How to Throw a Successful Party

Co-authored by Natasha Miller

Last Updated: January 20, 2023

Parties can be great fun, but they can also be incredibly stressful for the person trying to pull them off! Don't worry. There are some particular considerations (like how many people, the venue, the entertainment, etc.) you'll need to figure out, but once you've got those figured out, you'll be ready to go.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Throwing a Children's Party

1
Plan carefully and in advance. What you really don't want to be doing is flying around a few hours before the party trying to get food and decorations and goodies all sorted out. You also want to make sure that you know who is coming to the party, so you want invitations to go out at least a few weeks in advance.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- Make a list of the food you're going to have, the decorations and games you're going to need, what your budget is. This way you won't be caught by surprise when the party suddenly rolls around.
- Have a people limit. Make it clear to the parents of the kids who are coming whether siblings are allowed, what the age group is going to be, and whether or not they need to stick around with their child (the answer to that is yes, yes they do). Some people will ignore your request, but at least it will be out there and will make the more polite parents do as they are asked.
2
Line up help. Make sure that your family knows what they need to do to help you out. Do not attempt to run a children's party all on your own. You will end up exhausted and worn out, no matter what, but having people to help with things like set-up and clean-up and the games can make everything 100 times easier.
- Ask family members or close friends to lend a hand with the party (especially if they've got a kid coming to it). It can be something as simple as bringing over some food, helping put up decorations, or even pick up the cake if it's a birthday party and you can't.
- Have your kid help you make the invitations and the decorations. This can be a fun process for both of you. It will lend a kid's touch to the proceedings, which is really what it's all about, right?
Advertisement
3
Have a time limit for the party. If you don't do this, there are going to be meltdowns from the children and you'll end up as a de facto babysitter for some of the kids who aren't yours. By having a specific time that you start and end, you'll make sure that people get their kids out of the way before all the tantrums start.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- If your child is at the age where they're still napping, make sure that you don't schedule the party right during nap-time. That's basically a recipe for a meltdown. Keep to their schedule as much as possible, by having it in the morning before the nap or in the afternoon after the nap.
- Keep the party short (unless it is a sleepover, in which case, you'll want to limit the number of guests). Have the party go for about 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. This will help make sure you and your helpers don't get too exhausted.
4
Have kid-centric food. Even if you're a health nut about what food your kid eats, you can still make it so the food at the party is food that they like and that the other kids will like. Parties are supposed to be fun and a little out of the ordinary (especially if it's a birthday party, or a party for a holiday like Halloween).
- Try to avoid really messy foods. This is why chips and snacks are so good for children's parties, because they're easy to eat while you're running around. For example: spaghetti and meatballs is probably not a good choice for a kid's party, especially one with lots of younger children.
- Depending on the type of party you can style the foods to go along with the theme. For example: for a Halloween party you might have cookies shaped like pumpkins, or delicious pumpkin bars. You could have baked pumpkin seeds, peeled grapes (eyeballs!), and that sort of thing.
- It can be a fun idea to have a build your own ice cream sundae or cupcake. Set out bowls of different sprinkles and different things they can build for dessert. Make sure that you've put out newspapers underneath, because sprinkles will get everywhere.
5
Have appropriate games. Whatever kind of children's party you're throwing, you want to make sure that the children are properly occupied. In the time that you have (1 1/2 hours to 2 hours) you'll probably want to have 1 or 2 activities. Too many and the kids will be all over the place and too few games, the kids will get bored.^{[3]
X
Research source}
- Make sure that you have some activity planned right off the bat. This eases the awkwardness and gets all the kids involved in something, so that they aren't just running all over the place.
- Scavenger hunts are great fun for kids. The level of difficulty can be raised or lower depending on the age of the children. They can also be adapted to a variety of themes (Pirate treasure hunt, a princess scavenger hunt, find a pumpkin scavenger hunt). Simple make sure that there are prizes for all the children.
- Avoid competitive games. You especially want to do this for younger children. Competitive games mean winners and losers and the losers will inevitably start to cry. To avoid that, have games like freeze tag where no one actually wins or loses.
6
Send them away happy. This is an especially good idea for a birthday party, because (especially amongst the youngest crowd) tantrums may be thrown because they want gifts too. To avoid this, have a little something for each child so that they feel included.
- Have goody bags. Most kids don't care that much what is in the goody bag, they just like that they're getting something. Have it be a cheap, small thing that goes along with the party's theme (a sparkly princess hair clip, or a pirate's eye patch). If you don't want to overload them with candy, too, have a thing of animal crackers instead.
- You could also do a craft project that they can then take home with them. Do something like make tie-dye (there are really easy kits out there, so that it doesn't turn into a huge mess), or get a bunch of different fun beads to make necklaces, or have them draw something related to the theme of the party.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Throwing a Party for Teens

