Thinking about throwing a house party this summer? You’re not alone, as the warmer months pretty much welcome the opportunity to day drink and have friends act like degenerates till your neighbors call the cops on you. OK, so you don’t have to take it that far, but you get the point — the summer is made for partying.
And, because there are a bunch of holidays coming up, we want to make sure you’re prepared when it comes to throwing a killer house party. That’s why we’re giving you some essential tips to bring the heat this year, providing you with everything you need to know about making this one celebration something that people will be talking about years from now.
So, how can such a house party be achieved? Simple, with some planning, good company and, of course, never, ever running out of booze.
Red solo cups will be your friend
There’s a reason why country singer Toby Keith dedicated an entire song about red solo cups — it’s because they’re absolute saviors when it comes to house parties! That’s right, rather than deal with cleaning or the risk of broken glass, these plastic cups are the only way to drink when having an epic party. They measure out the amount of your booze, are cheap and, more importantly, make cleaning up the next day an absolute breeze.
Have good music already queued up
If there’s one thing that can kill a house party, it’s the music; or lack thereof. When thinking about what kind of music you play at a party, make sure you start off with something simple — like top-100 kind of stuff that everyone sort of knows the beat to. As the party picks up, and people get drunker, let guests add songs to the queue in order to hear what the want to, while upping the rowdy meter. After all, a good house party is for them, not you.
Keep the snacks simple (like pretzels and cold cuts)
Sure, BBQ is the old classic when it comes to house party grub, but unless everyone’s coming for a formal dinner, that meat’s going to get cold before all the guests have arrived. Assuming you’re throwing a party that has people coming in and out all day long, your best bet for food will be snack stuff, like chips and salsa, pretzels, vegetables and cold cut sandwiches. Those things are capable of sitting out for a few hours and still be good to eat — especially by drunk people.
Think you have enough alcohol? Get more
Just when you thought one keg of beer or five handles of alcohol is enough, you realize that, halfway through the house party, the booze is going faster than you thought. This is a rookie mistake that should never, ever be made. If it’s a difference of dropping another $75 on alcohol to avoid a shortage or running out of booze at the party and abruptly ending things before everyone wants, always go for the former.
Never forget ice
We’re not sure why, but one thing that can be easily forgotten about for house parties is ice. Don’t make this mistake, as ice and coolers are essential to throwing an epic party. Not only do they give you more space to keep alcohol in, but, of course, they keep all that booze cold in order to drink all day long. Hey, the sun is hot, how else are you going to cool yourself off?
Keep the guest list exclusive
Sure, it’d be awesome to invite the entire world to your party and feel like you’re everyone’s friend, but when it comes to throwing an epic house party, make sure the guest list is nice and tight. It’s OK to have your guests bring a person or two — as long as that friend has a history of being surrounded by good people — but, outside of that, you don’t want things to get too out of hand by expecting 50 and winding up with 80. That can lead to drunken stupor, tension between strangers, lack of food and/or alcohol and, overall, a bad experience. You want this to be memorable for years, so make sure the group are people you actually want to have with you.
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