Party Hosts Are Sharing Their Mastermind Ways Of Making Sure Everyone Has Fun At Their Parties, And Some Of These Are So Genius That I'd Even Attend Sober
With the holiday season coming up, the odds of finding yourself at a party where you're bored out of your mind are high. I'm always looking for ways to get a party going for everyone, so I was captivated when u/MiaLedger asked fellow adults, "What's the best nonalcoholic way to make a party wild and fun?" And honestly, I'd never thought of a lot of these before:
1."If you want to see adults playing like kids and laughing their asses off, rent a giant bouncy slide and one of those carnival games with the spinning ladder. Some of the best adult parties I've been to are kids parties after the kids fall asleep."
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"I was at a party like this in high school. My friend's cousin was turning 8 years old, and my friend's family hosted a huge party with the whole neighborhood: bounce house, balloon animals, and face painting — the whole nine yards.
"Once the little kids were gone, all of the remaining adults took off their shoes and ran into the bounce house. It was really weird, and hilarious, watching all of the adults twice our age turn into kids and have a blast. Also, adults acting like kids are a lot more likely to offer beer to underage people, from my experience. I didn't even drink alcohol at the time, and I still had half a dozen beers handed to me by people who I previously only thought of as so-and-so's mom or dad.'"
2."Adult Mad Libs. I invited a few couples over, some of them pretty religious and not drinkers, and we played that. It was hilarious seeing everyone in the room stop being polite and just belly-laugh at some of the things we all came up with in that game."
3."A bag of bulk wigs. Just discreetly place the bag of wigs on a couch or coffee table. Wait and watch."
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4."People go wild for a quirky activity. I'm talking cookie-icing contests, make-your-own-pizza party, building competitions (Jenga, dominoes, gingerbread houses, toothpicks, marshmallows, etc.), amateur stand-up or campfire-story sharing hour — the possibilities are truly endless."
"For the colder and holiday months, you can even do a hot pot dinner or appetizer party."
5."The real thing to think about is the social aspect of stuff. How do you make people come out of their shells and just stop caring that they might look stupid? Figure that out, and you will have a fun party. I just had my annual Halloween party, which always becomes a rager. I clear out the entire garage. We put a few chairs out, but really only enough for the people who really need them. A friend who DJs plays a live mix, I keep the lighting low with just lasers and stuff, and people's inhibitions just drop because they can be idiots and have fun without feeling as if everyone's looking at them."
6."Simple party games are great for that! Also try games like Apples to Apples, Snake Oil, Balderdash, Dixit, and Codewords. And it's good to have a couple of people who can inject some energy and fun into playing the games, and encourage interaction."
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"'Apples Against Humanity,' where you shuffle the decks of Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity together, is always a fun time."
7."Good food is always a crowd-pleaser."
8."Themed! Whether it's themed food, costumes, decor...doing something out of the ordinary helps."
"I'm hoping to hold a 'special occasion' party soon. No specific theme, just tell them this is their opportunity to pull that outfit out of their closet that they never get to wear because it's for 'special occasions.'
"Cosplay they wore once to a con? Wear it! Fancy AF dress they got for a wedding? Wear it! That wild suit they saw at the thrift store and just had to have? Wear it!
"It will also apply to food — bring that food that's been on your Pinterest board forever and never been made. I'll put out all the decorations I've made or bought for parties, and we'll use the good silverware and fancy serving dishes."
9."Get a giant roll of blank paper, like the back of wrapping paper, and tape it to the back of the bathroom door. Hang a permanent marker near it. Now everybody who uses the bathroom gets to anonymously write graffiti. Make it themed — like it has to be poems, or even 'for a good time, so-and-so.' Or as a host, don't say a word and see what happens naturally. When I was in college, we did this, and some comments turned out to be unbelievably hilarious."
10."Nerf guns."
"Let's take it to the next level: Nerf gun war. I'm talking pillow forts, team captains, strategy, stealth — the whole nine yards."
11."Jackbox, the trivia games app you can connect to your TV. I love it. And it goes great with some snacks, mocktails, and good friends."
12."From experience, making yourself have a good time actually increases the energy in the atmosphere, which causes everyone to have a good time. I quit drinking a few years ago, so when friends have get-togethers, I'm always sober. The last time we were hanging out, I was coming out of the bathroom and I heard a song playing that I liked, so I started singing it loudly just to amuse myself. I came stomping out of the hallway into the living room, head banging and singing the song — and the entire living room lit up with laughter. Next thing I know, everybody was standing up and dancing, bouncing around, and head banging along with me."
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"No real secret to it, just do what you can to be comfortable with yourself and let your natural energy flow. The temperature in the room will rise with you when it's done naturally and not forced."
13."Some friends left some Post-it Notes and a pen in the bathroom and encouraged everyone to stick their 'hai-poos' (haikus) to the back of the door. Some of them were out-of-pocket funny, and people were coming out of the bathroom laughing."
14."Bubbles. They're so fun, and I even want them at my wedding."
"I highly recommend bubbles for any party, and especially weddings. We used them instead of rice or confetti when we walked out of the church.
"They look amazing both live and in photographs, both children and adults were excited to blow the bubbles, and best of all, there was no mess to clean up afterward. Also, it doesn't attract birds or damage wildlife. Very fun option!"
15."Karaoke machine. Strip poker. Or you can even combine them for 'strip karaoke.'"
16."Step 1: Find the crappiest, cheapest horror movie possible. Step 2: Watch it for about 15 minutes, then pause it. Step 3: List all the characters you've seen and have everyone write down which characters they expect are going to die and in what order. Step 4: Unpause the movie. The person with the most accurate predictions wins. You'll get people shouting, 'Get her!' at the screen because they're banking on whatever person being killed off to win the game. I did it with friends while watching ThanksKilling, and it was glorious."
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17."I went to this party with go-karts, and they made a whole racetrack with disco lights, music, and hay, and it was honestly the best party I ever went to."
What's your secret trick for bringing a party back to life without the help of alcohol? Drop it low — and in the comments.
Note: Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.