1
Plan in advance. Throwing a party for a teenager can be a difficult process, since what they think is cool and what their parents think is cool, often are in entirely different universes. You will want plenty of time to check in with them about what they would like, or if you're the teen planning the party, you'll need plenty of time to check in with your parents and talk to your friends.
- Budget the party. See what you can spend on things like food, drinks, decorations, music, and so on.
- Have the teen deal with invitations. Again parents usually don't understand what is cool or embarrassing for their teenagers and handwritten invitations could be just the ticket to loserville at school. Let them decide how they're going to invite people, as long as it's the agreed-upon guests and not open to every person in school.
2
Pick a type of party. While a theme party might not be cool enough for your teen, there are lots of different kinds of parties to have. Is it a birthday party? A holiday party (like Halloween)? A graduation party? Each of these will require different decorations (if the teen wants decorations) and, sometimes, different foods.^{[4]
X
Expert Source

Natasha Miller
Professional Party Planner
Expert Interview. 29 January 2020.}
- You should also think about the type of party in terms of its location. A beach front party with a bonfire is going to require different set up and energy to pull off than a Halloween party at your house. An outside party is going to require weather preparations (having an area nearby that's under some sort of cover, for example).
- Remember, a girls sleep-over is going to be very different from a graduation party. For the former, a chaperone or parent will simply need to make sure that the girls aren't sneaking out, otherwise you don't usually have to worry about them. The latter type of party is more likely to get out of control and will need supervision.
3
Set a time. You want to make sure that the teen's friends can make it to the party, so try for advance notice for a bigger party, like a birthday bash or Halloween extravaganza (a couple weeks, at least). For a smaller party, you usually won't need as much time, unless it's a really important party.
- Avoid school nights and Sunday nights during the school year. Teens should, hopefully, be rested for school and have time to do their schoolwork. Partying will cut into that time.
- Make sure that the parents of the invited teens know what's going to be happening at the party .
4
Get the pieces of the party together. Pulling everything together will make the party successful. This means having the right food and the right music. If you've planned it out beforehand, this part shouldn't be too difficult.
- For food, you want something that is easy to snack on. Chips and dip, pretzels, candy and cookies, pizza, and some cut up veggies and dip, are all great choices. You could also cut up some fruit and have a fruit platter. If you put some chocolate dip in the middle you'll have a fun (and somewhat healthy) option.
- Let the teens provide music themselves. They will typically have iPods and phones packed with their types of music. Simply hook up some speakers and an MP3 hook-up, so they can have it louder to dance to. If you're worried about the neighbors, make sure to test it beforehand and check in with them.
- For drinks you'll want sodas and water. Remember, unless the drinking age is 18 or less, you could get in trouble for having alcohol at the party, even if you didn't provide it.
- It's a good to use paper plates and cups and forks to make for less clean-up afterwards. Teens aren't usually that picky about what they use to eat with. If you're environmentally conscious, there are usually biodegradable paper plates and things that you can use.
5
Set up zones for the party. Again, this can depend on the type of party, but it's usually a good idea to have different designated areas for different activities, like dancing, playing Foosball, video games, an eating area.
- Make sure that you've provided obvious trash containers in each area. This will make it easier for them to be less messy and have the clean-up be easier.
- It's best if the teen figures out where each area to be (with adult consent) because they know their friends and peers best.
6
Make sure there is appropriate supervision. While having a chaperone hovering nearby can be off-putting for teen parties, not having some sort of supervision can result in a lot of poor decision-making by the teens have the party.
- If it's an adult doing the supervision, Try to be somewhere else during the party. For example, if the party is at the teen's house, one of the parents or an older (responsible) sibling should be in one of the other rooms of the house. Occasionally, check up on the party by doing a walk-through on the way to the kitchen or the bathroom.
- If there's someone who is in their late-teens, or twenties that is trustworthy, see if they will chaperone the party. They'll be a lot cooler than a parent, but will still be able to keep the party from getting out of hand.
7
Clean up afterwards. It's best to have the teen clean-up as a part of their learning process. They have the party, they have to clean-up afterwards. It should also make it less likely that the party gets out of control because they know that they'll be taking care of whatever happens.
- Have a few friends stay afterwards to help with the clean-up. Put on some music to make it more enjoyable.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Throwing a Party for Adults

