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Everyone loves a good house party, but not everyone loves throwing one. It takes a lot of work to pull it off. It takes a true hero to make it EPIC. You want to host a raging, all-night blowout and want to have just as much fun as everyone else. A truly great party will create memories that will last a lifetime. Someone has to do it. Do you think you’re up for it? Do it right and you will be revered; do it wrong and—well, follow these steps and you won’t need to worry about it going wrong.
Make a Diverse Guest List
You can’t party all by yourself, so step one to throwing a house party is to decide who you’re inviting. Yeah, you’re going to invite your friends. But we’re talking about an epic house party. You want to throw together as many people from as many parts of your life and see what sparks might fly. People want to come to a party not just to see the same old people they hang with every weekend, but in hopes that they might meet some new and interesting people. So bring your work friends together with your college friends with your crazy cousin and that person you met at the bar that one time. As they say, the more the merrier.
Get the Word Out
Now that you know who’s coming, how do you tell them? Probably not with calligraphy and postage stamps. There are a lot of digital options: email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or all of the above. There are also apps designed specifically for party invites (Red Stamp, Paperless Post, Evite, YappBox). Make sure that you include all the details: where, when, how long, and what your guests need to bring. If you want to make this extra epic, why not try a skywriting invite?
Make Space
People are going to be at your place—hopefully a lot of them. They’ll be going through your drawers, going through your fridge, dancing on your couch, and lining up to use your bathroom. This is unavoidable if you’re throwing a truly epic party, so get ready and party-proof your pad in advance (shout out to Johnny Drama). Hide the stuff that you don’t want broken, determine what rooms are off limits, stock up on toilet paper, and don’t forget to have a dance floor. Party feng shui is a real thing. A misplaced coat or bad kitchen lighting can throw off your whole vibe.
Pick a Theme
Don’t roll your eyes. It doesn’t have to be corny. No need for tacky Christmas sweaters or ’80s dance parties, but every party has a purpose. It could be a housewarming or a holiday. It could just be that your creepy roommate is out of town. But if you do want to get epic with your party theme, there are endless possibilities: Rubik’s Cube, Seven Deadly Sins, the always-classic-but-never-classy Toga Party. It’s not necessary to have a quirky theme, but people have more fun at theme parties. It’s science.
Feed Them
Whether you make your own, request a BYO or potluck, or hire caterers, food and drink are a must at an epic house party. You’ll want to make sure that your guests are happy and a good spread of food and quality beverages is a surefire way to please people. Keep things simple. Remember, you’ve got to clean all this stuff up later. Also, no one has ever complained about a party having too much food or drink, but party guests tend to leave when their stomachs are rumbling louder than the music.
Make the Ultimate Music Mix
Everyone is a DJ now. If you have Wi-Fi and a smartphone, you have access to more music than previous generations ever dreamed existed so there is no excuse for lame tunes. Unless you want to spend your whole night behind the DJ booth, make sure that you have a quality playlist ready to go. If you’re using a streaming service, do everyone a favor and pay for the upgrade so the party isn’t interrupted by mood-killing ads. And don’t let the guy who really, really needs to hear “I’ve Got Friends in Low Places” 100 times anywhere near the music.
Break the Ice
So you’ve got a house full of beautiful, charming, lovely people, and none of them are talking with each other. That’s on you. It’s your job to connect people since, presumably, the only thing they have in common is you. Play games, play cupid, hire a magician—whatever it takes to get your guests to interact. Your job is to make sure there is never an awkward silence.
DANCE!
This is the true test—the signifier that everything is going great and things are about to become epic. When people are dancing it means that their inhibitions are low, their energy is high, and this party is about to go to the next level. For the party host, it means that you’ve followed all the above steps correctly. You’ve got people connected, you’ve kept everyone fed and happy, you’ve played the right music, and cleared space for the dance floor. Now you can enjoy yourself.
Have an Escape Plan
All good things come to an end. Some people want to test that saying. No doubt because you’ve thrown such an epic party, there will be some stragglers who just won’t take a hint. But this is your house and you don’t have any other place to go. You can try doing the opposite of all the steps that made your party so killer: move the couch back, lock up the food and drinks, and play some truly terrible music. You could also walk around in your pajamas brushing your teeth. As the party president, you get to decide when and how to shut it down.
Post-Party Clean Up
Easily the worst part of hosting an epic house party is dealing with the aftermath. Being a little aware early on can help you avoid hours of work the next day. Make sure that you set up enough garbage cans beforehand and keep paper towels handy. For the cleanup, think ahead: Ask friends if they can stop by the next day to help you or just hire a cleaning service. You’ve done your job. You just threw an epic house party to end all house parties. Take a deep breath, kick back, and binge-watch some television. You’ve earned this.