How To Do A Party by Doubleshiny

[doubleshiny]

I have somehow convinced my friend Kev that it's imperitive he have a Hallowe'en party. This was easy because I did it DS style -

Me - Kev, you should have a Hallowe'en party.

Kev - Erm...

Me - Yay! Hallowe'en party!

So Kev is having a Hallowe'en party. Today he asked me how you have a party so I thought I would share the wisdom.

Step 1 - Find an excuse

There are many great excuses for having a party. Hallowe'en is a good one, so are birthdays, Christmas, New Year, St. Patrick's Day, leaving your job, leaving town, house warmings, anniversaries, Bonfire Night (or Thanksgiving if you're American or Canadian), St. George's Day, etc etc. Generally people don't care what the excuse is as long as step 2 is on the way...

Step 2  - Venue

Here's why Kev's flat is the greatest for parties - firstly, it's central, not in the middle of nowhere so people don't have to drive to get there. Secondly, there's very little in it that is breakable because it's a boy's flat and boys don't have breakable things. Thirdly, it is decorated in traditional boy-style, in that it is sparse and contains no colour. This is like a blank canvas for party decor.

Good venues for parties - boys' flats, warehouses, fields.

Bad venues for parties - girls' flats, art galleries, antique shops.

Step 3 - Booze

You should always tell people to bring their own booze, but there's always this little voice at the back of your head which says "I'll take a 4 pack but there's bound to be booze there when I run out". You should aim to get 40 cans of beer and 40 bottles of beer, two bottles of vodka and some coke and lemonade. This is like a Starter Pack of party booze. Also, you might want to fish out all of the booze that have left in your cupboards, pour it into a bowl and add a bottle of coke. This is called The Bomb, and it's like a power-up. Another good idea is vodka jellies - everyone loves jelly and VJs are like streamers and balloons because they indicate that this is a PARTY and not just a gathering with booze.

Step 4 - Guest List

Guest lists are very important, you can't leave these things up to chance. Firstly, you need your A-Team, that is, five or six people who will definitely be there right from the start of the party. These half dozen will be responsible for creating atmosphere (see Step 5). You then need your B-Team, another half dozen who will definitely show up and stay until the end because they are either awesome, or alcoholics, or both. Once the A and B team have been settled all bets are off ,and they will act as the glue that binds your party together. Choose wisely.

Step 5- Atmosphere

People arriving at a party want the following things to happen - noise, fun, colour and excitement. This won't happen if there is no music, no decor and no people, so you need to have your A-Team gathered, drinking and making merry from the start, with your music pumping and your decor rockin'. I can't stress the decor thing enough - you need to ensure that the room could not be used for a prayer meeting/intervention/wake at an hour's notice, and that means streamers, balloons and general partiness. Anyone who thinks they're too cool for decor probably goes to parties in art galleries.

Step 6 - Music

A big YES to - ipods, CDs and computer playlists. They can run all night, and providing you plan your playlist no-one will want to mess with it. Anyone trying to play DJ without being expressly invited may be subject to the Rule of Chug.

A huge NO to - guitars or any other instruments which require everyone to be quiet and listen. Listening is the enemy of the party. Also, no vinyl or anything which actually requires a human being to stand by it all night, this will not be a fun party for the DJ, adn it should be a fun party for all.

Step 7 - Longevity

Don't be kicking people out at midnight - if you're hosting a party, be prepared for it to go on all night and for people to be asleep on your floor at 12 the next day. This makes an awesome party even more awesome.

So there you have it - an easy guide on how to have an awesome party. Any questions, please post below.