Bar Cart Decor: Festive Ways to Simplify Hosting — Perfect for New Year’s Eve!
Add a festive touch to your celebration and make serving guests drinks and snacks a breeze!
Looking for a helping hand with hosting this New Year’s Eve? Here, design pros share easy ideas for styling chic bar cart buffets that serve double duty. They add celebratory flair to your gathering and make serving drinks, snacks or desserts a cinch since guests can easily help themselves at the stations! Don’t have a bar cart on hand? No problem! Set up a side table or small bookshelf in the same fashion as one of the bar cart decor ideas below.
Bar cart decor idea #1: Whimsical beverage cart
All it takes to set up a showstopping New Year’s Eve party-ready beverage cart is serve-yourself bottled drinks, pretty glassware and a sprinkling of merry-and-bright decor. And this modern whimsical cart display created by Amanda S. Gluck of FashionableHostess.com wows! “I wanted to create something merry and bright,” says Gluck. “I went with a mix of complimentary bright accessories.”
To get the look, set bright bottled beverages on the bottom shelf of a gold bar cart. Arrange a silver mini tinsel tree decorated with jewel-toned baubles and a pink sisal tree nearby. Next, add a white mini tree decorated with baubles, a pink sisal tree, old-fashioned glasses and straws, a bauble-filled vase and glittery reindeer to the top. (We like Yiiciovy Set of 2 Reindeer Decorations in Blue (buy from Amazon, $21.99.)
Bar cart decor idea #2: Glamorous gold champagne cart
Make toasting at midnight extra special with a gorgeous gilded champagne cart, like this one styled by Chelsea Paulson of EventfullyChelsea.com. “There of course needs to be champagne involved! What better way to serve it up than an amazingly sparkly bar cart.”
To do: Hang gold, black and white party streamers on a wall, then add silver star garlands, like REOLAN Silver Star Garland Banner Decorations (Buy from Amazon, $13.89), and gold fringe, like Spritz Party Backdrop Gold (Buy at Target, $6.00).
Next, tape dollar-store star-shaped balloons in black, silver and gold hues to the wall around the streamer backdrop. Push a gold bar cart in front of the backdrop. Decorate the top tier with a gold tray, champagne flutes, champagne, straws, a cocktail shaker and party-store napkins. On the bottom tier, add star-shaped paper plates, party hats, a tinsel tree and shiny mini disco balls nestled into cocktail glasses. Affix a large gold “cheers” sign, like Glitter Gold Cheers Photo Booth Prop (Buy from Party City, $6.00) to the front of the cart.
Bar cart decor idea #3: Winter wonderland dessert cart
Bar carts don’t have to be solely used for serving drinks! Instead, delight your crowd with an enchanting cart filled with tasty treats, like this one styled by Jenny Keller of JennyCookies.com.
To get the look, top a bar cart with cake stands and trays filled with petit fours, cookies, mini donuts, macarons and a cake. Next, add ambience with a metallic lantern and a bouquet of supermarket flowers and fresh pine sprigs.
For fun wall decor that furthers the wintry feel, hot-glue jumbo wooden craft sticks together to create a snowflake, glue a furry pom-pom to the center and attach to wall behind the cart with poster putty.
Bar cart decor idea #4: Roaring 20’s bubbly bar
Channel the glamour and energy of the roaring 1920’s with a beautiful bubbly sampling cart, like this one styled by Missy LoFaso and Kristen Bound (@sweetlychicevents on Instagram) for Fun365.com.
To recreate this display, jot a greeting on black poster board, frame it in a pretty gilded poster frame. (We like Home by Studio Décor Gold Pompeii 16″ x 20″ Frame (Buy from Michaels, $37.49.). Hang on the wall and drape gold fringe garlands around it.
Push a gold bar cart underneath, add a black cake stand to the cart and top with a champagne bottle and plastic flutes filled with champagne. For a fun touch, tape pieces of the gold fringe garland to cocktail picks and add to flutes. For a fun bubbly tasting game, remove labels from 4 varietals of sparkling wine (like prosecco, rosé, cava and Moscato d’Asti).
Line up the bottles from sweetest to boldest/driest next to extra plastic champagne flutes, then hot-glue craft-store gold glitter “2024” numbers onto the bottles and a black feather to the top of each wine stopper for fun NYE flair. Give guests index cards labeled “sweet,” “fruity” or “dry.” Then, have each guests pour and take a sip of one variety together, then hold up their card with their verdict. Whoever gets the flavor profile correct for all varieties gets to take home an extra bottle!
For more New Year’s Eve entertaining ideas, click through these stories:
5 Easy DIY Noisemakers That’ll Impress Guests and Help You Ring in the New Year!
How to Throw a Fuss-Free New Year’s Eve Party
These 3 Easy Air Fryer Appetizers Would Be Perfect for a New Year’s Eve Party
