Are you tired of trying to figure out which club or bar to go to for your friend’s birthday weekend, baby shower, Halloween party? Have you thought about hosting a house party? I'm here to tell you how to organize the best house party.
Here is how to organize the best house party in 10 easy steps, from preparation, the day of the party and the day after the party. But first, the benefits of hosting a house party:
You and your guests do not have to spend too much money to go to a house party. No cover charges, fees for drinks at the bar or club, and mostly no dining out costs.
There is no cost to invite people to your house and you can always ask your guests to chip in with food, music, and drinks.
House parties have more of an intimate, relaxed feel, and a place where people can get to know one another, without having to scream over loud music.
If the party is at your house, once everyone is gone, you are already at home!
How to organize the best house party:
You do not have to be creative to host a house party. You just need to be willing! Here are a few tips to get one running:
If you are the host, use your own place for the house party, unless you can truly rely on whoever it is you choose to host the party. If you are setting up the house party at your place, it makes it easy, less stressful, you do not need to travel anywhere to get back home and you don’t have to be worried that the venue will become unavailable at last minute!
Tell your neighbors that you will be having a party, and invite them too! There is nothing worse than having a neighbor call the police on you, or file a complaint for nuisance, either because the party got too loud, or you simply did not invite them.
The fun thing about house parties, is that you can choose any theme, or none at all. Choosing a theme makes people more creative and brings excitement to the house party. For example, say you decide to have a party with a 70’s theme, costumes are easy to get, find and even make, for those of you who are creative! Then, decide, whether the theme will feed into the entire party, or just portions of it. Music, decorations, character, and games can all go with a theme. With Google at everyone’s fingertips, there are many options that can assist with creativity.
Choose a date in advance to give both you and your guests time to prepare and attend. We all know how if a party is announced one week in advance, the number of people who can fully commit to making it is very minimal. You do not want that to happen. It is good for your guests to know in advance so that they can plan, whether it is homework, feeding the dog, cat, babysitting, or even changing their plans to attend your house party!
Ever been to one of those parties, bars or clubs that close when you are just getting started? House parties do not have an end time, unless you set one. Usually people leave when they want to, or they can stay until you decide that time is up! The good thing is that you can decide. You can always set an end time if you really need to, however, it is best to simply put, for example, 8:00 p.m. till late. Your guests will feel more comfortable that they will not be kicked out at a specific time, and your ratings as a great host for house parties goes up!
This is probably the easiest thing to do. Invite your friends and friends of friends! With all the social media outlets available, it has become very easy to spread the word. Use social media and get people excited, and always keep your confidential information confidential! Just make sure that when you are spreading the word, it doesn’t go so far that you have too many people and little space to accommodate them!
Some of us are good planners, and are able to do things by ourself. But at the same time, you want this to be a fun party, so make it easy for yourself. You are hosting and you have the venue, location, date and theme, or no theme. Ask your guests to bring food, drinks, and any entertainment they may want to bring. Always suggest that whoever is attending confirms whether they are bringing sweet or savory, as too much of one thing is never good! Use your friends for their skills. This will also make sure that they attend the party! Always a bonus! Most of all, make sure you contribute, and have enough for your guests, or you can quickly get more, just in case things run out!
Plastic or paper cups, paper or plastic plates, napkins, cutlery, rubbish bags are important. These are only to name a few. Think about the environment when using and getting essentials. There are numerous options of items that will allow you to recycle and reduce your carbon footprint. This applies to your house party too!
The Day of the Party:
It has finally arrived! The day of your house party! Time to make it happen!
Preparing your house or apartment for the house party is critical. There may be rooms that you do not want people to enter, or things you do not want people to touch. Most of these are things to think of days before the date of the party.
Firstly, think about the key areas of access to your house or apartment. The kitchen should be open to all. The living room is where the party is. Have at least one restroom available, or if you have more, make sure that is accessible too! All valuables should be kept safe. Keep your bedroom out of bounds, unless absolutely necessary. It is a good idea to have one room in the house that is marked “out of bounds," so your guests can put their belongings in there, without having to carry them throughout the evening.
Nobody likes to be told what to do, but it is necessary for house parties to go smoothly. Create small posters that show guests where to leave their rubbish, rinse any dishes, cups, anything they have used, and also signs to where they can leave their coat, bags, and go to the restroom, and not go into certain rooms! You can always use the signs again, or pass them on to a friend for their next house party!
Make it easy for your guest to know where to throw their rubbish. This makes cleanup easier that same night, or the next day! Separate recyclables and true rubbish to make it easy to clean.
It also helps if you have guests who might have to travel back to their homes which may be far, you can always accommodate them, by providing them with a place to lay their head to rest before they leave. Obviously, this is on a case by case basis, and it should not be publicized widely, unless you want all your guests to sleep over!
Be ready for when your guests arrive! This is easier said than done! Everyone knows that the host likes to make an entrance, but try and be ready. If you have close friends attending, they can always be a buffer for you, but usually you are the one who knows most of the people attending, so make it comfortable for everyone!
Most house parties do not get started until 2 hours after the doors are opened. Be patient and enjoy your night. If your guests see that you are having fun, they will have fun. Play music for background noise and entertain your guests! Then turn the music up when more people arrive!
The Day After Your House Party:
Okay. This part is usually not that fun, but you can’t skip this. You just had the most amazing house party, courtesy of your friends and your excellent planning and entertainment. Now it's time for the clean-up. Most of the time, you would have naturally done some steady clean-up at the end of the night of the party, and your friends and some of the guests, would have helped as well. All that is left is making your home feel like your home again after a party. Take your time and just enjoy that your friends had a good time, and will hope that you have another house party soon!!
Next Steps:
Host another party, or tell your friends to host either on a smaller scale or a bigger scale! Your choices are endless!