5 Steps for an Unbeatable Night

Whether you’re in college and want to kick back with some friends, your family are paying you a visit, or you want to invite some colleagues over after work, you want to be a great host. You want your guests to relax, have a fantastic time and if we’re being honest - think of you as the life of the party. We’ve compiled a list of 5 important steps to make your guests want to keep coming back.

Step 1 - Invite the Right People

You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again, the people you’re with make all the difference. A good friendship group can make tax returns seem fun, so when you’re thinking of throwing a party or some sort of social gathering, your group of people is the first thing you should give some thought to.

When you’re able to choose your guest list, it’s important that the people mix well. Think about your guests, you want at least some of them to share the same:

• Sense of humor

• Hobbies or interests

• Struggles

No one wants to be the odd one out - and knowing your guests will connect with each other will go a long way in making sure the vibes are cozy. We know using the word struggle seems a bit intense but having someone to talk to that knows how annoying your boss is can really break the ice.

Remember, even if you know a mate can’t make it on the night, still send them an invite.

2 - Choose the Right Place

At the top of your list along with the invitees, you should also put some thought into the location of the event, will it be your place for a quiet night in or is everyone meeting somewhere public? Of course, there are advantages to both options:

Night in:
A night in means people can get more comfortable, talk more freely, plus it’s often more cheaper and intimate than going out. The main downsides to a night in is that you’ll have some cleaning up to do and will have to put some more thought into it as a host (see the follow steps).

Night out:
A night out means way less effort for the person organizing it. Simply pick when and where and the rest is out of your hands. A night out can be super fun and exciting, especially in a large group of friends. Just keep in mind that customization when it comes to food, music, and other entertainment all depends on your chosen venue, so if you want to change the vibe you may need to round everyone up and go to another bar/club/restaurant. The biggest downsides to a night out is that it’s usually more expensive and that you won’t have the same kind of intimacy or privacy as you’ll have with a night in.

3 - Set an Atmosphere

When we say set an atmosphere, this usually refers to music and/or decoration. When you choose to go out, you do this by choosing the right place for the occasion. For example, when you and your favorite people want to have a night filled with dancing, you probably don’t want to go to a super high-end whiskey bar, you’d rather hit a club. When you’re having a night in, setting an atmosphere means choosing if/how you want to decorate your place and choosing your music set up. Music is an excellent way to quickly and noticeably elevate a party. We recommend finding or creating a playlist based on moods instead of one Frankenstein collection of every song you’ve ever heard in your life. Why? Because it’s very jarring going from a slow-soulful-singalong to a jump-on-a-table-and-throw-it-back-banger. Here’s the 2 biggest moods to consider:

• Talking - here everyone will be chatting amongst each other, so the music shouldn’t be too attention grabbing. Your friends should be the center of attention, and the music is just background noise to fill any awkward silence. Since we want them to feel comfy, try not to include anything too heavy or sad - unless that’s the kind of talking going on.

• Dancing/singing - upbeat music to dance and sing along to. It helps if the music is super recognizable because people find it much easier to dance to something they know.

4 - Fill Their Bellies

Have you ever heard of people complaining that food was available at an event? Yeah neither have we. It doesn’t need to be complicated, there doesn’t have to be a mountain of variety or a massive amount of food but everyone should be able to have a bite during the night. Large shareable meals are the best, depending on how many guests you have. Here’s some ideas:

• Low effort - we get it, you don’t want to spend the whole day cooking just to have a good time with your mates. Try getting some frozen lasagna, pies or pizzas. Otherwise you could just order something like pizza to share.

• High effort - if you don’t mind putting some extra effort in try something like pasta with a homecooked sauce or maybe cob loaf.

5 - Entertain!

When you’ve got the right group of people in the right place, you’re already set for a good time. If you want to make your event go from good to great, it’s time to put some thought into entertainment. If you’re going out this may be dancing, mini-golf, bowling, arcades or maybe something like axe throwing. Check out what’s in your local area and remember your local businesses will surely appreciate you.

If your party involves alcohol, consider bringing out a drinking game. Drinking games can be an excellent way for everyone to connect and get to know each other a bit better. Our personal favorites include Never Have I Ever and Truth or Dare. Of course if you want something super fun and easy, you can give Alcohooligans a shot, available now on the Google Play Store. Alcohooligans allows you to enter your names and customize your game with different packs, all with no ads and no subscriptions.