1
Choose the date. It's best to decide this in advance so that you're able to invite the people you want and have the party that you want. Choosing the date will tell you how much time you have to get things ready.
- Unless you're only having a small get-together, you'll want to make sure that your guests have enough time to plan to make your party.
- You also want to take into consideration things like the weather, other events that are happening, when you're picking the date. For example: you don't want to plan an outdoor party in the middle of winter (or if you do, you'll want to make sure both yourself and your guests are prepared).
2
Decide on your budget. You will need to know how much money you have to spend on the party since this will mean that you may need to come up with creative solutions in terms of food and drinks and entertainment.^{[5]
X
Expert Source

Natasha Miller
Professional Party Planner
Expert Interview. 29 January 2020.}
- It's a good idea to set out how much money you're willing to spend in certain categories: drinks, food, entertainment, decorations, etc.
- You can also think about what you would like to be able to do (have a 20s themed party, etc.) and figure out ways to make that possible on a limited budget (for example: print out prohibition era images, drape your lamps in fabric, tape bead chains to your ceiling, to give the effect of a 20s speakeasy).
3
Figure out the type of party. This could be a birthday party, a cocktail party, some sort of special celebration, or just a friendly get-together with your favorite people. How you prepare for the party will depend on how big it is, how lavish it is and what it is the party is about.
- There are certain logistics to consider for different types of parties. For example, if you're planning a surprise birthday party for a friend, you have to make sure that they'll be available, that other people don't spoil the surprise, that you have a way to get the friend to the party, and so on.
4
Choose the guests. Now it's time to figure out who you're inviting and how many people you're inviting. This will depend on things like the timing of the party, what kind of party it is, and what your budget is.
- If you're having the party in your house or a friend's house, consider how many people you can comfortably fit into it (or not; maybe you'll all be dancing up on one another).
- If you've decided to have a nice dinner party, then you should probably keep down the number of people you're inviting. Make sure that you invite people you find interesting and who might find one another interesting. The worst thing is when you invite people who are really unsuitable for one another and don't mesh well (for example: your friend from your punk rock group and your boyfriend's corporate work cronies).
5
Pick the location. Now that you know what kind of party you're having and how many people you're inviting it's time to figure out where you're going to have the party. If it's a dinner party or a small group of friends, it's fine to have it at your house or apartment. If it's going to be bigger you might want to start considering alternate options.
- You also want to make sure that you're aware of the limitations offered by the different locations you're considering. For example: if you're having the party at your house and you only have a hot plate, or a very small stove, you might want to avoid food that you have to make, or you might want to farm out that task on a friend.
- If your party is too big for your house consider different options like: having outside at the park or in a greenhouse, having it at a museum, going to a state park and having it there, renting some sort of hall.
- Have the appropriate seating. If you're having a sit-down dinner you will definitely need to make sure that you have a seat for each person. Even if you're having a buffet style meal, you'll want to make sure that people can sit down and eat (otherwise you'll be having more spills to clean up).
6
Pick the entertainment. Parties have to have something that makes them enjoyable and makes them successful. This can be anything from a sweet playlist to a full scale swing band, board games (or something like Cards Against Humanity), a theme (like a noir murder mystery party), or anything you want.
- The more people you have the harder it would be to have a party that is about games, because it would be hard to organize all those people (not impossible, if you really want to). For large parties having music and a dance floor is a good idea.
- You can even do a craft style party (or a letter writing party). Have everyone bring there supplies; provide tea or alcohol and have at it.
7
Have enough food and drink. This is another reason why it's good to plan ahead, and also why it's good to ask people to bring something. You don't want to run out of drinks or food during the party.^{[6]
X
Expert Source

Natasha Miller
Professional Party Planner
Expert Interview. 29 January 2020.}
- A good idea for drinks is to have one signature drink (in addition to the beer and wine people usually bring). It could be something like champagne (classy); you can get Prosecco for half the price. You could also do something like a pitcher of Sangria, or margaritas.
- Make sure that you have drinks for the nondrinkers and the designated drivers, if this is a party with alcohol. You can do something fun for them like having bubbly water with a little fruit juice and some fruit.
- For some creative food ideas you might try fondue (you can have cheese fondue with bread and veggies and things, and a dessert fondue with bits of cake or strawberries dipped in chocolate). You could do your food buffet style and have a theme (like Mexican food night).
- Have people bring a little something. To make the party planning and throwing easier on you, ask people to bring something, like some appetizers, a nice wine or some beer. This way all the food and drink planning won't rest entirely on your shoulders. A good idea is to make a list of the food and drinks that you want at your party. Mark down which ones you are capable (and your kitchen) is capable of handling and then ask your guests to pick something that they can bring.
8
Clean up. Make sure that you enlist a couple of your closest friends to help you clean up after the party so you aren't stuck doing it by yourself. Depending on the time of the party (afternoon, all night, morning, etc.) you may want to wait and clean up the next day.
- Put on some music to help get you through the boring parts of the clean up and if you're with friends chat about the party and how much fun you had. It will make you less irritated that you're having to clean everything up, if you remember why you're doing it.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Getting Creative

