A house party is not a cocktail reception. You need to give people more to do than just smile, nod and make polite chit chat.
The party theme elements you’ve created, and your cheerful hosting, are key to great memories. Keep in mind, people also tend to remember the first five minutes of arrival and the last five minutes before leaving as an indication of whether they had a good time.
First impressions as a guest arrives will impact their overall memory of the occasion.
Decorate your entrance to reinforce the party theme and help your guests feel welcome so they are confident and upbeat walking into the party in their costume.
If you have a small entry table, add a bowl or tray to offer something as guests arrive, preferably something relevant to your party theme. Many will feel more comfortable with something to nibble or sip as they first scan the party space to create their comfort zone.
In the first hour or so, try and hover near the entrance so you can give people a warm welcome as they arrive. Make sure you have some refreshments ready to go for those who need it.
Make a spot for guests to leave their coats. If there is no room near the entrance, put up a sign telling people where to put them. Empty a closet for the night or use a spare bed or couch in a room that won’t be in use for the party.
This is your party so feel free to walk around the room and involve yourself in conversations.
People love the chance to have a quick chat with the host and make a comment about the party when there is an awkward moment in the conversation.
Before the party, use your RSVP list to think about the successes and hobbies of those coming. Mention these when introducing people to each other. It makes people feel good and is often a great conversation starter as it encourages others to ask questions.
Help, but don’t babysit, your socially awkward friends. If you notice guests are not talking to each other, kick start conversations then gently pull away with a quick ‘excuse me’ to go and check on any new guests that need welcoming, top up drinks, or grab food from the kitchen.
If you feel confident enough, prepare a toast for when most guests have arrived. Thank people for coming and introduce a simple game to play during the night that showcases your friends successes, interests and achievements and will encourage people to mingle. For example, offer a prize for the first person to identify the guest that has been to Africa recently, the guest that has just finished their Masters degree, and the guest that is about to start a new job.
Provide games around the house for guests to play with. Leave a guest book somewhere obvious for people to write messages during the night.
Buy a polaroid camera for people to snap hilarious moments and pin them up on a noticeboard where people are mingling to strike up conversation.
If you don’t get the food or decorations quite right, your guests will forgive you, but your party theme playlist could make or break your party.
Give yourself the time to prepare your playlists properly. If there are obvious classics that suit your theme, play them! Chances are everyone will know them, haven’t heard them for a while and will relish the opportunity to shake their booty to them.
If you have a mate who loves DJing, see if she/he would like to help out for nothing or a low fee. Ask them to send you a sample of the playlist in advance so you are comfortable that it fits with your theme.
You may already be very familiar with downloading music from iTunes, YouTube Music or Amazon Music; or making your own playlists on Spotify, Soundcloud or Apple Music streaming services.
However, if making a playlist is new to you, there are helpful tutorials on Wikihow such as how to:
- make a playlist on iTunes
- download a YouTube playlist on Android
- listen to Amazon Music offline
- download Soundcloud playlists
- create a playlist on an iPad
Before making your own playlist, it might be worth doing a search to see if someone else has already made one that matches perfectly to your party theme:
If you have time, ask people to suggest their favourite song relevant to the party theme when they RSVP. Add these to your playlist as you know people will want to hear them.
Now that you’ve spent hours crafting the perfect playlist, don’t forget you need a decent speaker so it sounds great! You need something portable, preferably with bluetooth so it can be positioned anywhere in your home, and is splashproof in case of knocked drinks.
Don’t play your best numbers as people are arriving. Play tunes that were hits but not so easy to dance to, to get people in the mood. When you see people getting lively, start playing the classics and keep the music upbeat while people are dancing. If most leave to take a break, scale the tunes down for a while and await the next wave.
The last five minutes as a guest leaves will also stay in their minds.
It’s called the recency effect – when the most recent moment influences the overall memory of an occasion.
Buffer the adios moment with treats such as candy, donuts, or a theme-related gift to hit the road. Having something in their hand as they walk away will reinforce to your guests what a fun time they had.
