Hosting a party can seem simple, but if you want to throw the ultimate party of the year, it will take a bit of planning and preparation. Here are all of the elements that you’ll need to make your house party the party that nobody will ever forget.
Start with Great Music
The first step to throwing a great house party is to include great music. The music at a party sets the mood and tone for the whole night ahead of you. When your guests walk in, you want them to be instantly vibing to the music that you’ve got playing. To have great music going all night long, try hiring a DJ. Having a DJ would also be a fun touch for your friends because they could go up and suggest their favorite tunes. If you aren’t wanting to worry about a DJ, you can play Apple music off your Apple TV, or hook your music streaming services to a speaker via your phone or computer. Either way, just make sure you have a solid playlist with 2021’s best tunes. If your music is good, your friends will want to stay longer, party harder, and dance all night long.
Assign Guests to Bring Supplies
As you’re looking forward to your upcoming party, you’ll want to delegate some items and make some assignments to your friends so you don’t get overwhelmed with everything. Assigning some of your friends to bring supplies is a great way to spread the load of party preparation, and your friends will likely be super excited to choose supplies to bring. Consider assigning some friends to bring paper plates, napkins, and utensils so you won’t have to be washing dishes all day after the party. Assign some more friends to bring snack items such as chips, sides such as fruits or veggies, and desserts. If your friends take care of these items, you’ll be able to take care of the main dishes and other supply preparations.
Plan Games
While it’s likely that your friends will spend a lot of the time talking, joking, and flirting, they also might want to be entertained at some point. It is a good idea to plan for some games that you’ll want to be available for entertainment purposes. When planning which games you’d like to include, think about the personalities of the friends that you’ll be inviting and what types of games they’d like to participate in. If your friends are into sports, maybe set up a game of soccer or 9 Square game outback. If you have a pool, plan for some fun pool games as your friends are cooling off from the heat. From outdoor games to PlayStation games to Murder Mystery games to card games, the possibilities are endless when planning party entertainment.
Make Use of Outdoor Spaces
Especially if you have a large group that will be coming to your party, you’ll want to make sure that you take advantage of the outdoor space that you have. If you have a large backyard, consider setting up tables, chairs, and picnic blankets outside so your friends can gather together and enjoy themselves. Decks make a great place to host parties, especially if you plan to do some grilling. If you’re worried that it will be too hot outside but don’t have sufficient space inside to host all your friends, set up outdoor umbrellas, shading, and fans so your friends won’t get too hot.
Plan a Menu
Going along with giving out food assignments, you’ll want to make sure that you plan some sort of menu for the night so that your party foods aren’t mismatched or jumbled. For example, if you’re planning on grilling hamburgers and hotdogs, you may not want your friends to bring a pasta dish or a fancy cheesecake dessert. As you’re planning the menu and making assignments, think about what kinds of food you want to have at the party, as your food will also somewhat affect the vibe of the night. If you’re going for something more casual, hamburgers are a great option. If you’re wanting to throw a fancier house party, consider serving grilled salmon and potatoes. Once you’ve planned the menu, you’ll be ready to do the grocery shopping in preparation for the party.
Set a Dress Code
If your house party involves a certain kind of entertainment, you may want to alert your friends of the dress code before the party starts. For example, if you’re throwing a pool party, you’ll want your friends to bring their swimsuits so they can fully enjoy getting wet. If you’re trying to plan a costume party, like a Halloween party or a Murder Mystery party, you’ll want to alert your friends beforehand so they can plan their costumes accordingly. Some parties don’t need specific dress codes, but if you have one, make sure you tell your friends about it.
Invite Your Friends
It’s pretty obvious that you need to invite your friends to have a house party, but if you have time, consider inviting your friends in a fun, creative way. If your party has a theme, it could be fun to invite them with a themed card, graphic, video, or announcement. If your party is celebrating a certain event, your physical or digital invitations could go along with that event. Maybe sending out giant group texts isn’t your style, so you could also just hop on social media and create a story or post with the party details.
Go Out with a Bang
The best way to end your unforgettable house party is to go out with a bang. Try to plan something fun to do at the end of the night so your party ends on a high note. For example, consider launching off fireworks at the end so your friends can enjoy the beautiful sight together. If you’re a movie buff, try showing an outdoor movie at the end to watch all together. If you have any special announcements about an event that you’re celebrating, save that to the end and you’ll be sure to get a rousing response.
Now that you’ve planned your music, entertainment, setting, and food, and invited your friends, it is time to party! Make sure that everyone can enjoy themselves at your house party by being an attentive host. If you remember to go through each of the steps that have been discussed here, you’ll be sure to throw a party that will go down in history!
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