Everyone knows that the house party is the ultimate social gathering. Unlike a club or bar you can be in complete control – you choose the music, the guest list, the eats and the closing time. But with great power comes great responsibility, and if you don’t approach house party planning properly, your next invitation may be deleted before it’s even read.
We like to think we know a thing or two about throwing a killer party (I mean, did you see what we pulled off at the French Chateau recently?). And just like any half decent house party host, what’s ours is yours etc. etc. So from us to you, enjoy these ideas for throwing the most epic of epic house parties. Just don’t blame the mess/hangover/broken vase on us…
Perfect your guest list
You can’t party all by yourself, so the first step on the road to an epic house party is to work on your g list. You’re obviously going to invite your mates, but to throw a house party to remember (whether home or away), you need to bring together people from every part of your life and just let the magic happen.
People are obviously coming to see you, but they’re also coming to meet interesting, fun new people (and potentially new partners) – so get your work friends together with your uni friends, invite your awesome ex-roommate and that guy you met at that festival that time. As they say, the more the merrier. Just make sure you stipulate it’s friends and friends of friends only, no one wants a house full of randoms…
Lie about the start time
We’ve all been there – your punctual friends rock up at exactly the time you asked them to, while your flaky mates stroll in after they’ve hit up three other parties and stay until the sun comes up. To ensure a steady flow of people at your party you have to give people different start and end times. Tell your time-conscious friends to show up at 10pm and tell your friends who are prone to tardiness to show up at 8pm, this way *hopefully* most of your guests will be there at the same time.
Pick a theme
Every epic party has a theme. The ritual of buying the costume drums up excitement and gets people ready to party, and the hilarious costumes your mates put on will provide endless conversation starters and really help bring the group together. It doesn’t have to be corny stuff like toga parties or the super creative ‘The 80’s’ – you could have a hat party, a Rubik’s Cube party, a Seven Deadly Sins party? The possibilities are endless, and everyone will enjoy themselves that bit more. Just make sure you tell all your guests so no one ends up looking stupid.
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Make a party playlist
Of the utmost importance for a number of reasons – firstly, no one wants to stay at a party when the music is bad and the atmosphere is worse. Make a super long playlist the night before and stick it on just as your first guests arrive. If you’re feeling really creative you can time the playlist so you have a few hours of chatting tunes, then some ragers to get everyone dancing, then a final hour or two of more relaxed music to round things off. Also, making a playlist minimises the chances of any of your guests grabbing your iPod, putting ‘their jam’ on and taking over.
Don’t get totally wasted
You may think it’s your party and you can get drunk if you want to, but if you want to actually remember how awesome your party was, stay sober(ish). It’s way too easy to get carried away at your own party, in the comfort of your home, egged on by everyone else – but when the host gets drunk, it’s kind of embarrassing. This is your time to shine, talk to everyone and maybe initiate a dance off, not the time to have your head in a toilet.
Make introductions
So you’ve got a house full of great people and none of them are talking to each other, shame on you! When hosting a party it’s your job to get people talking – the only thing they have in common is you, after all. Instigate dancing or games (ring of fire is ALWAYS a winner), play cupid, hire a magician (cheesy but fascinating) – whatever it takes to get your guests talking. That way, everyone making friends will be super easy.
Lock doors
Really important if you have roommates as no one wants a stranger bursting into their room thinking it’s the bathroom. Make sure you lock roommates’ doors, and make sure you have a lock on your bathroom door – no party guest wants to walk in on another in the toilet.
Plan your exit strategy
An exit strategy may sound like a tricky one when you’re hosting the party, but when the sun starts to come up and there are ‘friends of friends’ still on your couch in full party swing you’re gonna wish you had one. Try walking around the house brushing your teeth with your PJ’s on, or if that doesn’t work start, just play the worst possible music imaginable – 90’s pop or hard core metal should do the trick.
Enjoy yourself
You’ve gone to all this trouble to throw the perfect party – so enjoy it! Have fun with your friends and get involved with it all. Throw yourself into conversations with relative strangers, lap up the attention and once the cleaning up is all over the next day, enjoy the smugness of having thrown the best f’ing house party your mates have ever seen. See also: Friendsgiving. Yep, forget Thanksgiving, this is the new social gathering you need to know about!
