We all have memories of the epic house parties we have been to over the years. There’s no better feeling than being the host of a party that your friends and family reminisce over at future gatherings, “Remember that time when…”.
However, knowing how to plan and throw a good party is no easy feat. The difference between a party where people sneak off early unannounced and one where you can’t get people to leave takes time, effort and skill to prepare.
And that’s where we come in. As one of the UK’s biggest silent disco hire companies, we know a thing or two about hosting a great party, so we decided to create a list of our best house party ideas for you to use when planning your next party at home.
You could take one idea and focus on that, or pick two or three ideas, combine them, and host a truly unforgettable celebration. The article will cover the best house party themes, house party outfit ideas, and some house party entertainment ideas. By the time you finish reading, you’ll know exactly how to throw an unforgettable party.
How to plan a house party
Before we get into some of our best unique themed party ideas, we’re going to outline a quick planning checklist that we use when planning.
- Create a guest list – you can’t party alone so write down a list of guests that you would like to invite. This will also help you figure out how much space you’ll need to host everyone.
- Decide on a start time – pick a time you would like everybody to arrive and then lie about the start time on the invitation! Make the invitation start time 1-2 hours before you would like everybody to arrive and then people should actually turn up when you want them to.
- Pick a theme – you can use our list to help you with this but adding a theme will make your party extra special.
- Send out invitations – more on this later but coming up with some original house party invitation ideas will entice more people to come.
- Stock up on supplies –it’s best to complete this final step a couple of days before the party so everything is fresh. Make sure that you have more than enough food and drink so that nothing runs out while everyone is there.
This simple checklist will help you to get organized while planning your party but now it’s time to go through our lit house party ideas, starting with an idea close to our hearts…
1. Silent disco house party
Call us biased but there is no better way to spice up a party than to throw a silent disco. It could be part of a festival themed garden party or you can bring it indoors in the colder months. Hiring a silent disco is one of the best house party entertainment ideas!
You can have up to three music playlists on the go simultaneously, blasting out three different genres of music and singalong classics at the same time! With no loud music your guests will still be able to easily chat with each other by simply taking off their headphones. It also keeps the noise levels down to a minimum, so you won’t annoy your neighbours, essential if finishing after 12am in the morning.
Hosting a silent headphone party is affordable, a lot of fun, and there’s no doubt that it will be a house party that you and your friends talk about for years to come. If you’re interested head over to our equipment hire page to find out more.
2. Cocktail party
There’s a couple of ways you can approach a cocktail party. Firstly, you can add it on to another party idea by supplying a few tasty cocktails to your guests rather than just the standard list of beer, wine and soft drinks. Alternatively, you can make the cocktails the central theme by getting the ingredients for several cocktail recipes and you and your guests can spend the night making and tasting them together. You can even ask your guests to bring the ingredients for their favourite cocktails and try each other’s. Although, you might want to suggest that people partner up or it could quickly turn into a messy one.
Here are some cocktail ideas:
Recipe 1: The Fisherman’s Margarita (Serves 1)
- 50ml tequila,
- 25ml triple sec
- 25ml lime juice
- Splash of blue curacao
- Salt for the rim
- Lime for garnish
Recipe 2: Aperol Spritz (Serves 1)
- 100ml Prosecco
- 50ml Aperol
- Splash of soda water
- Orange for garnish
- Serve with ice
Recipe 3: Long Island Iced Tea (Serves 4)
- 50ml vanilla vodka
- 50ml dry gin
- 50ml tequila
- 50ml rum
- 50ml triple sec
- 500ml cola
- Lime for garnish
- Serve with ice
3. Hire a bartender
This is not only a gift to your guests but a gift to yourself. Being a great host is not easy, so getting an extra pair of hands to serve up delicious drinks will make your night easier and your guest’s night even better. Setting up a bar area is another chance to dress up your house with decorations and is another talking point of the evening.
4. Fancy dress theme
It can be stressful thinking of house party outfit ideas. It’s always just as you’re getting ready that you realise you hate your wardrobe and you have nothing to wear, am I right?
So, why not take the stress out of it and inject some fun by hosting a fancy dress party? While fancy dress will fill some of your guests with dread, there’s no denying that it’s a great icebreaker! Everybody loves it once they’re there and it’s much easier to decide what to wear to a house party. You can get really creative with picking a fancy dress theme but here’s a shortlist of our favourites:
- The Great Gatsby
- Pick a decade: 60’s, 70’s, 80’s or 90’s
- Superheroes
- Pirates
- Animals
- Tropical beach
- Film & TV characters
Check out our article on The 12 Best Birthday Party Theme Ideas for 2021.
5. Games night
Planning a series of games to play throughout the night is a great way to keep people entertained and is guaranteed to generate a lot of laughter. You could play traditional board games like Frustration, Catan, Monopoly, or favourites like Pictionary or Articulate. Alternatively, you could mix it up a bit with games like the cereal box game or the chocolate game. The best thing about a game’s night is that it’s family and kid-friendly so you can get your friends to bring the kids over and get older family members to come around for some fun too.
