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5 Rules For A Great House Party

Does organizing a party in your house or apartment seem stressful or complicated?
Follow these five simple rules and you’ll have no reason not to throw a great house party.

1. Pick the right date

party calendar
This is probably one of the most important elements of a successful party.
If not a lot of people can free themselves the night of, then everything will take a hit. Play it strategically: of course, avoid weekdays, since most guests will probably be working the next morning. Less obvious, pay attention to week-ends next to holidays.

Even if you consider people to be more inclined to party, knowing that they have the Monday off may push them to actually end up doing something even more “epic” or adventurous. The ideal is to primarily warn people early enough so your buddies can reserve their evening for you. Then, all you’ll need is to remind them a couple of days before.

2. Control who you invite

party people
Knowing who to invite is a crucial step. Should I mix groups of friends? Is it an open-door invite for people I don’t know?” These are some of the questions to ask yourself. However, unless you have a huge group of friends, might as well mix and match. In any case, most of the time, your guests will be happy meeting new people.

In terms of “friends of friends”, refusing your guests to come with someone may make them uncomfortable. Even if you have a small apartment, 45 people can fit in 300ft². Being cool with strangers is one thing, but you should still tell your friends not to invite a dozen of theirs, at the risk of having a private party within the party.

If you create an even announcement through Facebook, be sure not to rely entirely on it. For one thing, not everyone has Facebook, and more importantly, not everyone constantly pays attention to the “Event” tab. A few e-mails or texts are still the way to go.

3. Estimate your budget

flying money
You’ll want to reduce cash expenditures by relying at least partially on alcoholic contributions from everyone else. In reality though, it’s never as good as you’d hope. You’ll most likely end up with a few people showing up at the same time with only a cheap bottle of wine bought minutes ago at the local grocery store. Know that most guests will go for cheaper alcohols, and that some favorites will probably run out as soon as you open your fridge. Try to prevent this by splitting up the purchases directly with your friends, and point out to each one of them who should bring what.

In terms of food, it’s better to be clear about what kind of party this is going to be. If you’ll be offering a well-stocked table, make them aware in advance, so you don’t end up with tons of leftovers. On the other hand, don’t sell your party as a “dinner-party” if all you’ll be providing is a few potato chips or peanuts.

4. Prepare the battlefield

protected apartment5. Pick your playlist (or have a designated DJ)

DJ
There’s nothing worse than a party where everyone tries to cut other people just to play their own track from Spotify. In the end, you’ll be left with music tracks cut, same sounds playing again, and frustrated guests.

If you’re both motivated and sure of your choices (preferably eclectic, nobody wants only 80s music–unless it’s a themed party), prepare and set your own playlist, at least 2 hours worth of running time. If you’re too lazy, you can designate someone as the go-to DJ for the night. Volunteers will be much easier to find than you think.

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