the shrimp. I've had three.

I moved in here in April. I didn't know anyone, and I wasn't sure I'd make friends here. Then Walter taught me to play bridge, and now I lose to him every Tuesday.

We miss Helen, who's with her grandkids in Ohio tonight. She made me promise to save her a party hat.

Next year, I'd like to beat Walter at bridge. Just once.

Happy New Year, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To new friends, at any age.

8. When big news is coming next year

For a room that already knows what next year holds: a move, a baby on the way, a new business. Ask the people it belongs to before you mention it.

I'll keep this short, because the countdown is in five minutes.

Thank you to Nina and Joe for hosting, for the last time in this house. In March they move to Denver, and none of us has forgiven them yet.

This year we had our last game night on this couch and our last barbecue on that deck. Tonight is our last New Year's in this living room.

Next year, we're all coming to Denver at least once. Nina, Joe, get a bigger couch.

Happy New Year, everyone. Please raise your glasses. To Nina and Joe, and to whatever's next.

When to give a New Year's Eve toast

At a party that goes to midnight, start about five minutes before. A one-minute toast leaves time for the glasses to go around. Everyone takes a sip at the toast and saves the rest for midnight. Don't wait for the countdown itself. Nobody can hear you over it, and right after midnight people are hugging and texting. Water and sparkling cider count, so the kids and anyone not drinking can join in.

At a dinner, give it once everyone is sitting down with something in their glass, before the food goes around. Whoever is hosting usually gives it. If you'd like to say a few words at someone else's party, ask the host first.

How long should a New Year's Eve toast be?

A minute or less, about 150 words. Say yours out loud with a timer running. If it runs long, cut the year down to one moment before you touch the thank-yous.

What to leave out

Resolutions for other people: who should drink less, date more or lose weight.
A month-by-month review of the year. Pick one moment.
Politics, and whatever started last year's argument.
Exes, and anyone who isn't there because of a breakup.
News that belongs to someone else, like an engagement, a pregnancy or a new job. Let them tell it.
Jokes about who drank too much last year.
Anything you'd be hurt to hear about yourself.

How to give it

Turn the music down and wait for quiet before your first word.
Stand where the whole room can see you, and keep an eye on the clock. If you start late, skip to the wish and the toast.
Learn your first line and your toast word for word. For the middle, keep the five parts in your head and let the words come. How to memorize a speech has a method.
Look at each person as you thank them.
Let your voice come down on the toast, so it sounds like the end and everyone knows when to raise their glass. If your sentences tend to rise at the end, see how to stop upspeak.
Asked with no warning? Thank the host, name one moment from this year and raise your glass. Impromptu speaking has more on talking off the cuff.

Rehearse your New Year's Eve toast with an AI coach in Charisma Lab

Charisma Lab is a speaking coach on your iPhone. In Speak, tap the center and tell the coach you're practicing a New Year's Eve toast. Say it out loud one chunk at a time, like the thank-you, the story or the wish for next year. A pause of about two seconds ends a take, so end each chunk where you'd stop and look around the room. You hear the take played back, then the coach tells you what to fix and sends you back in.

To time the whole toast, open Voice Cam on the home screen and record it, with the camera or audio only. A clock runs while you record, and a recording stops on its own at one minute, which fits a New Year's Eve toast. As you talk, it shows your volume, pitch and pauses, plus an estimate of your pace in words per minute. Check that your volume holds up to the last line, since that's the one everyone needs to hear. Setup is free and includes a short live session with the coach. After that, the app needs Pro, which is $14.99 a month in the US. See pricing.

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FAQ

What do you say in a New Year's Eve toast?

Thank whoever is hosting, name one moment from this year that the room shared and wish for one thing next year. Then finish with "Happy New Year" and the toast. The template above has a line for each part.

What is a good short New Year's toast?

Thank the host, name one thing from this year and one thing you want next year, then raise your glass. Example 2 does it in 42 words.

What is a funny New Year's Eve toast for friends?

One where you're the joke, like the resolutions you didn't keep. Example 3 keeps every joke on the speaker.

When should you give a New Year's Eve toast?

About five minutes before midnight, so you finish before the countdown. Everyone takes a sip at the toast and saves the rest for midnight. At a dinner, give it before the food goes around.

What is a good New Year's toast for family?

Thank whoever cooked, name something each kid did this year and promise one thing for next year, like a trip. Example 4 does it for a dinner with kids who won't see midnight.

What is a good New Year's Eve toast for seniors?

Thank the staff, tell one story from the year and toast the people in the room. Example 7 is from a resident who moved in this year.

What does "auld lang syne" mean?

It roughly means "times long past." Robert Burns wrote his version of the words in 1788, and many people sing the song just after midnight, according to National Geographic. Example 5 ends on it.

How do you end a New Year's Eve toast?

Ask everyone to raise a glass, say "Happy New Year" and the toast, and save the rest of the glass for midnight. How to end a speech has more on toasts.

More practice guides

Updated November 3, 2026.