An in-depth guide to
throwing a house party
by Amy Sawyer
How to throw a successful house party
You want to throw a house party that your mates will remember but don’t know where to start? Here’s how to avoid social suicide and make sure your party goes with a bang, without breaking the bank!
Planning
It’s no good sending out invites three days before the party. Unless your friends have no life most will already have plans. Similarly, there’s no point in sending invites out too early as people will forget. Get the ball rolling a couple weeks before the party as that’ll give people enough time to get time off work if needs be.
It’s a good bet that most people will be enjoying the comforts of home during the holidays so plan the party during term time to guarantee the most guests. Although most students won’t think twice about missing a lecture because of killer hangovers the weekend is often the best time to throw a house party. Avoid Sundays though, Sundays are for recovering from the weekend!
Food and Drink
Most people accept that when they go to a house party they are expected to bring a bottle, unless they are a cheapskate, so you don’t need to go overboard on the alcohol. Provide the cups, shot glasses, a few bottles of mixers and some beers.
A tasty punch and vodka jellies also go down well. Buy a supermarkets own bottle of vodka and if you’re sensible you can do around 60. Make the jelly, lime works well, with one quarter vodka to three quarters water. Too much vodka and it won’t set and will probably taste vile! Dissolve the jelly in hot water, add cold water, then add vodka last as the alcohol will evaporate if you add it to the boiling stuff, and you don’t want that!
It’ll be virtually impossible to keep track of how much people are drinking it’s far better to be prepared for any eventuality. Not very nice but bicarbonate of soda mixed with some warm water does the same job as that ‘sick powder’ and will get rid of the smell of vomit. Then it’s best to let it dry as it’s easier to vacuum up.
It’s a common misconception that food is not as important as the beverages. Of course no-one remembers a party for the assortment of nibbles but a bit of food will no doubt please the revelers when they get the munchies. Passing round a plate of food is also a good icebreaker if the party is getting a bit stale.
Don’t waste money on a feast of goodies though a few big bags of crisps, a cheap pizza or two and some sausages rolls will do. Steer clear of the party rings and cheese and pineapple unless you’re sure your mates will get the irony.
Prepare/cook the food before the party so you aren’t confined to the kitchen during vital mingling time. A BBQ might seem like a nice idea, but not only will it require a lot preparation and cash but you’ll probably spend half the night on barbie watch.
Theme
A theme isn’t essential to a successful house party but it always good to have an excuse to dress up and it’ll make your party more memorable. If you want a theme choose one that isn’t too clichéd nor too complicated. If it’s going to cost a fortune for people to costume up they won’t bother!
Schoolgirls and the 80s have been done to death so try being a bit more original. Maybe ask people to dress up as something that starts with the same first letter as their name. You’ll get an interesting mix of costumes and people can be as conservative or as OTT as they like. Or get people to dress up as their favourite children’s TV character; learn something new about your friends and get people talking.
If possible your decorations should follow the theme. Unless the party is for yours or someone else’s birthday avoid balloons and banners. Table cloths, plastic cups and anything else you might need can be bought cheaply from shops like Poundland and Wilkinsons.
Alternatively get your creative head on and make your own decorations. Forget paper chains, you can create some original pieces of art with a plain white sheet and a few cans of spray paint. Try and follow some sort of design, unless your going for ‘abstract’.
The Neighbours
It’s more than likely your neighbours are students too so rather than risk a visit from the old bill invite them along.
If they are not students it’s a good idea to warn them via a letter about a week before the party. You don’t want to be slapped with a hefty fine so bring the party inside at a reasonable time to limit the amount of noise. Turn music down to a sensible level at midnight.
The House
Check if your sofa has removable covers - if not, buy some cheap sheets from the charity shop and cover the sofas with them to soak up any spills. Move everything breakable into a locked room and keep the keys on you. If you can’t lock your rooms unlucky, unfortunately a ‘do not enter sign’ is unlikely to stop that randy couple from seeking somewhere more ‘private’. Take the most valuable things to a friend’s house.
Entertainment
Apart from booze the key to a successful party is the music. Don’t choose anything that’s an acquired taste as you’ll isolate half the guests. Get some friends to burn a few CDs of their favourite songs that way you’ll have a good mixture of tunes to choose from. Use an old CD player that you won’t cry over if it gets broken.
Alternatively get a DJ friend to do the hard work for you. Karaoke is probably best left to the family party; you don’t want to annoy the guests who came to listen to some decent music.
Party games are also a good idea. No, not pass the parcel or musical chairs, although they could be fun?! Find someone who has Twister and get the fun rolling. Cheap and cheerful entertainment. You’ll get some great pictures for Facebook too.
Being Host
After all that organising you should be looking forward to enjoying yourself. A bit of Dutch courage is all well and good but don’t get too out of it, you won’t be the hostess with the mostess if you’re passed out in bed by nine.
Likewise don’t hang around the door like you’re waiting for someone more exciting to arrive. Spend five minutes meeting-and-greeting each guest. By all means keep an ear out for the door bell but make sure you mingle in the meantime. As the host, it’s your job to ensure everyone’s comfortable, but also to introduce people to each other so they don’t stay within their own cliques.
If you look like you’re enjoying yourself your guest will too so try not to get too stressed about that spilt punch. Blot the stain immediately (don’t rub!) and you can sort it in the morning.
Mix one tablespoon of detergent with one tablespoon of white vinegar and two cups of warm water. Using a clean cloth blot the stain and leave it for five minutes. Sponge with warm water and blot till it’s all absorbed. If the stain isn’t shifting repeat the process. You should have the carpet as good as new in no time.
The day after
You’ll probably have a bit of a job on your hands with all that rubbish to clean up. Rope a few friends into help if they aren’t too hung over! The promise of a bacon sarnie might coax them out of their drunken stupor.
Or if you’re a bloke you probably won’t bother with any of the above. Just get a few bottles in, invite all your mates round and stick the footy on the telly.