Top 7 Tips for Hosting a House Party

Terri's Little Haven September 27, 2020September 27, 2023

Hosting a house party sounds like it should be a fun, chill experience. But, if you’re new to the party hosting game, or if you’ve hosted a flop in the past, putting together a house part can feel super stressful.

But, you shouldn’t let the fear of failure keep you from having fun!

Here are seven surefire house party tips that are sure to make your next event one for the books.

1. Worried About Drinks? BYOB!

While snacks are always a must, nothing kills a party faster than running out of drinks. Fortunately, there’s a pretty easy way around this particular party faux-pas — it just requires a little bit of help from your guests.

BYOB, or bring your own beer (i.e. drinks), is a pretty standard house party tradition that allows your guests to mix and mingle, share their favorites, and drink their fill, without you ever having to worry about running out of booze.

2. Check Your Speakers

Once you have your drink situation sorted out, you’re going to need to make sure you have the other half of the perfect house party formula set and ready to go: the music.

Fortunately, thanks to today’s massive array of streaming services, you’ll never have to worry about finding a playlist that suits your tastes. That said, it doesn’t matter how good your playlist is if no one can hear it.

Before the big day, make sure you borrow or invest in a good speaker that will be able to blast your party playlist loud enough for your guests to enjoy.

3. Think Up a Theme

Theme parties may not sound all that exciting, but who doesn’t love an opportunity to dress up? When it comes to throwing a themed house party, you must strike a balance between theme and fun.

While you can encourage your guests to dress up and throw up a few decorations, don’t let the theme take over the entire night.

4. Set Out Activities

Small talk can be rough. One of the easiest ways to ensure your guests don’t get caught up in awkward silences is by giving them something fun to do together.

While you should never try to make games mandatory, setting up a few drinking and lawn games will give your guests a fun and easy way to mix, mingle, and connect, without all of the stress of having to make small talk.

5. Lock Your Doors!

Don’t want anyone ending up in your bedroom? Then you need to make sure you lock your doors!

Locking your doors isn’t just a good way to keep guests from potentially hooking up all over your furniture. It can also help you keep certain expensive items, like your laptop and game consoles, safe from potential thieves, or even just stray drinks.

6. You’re the Host, Act Like It

While you should certainly try to enjoy your house party, as the host, your role is a bit different from that of a guest. If your party is bringing together a bunch of people who don’t know each other, it’s your job to make introductions and get people talking.

One fun and easy way to do this is by giving your guests name tags, like the ones at this link. While this may seem a bit stiff, with some markers and a little creativity, name tags can become a fantastic icebreaker to help get your guests talking.

7. Cut Loose

Finally, you’re hosting a house party, not a seminar. Your guests aren’t going to want you to force them into group activities, and nothing kills a mood quite like a schedule. So, once your party gets underway, try to take a step back and enjoy yourself, and let the night take its course.