Throwing a party can be a great experience for anyone – it’s a chance to see a group of people who you’ve hand picked, a chance to set the mood and the itinerary and a chance to directly control the flow of alcohol and nibbles. On no other night out could you have that amount of control, but while this means you’re able to perfectly tailor the night to your preferences, it also means that the impetus is on you to provide a good night for a lot of people.

First of all you need to decide on what type of party you’re throwing – is this a quiet gathering? A formal dinner party? A balls-out house party with four hundred strangers, horrendous amounts of alcohol and costly amounts of property damage? The answer will be based on your age, your circle of friends and the occasion. If it’s a New Year’s party it’ll probably be quite crazy, if it’s a surprise birthday party for your Mum you might want it to be a little more low key.

Key to having a good party, no matter what the occasion, is having an ample supply of alcohol. You need to make sure that the alcohol is in constant supply and that it appeals to everyone’s tastes. It’s generally good etiquette at a party to bring your own drink and that way you’ll know that everyone will have at least something they like. If the night goes well there’s still a chance the liquor will dry up though, and that can quickly kill the mood as the headaches and tiredness start to set in. So make sure you have more alcohol than you expect to need and think of it as an investment – chances are when everyone’s gone home there’ll be more cans and bottles in the fridge than you’ll have had for a while.

The other main ingredient in the cocktail of a party is the music. Again it’s all about catering to as many tastes as possible – so no hardcore heavy metal or dance music unless you know for sure that everyone appreciates your tastes. You also need to judge the mood of the party – as the alcohol starts to flow tastes will probably turn more to cheese. Unite your guests in song! Even if that song is ‘In the Jungle’ or ‘Summer of 69’. So make sure you have a playlist prepared that appeals to all tastes and stays light and fun. Then play it at a volume that’s louder than background music but not intrusive.

Another important resource at the party is the food. Everyone loves free food so even if they’re having a miserable time they’ll at least feel like they got something from the experience.

Really though the success will come down to the guests. Introducing people who don’t know each other can be stressful if you’re the only factor they have in common, but it can also be a great way for them to network and could make your life easier in future. Make sure you invite a crowd that you think will get along and then try to facilitate interaction. Games can be one way of doing this and you can’t go far wrong with a deck of cards. Name tags are never a good idea, and neither are forced games that involve dancing or charades… don’t be that guy.

Mack LeMouse

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