Simple Tips On How To Host A Great House Party - More Than Just Coffee & Cake

Parties are great - they're fun, full of energy, a great chance to catch up with family & friends, an awesome place to meet new people, and celebrate those special occasions.

#1 Tip - Get Involved & Have Fun!!!!!

So what's the secret to having a great house party?

PLANNING

When planning a house party, think of how many people are going to be invited and what the occasion is. This will help you develop a theme around which you'll be able to host your party. For example, an engagement party will involve lots of balloons and streamers of a bright colour to celebrate the occasion, whereas a halloween party would involve hanging cobwebs and dark coloured balloons and material in and around the house or apartment.

The next thing to think of is a budget. Don't stress, it doesn't cost much to host a great party, and when most guests offer to bring food or snacks, half of the costs and worries are already covered.

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Theme - Do you want to host a costume party? Is it going to be a halloween party? A bachelor party, or something else? Decorate your house or apartment accordingly. If it's a costume party, make sure you've got a great costume to encourage your guests to do the same. If it's a halloween party, dress up and include lots of cobwebs and candles. If it's a bachelor party...decorate it in a way that will entertain and be full of fun and silly games.

Decorations - Spending $20 on balloons, streamers and decorations can really brighten up the mood. Use your creative side!! Make sure you include lots of colour to match the theme of the party. The smallest things can make all the difference. Make sure you put them in all rooms or areas outside where you expect for there to be guests.

Music - Music is a must!! Live music isn't always easy to get your hands on, but a few cds and a cd player, or an ipod with a docking station are. Put on some music, and pump it loud. This will keep the guests distracted and bring life the dull and quiet atmosphere. Just don't put it too loud so guests can't hear each other.

Drinks - Drinks are a must for any party. Try including a mix of alcohol, beer, soda (soft drinks), water, and juice. Make sure the drinks are cold or stored in bins or buckets full of ice. Try using cans instead of bottles. This will make it easier for guests so they can just open up a can and hold on to something while talking to guests.

Food - Make sure there's enough food for everyone. A little bit more food doesn't hurt. Guests are generally more than happy enough to take home the extra cup cakes, desserts and chicken wings

Snacks - Snacks are a great way to keep the guests busy and entertained while they're waiting for the main meals or for the barbecue to heat up. Typical snack ideas can include cupcakes, potato chips, lollies, spring rolls and small appetizers. They can be either hot or cold foods. Usually the junk food aisle in a supermarket is the first place to look if your guests aren't health freaks.

Service - Be there to serve your guests. When serving food and snacks to your guests, you want to keep them busy. See if you can get the assistance of one of your friends to help you walk around with a few plates to offer your meals to the guests. This is especially important when serving your appetizers and opening snacks. Walking around & offering a bowl of corn chips, or a plate filled with spring rolls will probably get noticed and get munched up a lot quicker than a bag of corn hips left unopened on table in the corner probably won't be opened.

Humor - Be humorous and joke around with your guests. When offering them food, nudge them and say 'come on, just have one, help me finish them off there's only a few left'. Make them feel comfortable instead of feeling awkward and tense.

Games & Entertainment - Set up a few games and entertainment for your guests to have fun. If you've got a swimming pool, make sure your guests know about it so they can bring their binikis and board shorts. Set up an XBOX 360 kinect inside if you have a spare tv so you have one for your outgoing friends and a tv for those who just want to chill and watch some standard tv. Include fun such as drinking games, poker, truth or dare or any other silly things you can come up with so people aren't always just sitting around. Again, be creative! It will depend on whether your friends are introverts or extroverts, so try to organise something for each of them.

Remember, hosting a party does take a bit of work but once the guests have arrived and there's plenty of food and drinks around the place, the rest will work itself out naturally. Make sure there's always something in your guests' hands all night to keep them from feeling bored of fidgeting.