House Parties
Raising the roof!
The idea of being the host to a night of frenzied entertainment, great company and being lauded as the party King or Queen of Swindon is very appealing. But take care. Waking up in the morning to a house that looks like a bomb has hit it, mountains of washing up, cigarette burns in the axminster, the toilet blocked and half your CD's missing is quite a price to pay for inviting your mates round for a bit of fun. SwindonWeb has lengthy experience of this, but still wants the town of Swindon to be the party capital of the south so we have put together our 10 golden rules for a stress free party experience. 1. Safeguard all breakables and valuables. Alcohol can cause no end of staggering individuals and souvenir hunters (many of which would never steal anything when sober) so take precautions 2. Put out plenty of ashtrays and then some more 3. Invite the neighbours for noise reasons 4. Sort out any possible parking problems 5. Put your name on your CD's 6. Use plastic glasses 7. Stock up on bin bags 8. If relevant, make sure your parents aren't coming home from holiday early 9. Get a big strapping mate to bounce at about 11.15pm 10. Enjoy yourself Atmosphere
Lighting The darker the better. Most people look better in the dark, so why not take advantage of it? Of course, have lights where alcohol is being administered, but keep the socialising areas relatively under control. The key is to offer people a range from medium to darkly lit areas. Black lights are always IN, while coloured bulbs can also work. Candles are out of the question because wax can be a little tricky to get off the carpet the following morning. Music Lots of choice here. Apart from hiring your own DJ, make sure you've got plenty of compilation albums in supply and keep it simple. Tempering the music with how drunk your guests are is very important so try and steer clear of 'Aga doo' and 'Hi Ho Silver Lining' until later on. When your guests are arriving, have something popular and easygoing on in the background like an Austin Powers soundtrack or something similar. Wait for a bit and then throw the Bee Gees on. 'Night Fever' never fails to get them going. And don't forget your stereo might not be designed for being on non-stop for 6 hours so make sure that the amplifier has got plenty of ventilation. Oh yes, the neighbours. Don't forget to inform them of the impending noise explosion. Thumping music at 1.30am is never conducive to getting on with your people next door, especially if they start work at 6.00am. Background Video We like this one but it is by no means compulsory. A little video in the background doesn't nessecarily mean that everyone will be packed around the telly all night. The set must be placed behind a window or high atop a shelf. And absolutely no sound!
You want people to enjoy the atmosphere of what's on, not get sucked into it (i.e. no Eastenders). The idea is to enrich your atmosphere using the coolest video that most people still haven't seen. Videos of old cult series like the Persuaders with Roger Moore and Tony Curtis are always good for a laugh. Alcohol
Organising a punch is also well worth doing but don't go overboard with mixing the spirits. Its amazing how drunk (and sick) people can get on punch, especially if they start uttering those dreaded words "'ere Maureen, this punch is lovely. It doesn't taste like alcohol at all, does it?!" Food
Our advice is to, like the alcohol, get plenty of it in. Offer a good choice of tit bits like sausage rolls and peanuts with some rice dishes, pasta and something hot perhaps. Don't skimp on the knives, forks and plates either. Buy some good quality disposable ones because no one hates anything more than trying to eat off a paper plate collapsing under the weight of two vol-au-vents and a chicken drum stick. Trying to cut into your ham salad with a white plastic knife that couldn't cut warm butter can be equally frustrating. And that's it. Follow our tried and tested advice and you can't go wrong - and an invite wouldn't go amiss! |
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