Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Facts about throwing good parties

atvbt.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 431 posts

Re: Facts about throwing good parties

#31

Post by AmbroseBierce »

TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #11
buildsjets wrote: post #7

I sure miss the kind of parties where they have to get an emergency court order to cut power the building at 3am. I learned everything I need to know about throwing parties from Dave Barry. If you throw a party, the worst thing that you can do would be to throw the kind of party where your guests wake up today, and call you to say they had a nice time. Now you'll be be expected to throw another party next year. What…

Posts like this really make me feel like I'm living in a completely different reality from some people. I can't tell how much of this is exaggerated for comedic value and how much of it is genuine.

I think that making people doubt about it like you just did it's intentionally a bit of the comedic value.

Re: Facts about throwing good parties

#32

Post by gosub100 »

TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #11
buildsjets wrote: post #7

I sure miss the kind of parties where they have to get an emergency court order to cut power the building at 3am. I learned everything I need to know about throwing parties from Dave Barry. If you throw a party, the worst thing that you can do would be to throw the kind of party where your guests wake up today, and call you to say they had a nice time. Now you'll be be expected to throw another party next year. What…

Posts like this really make me feel like I'm living in a completely different reality from some people. I can't tell how much of this is exaggerated for comedic value and how much of it is genuine.

Its from an author who mainly wrote newspaper columns in the 90s. It's his style of tongue-in-cheek humor, and it's aged about 3 decades. I won't say "hasn't aged well", but just "aged".

Re: Facts about throwing good parties

#33

Post by roncesvalles »

dlisboa wrote: post #14

I feel like this is really an American culture thing where parties or dinner parties are mostly the responsibility of the host. In movies or TV there’s even a common theme of guests judging the host’s hosting abilities. In Brazil you throw a party to people you like and they all have a hand in helping you, sharing the load. Everyone will be responsible for some part of it, all of it is organized informally, there are…

there is some nuance

1. Sometimes an "inner circle" will co-host a party but the other attendees are not expected to do anything except show up and have a good time, and maybe bring booze. This is common with roommates and in college.

2. What you're describing verbatim is a potluck. Potlucks in the US are popular among immigrant groups, family friend groups, or parties for clubs or associations. But ultimately they're considered a bit uncool/laidback and don't fit the definition of an American party. They're better described as "get-togethers".

Re: Facts about throwing good parties

#34

Post by kashnote »

Love all of these tips. I've hosted dozens of events since moving to NYC and figured I'd add 5 more:

1. If this is a dinner party (or people are all seated), force people to get up and move in a way that they'll meet new people. Do this when you're about 2/3 of the way through the party. Some will complain - do it anyway.

2. Plan 1 (ideally 2) interludes. It can be a small speech, moving people around, changing locations, having people vote on something, etc. For whatever reason, they make the night more memorable.

3. Do your best to make introductions natural and low-pressure. Saying things like "you two would really get along" can put pressure on people - especially shy ones. Bring up something they have in common and let them chat while you back away.

4. Go easy on folks who cancel last minute. They often don't feel good about doing it and you don't want to add more stress to them or yourself.

5. More music != more fun. Some music is good, but if people can't hear each other, turn it down.

If you're interested reading more about this stuff, read The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker.

Re: Facts about throwing good parties

#35

Post by jauntywundrkind »

TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #11
buildsjets wrote: post #7

I sure miss the kind of parties where they have to get an emergency court order to cut power the building at 3am. I learned everything I need to know about throwing parties from Dave Barry. If you throw a party, the worst thing that you can do would be to throw the kind of party where your guests wake up today, and call you to say they had a nice time. Now you'll be be expected to throw another party next year. What…

Posts like this really make me feel like I'm living in a completely different reality from some people. I can't tell how much of this is exaggerated for comedic value and how much of it is genuine.

It's one of my greatest fears to see the Gonzo going out from the world. Whether or not it's the truth, this post captures a value-system that used to be strongly coded into the world, a domain of part truth part bullshit, but all yes forward excitement that the in the know smart exciting people were in for in abundance, accepting the tongue in cheek along side the sheer raw ambition to outdo the meager reality about us.

Re: Facts about throwing good parties

#36

Post by roncesvalles »

beerandt wrote: post #27
tcoff91 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you give people glasses instead of solo cups, I find that partygoers will tend to treat your house with a lot more care and respect. We have a set of glasses that have little black stickers on them that are a material that works well with chalk, so people can label them. Yes, there's a risk of breakage & having to clean up, but overall I think it sets a better tone.

Dixie cup / glassware divide will tell you a lot about the type of party, but not always along the lines you might think.

I'm intrigued. Elaborate?

Re: Facts about throwing good parties

#37

Post by roncesvalles »

cjbarber wrote: post #5

Found via: https://auren.substack.com/p/top-5-things-to-read-in-novembe... See also: https://x.com/wangzjeff/status/1983914310738047291 And also Nick Gray's 2 hour cocktail party book My personal thoughts on events: (These don't really apply to parties, but they do apply to non-party events) 1. Do intro circles: If it's a 5-25 person event with a handful of people that don't know each other, do an intro circle about…

>1. Do intro circles

So, turn your party into hell on earth?

Re: Facts about throwing good parties

#38

Post by drooby »

Surprised no mention of space per person. The sweet spot is not yet fully known to me. But maybe about 8-10 square feet per person. You want that intoxicating social energy, but people need the space to bop from circle to circle
Post reply on HN