6. Garden party
When it comes to garden party ideas the list is endless and it’s a fantastic way to entertain your guests in the warmer months. You could try a festival-themed garden party, a BBQ garden party or even have a night filled with garden party games. It’s family-friendly and the best thing is that most of the mess will be kept outside. So, you can spend some time recuperating in a clean house the morning after before going outside for the clean-up operation.
For those of you brave enough to throw a party outside during the autumn and winter it might be a good idea to get a fire pit and a garden tent, or hire a marquee, to protect your guests from the elements.
7. Bonfire party
This is another one of our favourite activities to do at a house party and its fun for both family and adult-only parties. Start a collection of odd bits of wood at the bottom of your garden until you’ve got a decent-sized bonfire. Then, call your friends and family over for a night of fun around the fire. Set up some garden lights and a scattering of chairs so that you can settle in for the night. For the kids, think of some bonfire garden party games and get the marshmallows ready to be roasted. For the adults, keep the drinks flowing and kick things off with a good story as you watch the flames dance.
8. Decorate your house
This simple house party idea can be added to any other idea on the list and is a great way to add something memorable to your event. You don’t have to go crazy but adding a few picture-worthy decorations around your house, that will inspire some laughter, will add to the overall experience of your guests. Match your house party decoration ideas to your theme or do something completely random to get people talking.
9. Set up a photo booth (with props)
In our opinion, a photo booth should be on any house party essentials list. Everybody loves taking photographs to capture the memory so why not give your guests the perfect backdrop to take them? If you have a GoPro or a digital camera, set it up on a tripod facing towards a picturesque corner of your house. Providing a bunch of props like a picture frame, wigs, costumes, and inflatables will inspire some hilarious photographs for you to browse through the morning after.
If you don’t have the camera equipment there are lots of companies who will provide photo booth hire for a couple of hours, with a member of staff to set it up and take the photos for you.
10. House party invitation ideas
How to get people to come? Get creative with some unique house party invitation ideas that create some hype and get people excited to turn up weeks before the event. You could send out wristbands to be worn on arrival, create a video invitation with footage from your last party or even create a custom wrist stamp to make your guest feel like they’re entering a night club.
11. Drinking games
Sometimes the best house party ideas are the simplest ideas, and what’s been tried and tested more than a simple drinking games house party? It’s guaranteed to elevate the atmosphere and create a few sore heads the morning after. Everybody has their favourites but he’s a shortlist of drinking games just in case you’re stuck for ideas or want to try something new;
- Beer pong
- Ring of fire
- Flip cup
- Ride the bus
- Fuzzy duck
12. Home spa day
If you’ve got some cash to splash on this event and you prefer more relaxed and chilled evenings, hosting a spa day house party could be the idea for you. It’s one of the top garden birthday party ideas and unlike some of the other ideas on this list, it will have you waking up the next day refreshed and on top form. You can hire a hot tub and invite your nearest and dearest over to enjoy it with you. And, if you really want to push the boat out, you could get a masseuse and a beautician over as well for a full-body relaxation session.
13. Karaoke
It’s old but gold and certainly one of the ultimate things to do at a party. Since its birth during the 1970s, Karaoke has been a house party favourite ever since. Some love it, while others hate it, but unlike marmite, it’s a guaranteed barrel of laughs. Why not double up the fun with a fancy dress themed karaoke house party?
14. Wine and dine with a fancy dinner party
This is something a little more sophisticated than Karaoke and ring of fire. If you and your friends enjoy nice food and fine wine, hosting a dinner party is a great way to entertain your guests. If you really want to impress them, send out a menu with the invitation and set the table to Michelin star standards. If you know a group of dedicated foodies, then you could even start a Come Dine With Me style round-robin event where you each take it in turns to cook up something delicious.
15. Baking party
This house party idea is something a little bit different and not one that revolves around alcohol. Although baking, family & friends and a bit of fizz do go hand in hand… It can be really relaxed, or you can inject some competition with a bake-off style judging panel that will critic the baked goods made by your guests for a bit of fun. This idea is extremely family-friendly and is a great way to get everyone from toddlers to grandparents involved. You’ll also end up with enough cake to eat for weeks!
Final thoughts
Hopefully, this article has given you some great ideas for unique house party themes that you can use the next time you throw a party at home. Like we said in the intro, you can take one idea and run with it or combine two or three ideas to host a truly memorable night. Why not throw a fancy dress silent disco bonfire party!?
Silent disco party hire UK
We are a UK based silent disco rental company supplying 3 channel LED headphone and equipment hire for house and garden parties.
Our amazing silent disco equipment is easy to use, quick to set up, and can be delivered anywhere in the UK. With rental prices from just £90 for 10 headphones and 3 transmitters, contact us and start planning your silent disco party!
Read more of our articles:
- How to Host a Successful Silent Disco: The Ultimate Guide
- How to DJ at a Party Using Spotify Music Streaming App
- The Best Silent Disco Songs for Your Party
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