3 Entertaining Trends for 2025 — What’s In, What’s Out, and How to Host Like a New Yorker

One day you’re in, the next you’re out — and nowhere is that truer than in New York, where even the most impeccably designed clubstaurants launch with month-long waitlists, only to sit half-empty by week twelve. In a city with the shortest attention span on Earth, staying on the pulse isn’t optional — it’s survival.

So what are the rules for entertaining the most in-the-know people on the planet, right now in 2025? For starters, we’re not just “having people over,” anymore, says NYC-based event planner Cameron Forbes of Forbes Functions. You might still call it that, but that’s not what’s actually happening. “Entertaining in 2025 is about creating an experience that feels effortless — but where every detail is deeply considered.”

“Today’s hosts want to spark genuine connection,” she continues. “I’m seeing clients shift focus from how things appear to how they feel.” Hence, one of her current hot takes: unlit tapered candles. “Why go through all that effort just for decor?” she asks. “A lit taper changes the entire vibe of a space.”

The point being that in 2025, phony dinner party setups are foiled. Real ambiance only. Below are three entertaining trends that have defined the past six months among the city’s most stylish hosts — and exactly what to buy if you want to keep up for the latter half of the year.

Because if you can make it here, well, you know the rest...

1. Ribbons (Sparingly)

“2025 is the year of the ribbon — tied to menus, woven into florals, wrapped around wine glasses,” says Cameron. And with ribbons came bows: “Big ones, tiny ones, bows on dresses, menus, chandeliers — they were everywhere.”

At first, the "coquette" pizzas and Diet Cokes felt cheeky and whimsical. But as with anything that gets too popular, ribbons have started to lose their freshness. “They might just be the new mason jar,” Cameron quips.

That said, don’t toss the whole trend out with the bathwater — at least not yet. “I have a soft spot for them — they’re nostalgic, feminine, and playful,” she says. The key now is editing. “Pick one tone or texture and use it sparingly" — something in satin or velvet, suggests Cameron.

So: cute as they are, resist the urge to bow-verload the table. Pick one moment. The secret to 2025 ribbons is knowing when to quit.

2. Wellness

At my birthday party this year, the cake was vegan, adaptogenic, and spiked with Ashwagandha. A dinner I went to several weekends ago opened with a group sound bath — necessary, probably, when the guest list includes both finance buffs and artists.

These woo-adjacent details aren’t accidents. “Wellness in 2025 is more than green juice, sound baths, and meditation corners,” says Cameron. “It’s about creating an environment where people feel good.” Which, of course, ties directly into the vibe-centric macrotrend we're seeing this year.

Wellness is one of those slippery, amorphous, occasionally parodied words — which we can play to our advantage. Maybe “wellness” entails a guided toast. Maybe it’s a candlelit corner for cozy conversation. “Or a menu that feels both nourishing and indulgent,” Cameron suggests. A carafe of water on the table. A non-alcoholic cocktail with adaptogenic benefits. Something leafy, intended to uplift.

The idea here is intentionality that goes beyond aesthetics — gatherings designed to leave your guests feeling lighter the next morning, not nursing a hangover.

3. Hand-Drawn

Forget the Partifuls and Paperless Posts. In 2025, the most stylish invites are handwritten — or better yet, hand-drawn. Menus, place cards, and sentimental jokes passed around as if we were in middle school. “It’s one of my favorite trends this year,” says Cameron.

The appeal is juvenile in the best way. Think Kraft paper runners covered in doodles, water-colored menu borders, and personalized place cards that suggest the host actually considered you. “Whether it’s a Kraft paper runner for guests to doodle on or a hand-painted menu, these perfectly imperfect details add warmth and personality,” she says.

Restaurants like Heroes in NYC are already on it — paper-lined tables, crayons, Pictionary over “Tiny Tinis.” Turns out that same kids-menu-logic plays well at dinner parties, too.

For the ambitious: try embroidering a menu motif onto a base cloth as a future keepsake. But even a scribbled note goes a long way. “It’s intimate in a way digital just isn’t,” Cameron says.

Presumably, if you’ve made it this far — you like to party. So consider this your cue to level up.

We’ve rounded up seven things people who love entertaining always have on hand. Some of them are obvious. Others might surprise you. But all are essential.