How To Adult | Plan a Party

by Kenneth Liong (Venue and Events Intern)

So, I’ve been assigned to teach you all how to plan a party. This article will kind of stray away from the ‘How to Adult’ theme, and head to more of a ‘How to 18-25 Year-Old’ guide. Here are some of the things I’ve learnt throughout the years on how to throw a decent party:

More Money = Better Bevs = Better Party 

Get everyone to chip in money for food and drinks! Why is this a good idea? A communal esky/fridge makes for a more relaxed atmosphere. When anyone can grab any drinks or snacks they want, without having to feel the glare of another person watching their things all night. Depending on the amount of people and the amount of money, you’ll need to adjust your choices accordingly. 

Second-Hand Furniture 

If you have a backyard or outdoor area, old couches and chairs that people have dumped on the side of suburban streets are amazing. If you have a friend that has a ute/van/big car, cruise around your area and pick up all the sitting-down furniture you can find. Assuming that your party people are actually your friends, no one’s going to care about where you got the furniture from or why it’s falling apart. The benefit of finding second-hand furniture is that you can just throw it away after your party and you won’t have to deal with cleaning up any substances (e.g. drinks, dirt, strange stains that look like it might be sweat but might not be) left behind by your partygoers.  

Off with the house lighting, On with the party lights 

If you or your friends have got $$$, hiring out party lights is a very good way to turn your party from shit to lit. Having party lights will turn your place from a family home to a home night club (minus the creepers and angry people who can’t handle their liquor). One of my go-to places is DJ Warehouse in Leichhardt.  

Party Games so your friends can make friends with your other friends 

Setting up games like King’s Cup, Ping Pong, or Cards Against Humanity will encourage inclusivity amongst your partygoers. This will be particularly beneficial if you’ve got multiple groups of friends or have invited the only one cool person from work. Party games are always inviting whether you know the people playing or not. If you’re feeling like getting a bit more saucy and throwing it back to when you were 15, Truth or Dare and Never Have I Ever won’t hurt.

#Basic tunes will please the crowd 

The music must be mainstream, classic bangers or EDM. Personally, I love my indie rock but I’ve learnt that if you play indie rock at a party where not many people like indie rock you will be hated and verbally abused. So make sure you don’t just play your Discover Weekly playlist and make a playlist specifically for your party. Note: sing-alongs are always 10/10. Very basic bangers like Wonderwall, Mr. Brightside, Africa, and Horses will do wonders.  

All in all, make sure you drink responsibly and invite people you like. If none of this information helped you, check out the websites below on how to plan a proper party for actual adults.