Party Theme Ideas

[NaperVic]

My friends and I are always having a hard time trying to find something to 'do'. There are only so many restaurants or bars you can go to. And the eat, drink, chat, & hot tub parties can get kinda dull after so many of them.

 

I figured I'd start a thread where we can share ideas for 'themes' for parties. Nothing too extravagant, but ideas to mix it up a little so that you and your friends don't get into a rut .

 

I'll start with what I had last night. It was a 'Make your own Pizza' night at my house. Basically, as host I provided

 

- Pizza Dough (I used the dough setting on my bread maker to make two large batches of pizza dough). The dough was divided into portions that made 6 to 8 inch diameter pizzas.

- Cheese (Mozarella, Monterey Jack, Parmesan

- Sauces (Red/Marinara and Alfredo for white pizza)

- Crushed garlic

- Olive Oil to brush

- Corn Meal (so that the dough wouldn't stick on the pans

 

My friends all brought a couple toppings each, so together we had about 8 different veggies, basil, ground beef & italian sausage.

 

I have a big island in my kitchen, so the toppings were layed out and people were able to form their doughs and then top their pizzas the way they like.

 

It turned out to work quite well. Everyone got to experiment with pizzas and then we got to share each others creations. By keeping the pizza's relatively small, if someone didn't like theirs, no worries as they could create another. Also, the smaller size allowed us to put more of them in the oven at one time.

 

Throw in several bottles of wine, appetizers and desserts and the night turned out well.

 

So anyway, that's my 'party theme' suggestion. If you have one that you'll like to share, please feel free, I'm always looking for new ideas on entertaining.

 

Take Care (and Merry Christmas!),

 

Vic

[rknapp]

And the eat, drink, chat, & hot tub parties can get kinda dull after so many of them.

Hey now, those have been working quite well for me!

[Masked Monkey]

Hey now, those have been working quite well for me!

Guess you haven't hit the "after so many of them" point yet.

 

I can think of a few people I would like to get in a hot tub

 

:king: Dr. Mr. Snow "Snoopy" Dog

[NaperVic]

Hey now, those have been working quite well for me!

You've been to TWO of those . Believe me, after 10 years of that, you'll want a little variety.

[Caipirinha]

This one might only work with bartenders, but my lame friends and I do it fairly regularly.

 

Essentially it's just a regular cocktail party with a competitive twist. The host arranges for and provides basic bar stock (In my circle of friends it's usually limited to Vodka, Tequila, Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, and Sour mix. And of course glasses and ice) and the guests of honor, i.e. the ones who will be doing the bar tending for the evening, bring whatever assortment of Liquors, Liqueurs (yes there is a difference), and Mixers they plan on using for the night.

 

From there it turns into a friendly competition to see who can mix the best/most original drink. It's a phenomenal way for bartenders to try out new concoctions and I'm pretty sure it's not that hard for the spectators to enjoy either. And of course it comes with neat little variations. I've been to ones where at the end of the night every one invited actually voted for their favorite new drink and the creator won a prize of some sort. I'm also been to "Maverick" style ones where everything is provided for you, you just don't know what you actually get to use to mix until it's your turn to come up with something.

 

I know it sounds like it would turn out to be one giant drunk fest, but it's really not (unless your intent is to get completely schnackered.) It's fun but you do have to be super responsible when you do it, so don't invite that many bartenders ;-)

 

Oh, and also if drinking isn't your thing, we've done the same type of thing with food. (The host provides, say, an assortment of pasta, and the people who will actually be cooking are responsible for everything else they'll need to finish off a pasta dish etc.)