Everybody loves parties, right? Wrong. Everybody loves awesome parties. Nobody likes a lame one, where people awkwardly stand around waiting for the perfect opportunity to bail.
Planning and throwing a killer party is somewhat of an art form. It may seem easy to pull off, but it can actually be pretty tricky. The key to throwing an awesome party that your guests will love is putting in the upfront work and assembling the right pieces.
Since not everyone knows how to properly plan a party, you can be the one to step in and throw the types of parties you always wished you’d get invited to. This article will show you how.
1. Decide on a Theme
Most great parties start with a clever theme. It’s possible to pull off a theme-less party, but it’s usually more work and not nearly as fun. Themes provide a focal point and conversational piece to break the ice for your guests.
As you’ll learn in a bit, it’s always a good idea to mix up your guest list, so you’ll definitely want a theme to help ease social anxiety.
There are plenty of creative and entertaining themes to choose from, such as a disco theme, Mexican fiesta, or masquerade ball. After you make your decision, head on over to a website like Party Swizzle to give you some more in-depth details and anything you would need to pull it off.
2. Create and Send Clever Invitations
The invitation is going to be your guests’ first interaction with the party you’re planning. As you know, first impressions are the most important, so you’ll definitely want to nail it from the get-go.
If your party’s theme is Country Western, then a potential idea for your invites could be an old-school wanted poster. If you’re planning a Mexican fiesta, perhaps sending the invites on paper in the shape of a margarita or sombrero would be fun.
Whatever the theme is for your party, get creative with the invitations and build excitement amongst your guests. This is the time to be original and unique, not plain and simple.
3. Plan a Number of Activities
A great party gives your guests a variety of things for them to do – at their leisure. No one wants to be bored to death with a strict itinerary or your typical stand-around and drink event.
Give your attendees fun and engaging activities to participate in, and make sure there is something for everyone. Team games, dance floors with different genres of music, and enough space to sit and converse are the usual essentials.
If you have outside space available, sports and lawn games, such as bean bag tossing, can be awesome additions to any party. Everybody, especially after drinking, enjoys a little competition. Make your party the perfect opportunity to promote a little competitiveness amongst friends.
4. Create a Diverse Guest list
One surefire way to make any party interesting is to invite interesting people (duh!). Most party-goers are looking forward to meeting others, and this is a great way to do just that.
A big mistake is to only invite your closest friends and a few others. This can lead to people feeling like outsiders and not a part of the main group. To be safe, step out of your comfort zone a little bit and invite a wide variety of guests. Ask other friends who they think may be a perfect fit and then invite them too.
Consider inviting co-workers, friends from hobbies, and family members (assuming they won’t kill the fun). By keeping your guest list diverse, you’re at least guaranteeing an interesting night for all.
Wrapping This Up
Throwing a killer party isn’t as easy as it sounds. But if you take the advice above and choose a theme, send out awesome invites, plan fun activities, and invite remarkable people, you’ll be well on your way to one heck of a night.