1
Have a theme. While this may seem like a not so creative option, you can have many variations to spice it up. Theme parties are great both for parties where you'll be drinking and parties where you won't. You can even pair them with other options, like a '20s theme with a murder mystery, or a pun theme where you play Cards Against Humanity.^{[7]
X
Expert Source

Natasha Miller
Professional Party Planner
Expert Interview. 29 January 2020.}
- One theme idea is invent your superhero or villain. Come up with a costume and a backstory. This is a great mingling idea, because you can then spend a lot of the time asking people about their costumes.
- Another theme idea is the pun party, where everyone dresses up as a pun. For example, you could be a wallflower and dress up as a flower against a wall (or a flower made of of bits of a wall).
- You could also do the seven deadly sins as a theme and have each room in your house correspond to one of the themes. Everyone can dress up as a version of one of the sins, like carrying a mirror as Vanity.
2
Have a slumber party. This is great fun because everyone can come dressed in their pajamas. Put on a movie, or pull out all those games you played in elementary school (like MASH, or Truth or Dare).
- You could also have everyone help you build an awesome pillow fort and have everyone sleep in it that night.
3
Have a dessert party. This is where all you have at the party are desserts and everyone has to bring their favorite dessert. You won't have to worry about alcohol or dinner, or anything like that. The desserts can even have themes (dessert from around the globe, etc.).
- Some delicious dessert ideas are banana splits, hot fudge sundaes, different cakes and pies, a whole slew of ice cream (you could even make your own).
- You can also have a baking party that turns into this. Have a bunch of friends over and make lots of different delicious desserts.
4
Have a tea party. These are lots of fun and you can make them as fancy or as simple as you need. Likewise, you can add another theme to this. For example, it could be a fancy dress tea party, or everyone has to dress up as a character from a novel, etc.
- You could even go the Alice in Wonderland route have a mad tea party. Have everyone come dressed as characters from the book or movie, or just really crazily and have giant teacups and a dormouse (probably a stuffed animal is best).

Expert Q&A
Did you know you can get expert answers for this article? Unlock expert answers by supporting wikiHow

Question

How do I come up with the theme for a kid's party?

Natasha Miller
Event Planner & CEO, Entire Productions
Natasha Miller is an Event Planner, Chief Experience Designer, and President of Entire Productions, an event and entertainment production company based in San Francisco, California. Notable clients Natasha has collaborated with include Apple, Google, Gap, Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., and Salesforce. Natasha and Entire Productions has been awarded Inc. 5,000's "Fastest Growing Companies in America", Entrepreneur Magazine's 360 List of "Best Entrepreneurial Companies in America." Entire Productions is also a Certified Women Business Enterprise. Natasha is a member of Meeting Professionals International (MPI).

Natasha Miller

Event Planner & CEO, Entire Productions

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Think about what the child enjoys. TV shows, sports teams, and interests can all be sources of inspiration for a theme. You can also combine a few different elements to come up with a theme. For example, you could use underwater decorations, fake plants, and glow-in-the-dark stars, to do a "wild" or "nature" theme.
Question

What theme should I choose for a teenager's party?

Community Answer

I would recommend avoiding a theme unless your teenager specifically requests one. Instead, go for a general theme: music, streamers, and lots of snacks. If you're feeling fancy, include some balloons or pretty lights.
Question

What should I wear for a disco party for teens?

X_aliceofield_x

Community Answer

For teen girls, tube/bodycon skirts (plain or patterned) are a popular choice. They go great with basic but stylish black 'vest' tops, crop tops, or long sleeve tight tops. If you are wearing a patterned skirt, wear a plain or basic top (maybe a ribbed top). Another idea for teen girls would be black skinny disco jeans and maybe a bodysuit. For teen boys, jeans and a cool black t-shirt are good choices.

Warnings

Don't let that lame, unruly guest ruin everything for everyone. If someone is getting to drunk and obnoxious pull them to one side and tell them they need to take it down a notch. If that doesn't work, tell them that they need to go home and that you'll see them next week.

⧼thumbs_response⧽
Helpful 34 Not Helpful 3