A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, and recreation. A party will typically feature food and beverages, and often music and dancing as well.
Some parties are held in honor of a specific person, day, or event (e.g., a birthday party, a Super Bowl party, or a St. Patrick’s Day party). Parties of this kind are often called celebrations .
A party is not necessarily a private occasion. Public parties are sometimes held in pubs and bars, and people attending such parties may be charged an admission fee by the host.
Types of parties
Birthday party
A birthday party is a celebration of the anniversary of the birth of the person who is being honored. Birthday parties are a feature of many cultures.
In Western cultures, particularly in the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia, birthday parties are often accompanied by colorful decorations, such as balloons and streamers. A birthday cake is often served with candles that are to be blown out after a “birthday wish” has been made. The birthday boy/girl gets the first piece of cake. While the birthday cake is being brought to the table, the song Happy Birthday to You is sung by the guests. Event management agencies and professional party services are being utilized increasingly to organize birthday parties.
Themed birthday parties are growing increasingly popular as licensed plates, streamers, napkins and piñatas are being distributed with characters from kids' games, books, television shows, movies and even websites.
A child’s birthday party may be held at his/her home or in a public place. Soft drinks are often served alongside water and both sweet and savory foods. In many cultures, a birthday cake is served. Birthday parties for children often feature entertainment, party games and goody bags. Adults’ birthday parties in Western countries are often held in restaurants, bars or nightclubs. In some cultures, guests are expected to bring birthday gifts.
There are a wide range of gifts given at birthday parties. For kids, toys like barbies, action figures, and stuffed animals are popular. For teens and adults, in addition to more personalized gifts, gift cards to his/her favorite store are also popular. Some people opt to have gifts given to others in donation, instead of accepting gifts for themselves. For children, popular benefiting charities are animal shelters and rescue houses. For adults, political or social causes may be chosen more often.
Surprise party
A surprise party is a party that is not made known beforehand to the person in whose honor it is being held.
Birthday surprise parties are the most common kind of surprise party. At most such parties, the guests will arrive an hour or so before the honored person arrives. Often, a friend in on the surprise will lead the honored person to the location of the party without letting on anything. The guests conceal themselves from view, and when the honored person enters the room, they leap from hiding and all shout “Surprise!”
Sometimes the surprised person is especially emotional because they thought that everyone had forgotten about their birthday.
For some surprise birthday parties, it is considered to be a good tactic to shock the honored person. Streamers, silly string, and balloons may be used for this purpose. Evidence of a party, such as decorations and balloons, are not made visible from the exterior of the home, so that the honored person will suspect nothing.
Parties for teenagers and young adults
Parties that are held by teenagers and young adults include house parties , dance parties , and outdoor parties .
The term “house party” refers to a party where a large group of people get together at a private home to socialize. House parties that involve the drinking of beer pumped from a keg are called keg parties or “keggers.” These parties are popular in the North America and Australia but are illegal for persons under the legal drinking age. Sometimes, even older partygoers run afoul of the law for having provided alcoholic beverages to minors. Arrests may also be made for violating a noise ordinance, for disorderly conduct, and even for operating a “blind pig.”
Dance parties and gatherings in bars or community centers where the guests dance to house music, techno music, or disco. The music for dance parties is usually selected and played by a disc jockey.
A spin-off of dance parties, the rave involves dancing to loud house music or techno music. Rave parties may be attended by as few as a score of people in a basement or, more likely, by a few hundred people in a club, to as many as thousands in a large warehouse, field, or even tens of thousands in a sporting arena, city block, or other large space. Outdoor parties include bush parties and beach parties. Bush parties (also called “field parties”) are held in a secluded area of a forest (“bush”), where friends gather to drink and talk. These parties are often held around a bonfire. Beach parties are held on a sandy shoreline of a lake, river, or sea, and also often feature a bonfire.
College parties are parties thrown by college students. They most often refer to house parties, but can also include dance and outdoor parties. They frequently involve excessive amounts of alcohol and drinking games.
School-related parties for teenagers and young adults include proms and graduation parties, which are held in honor of someone who has recently graduated from a school or university.
A crush party is a party in a sorority or fraternity where the sisters or brothers are given a certain number of invitations (according to their “crushes”). These are passed on to friends outside of the sorority/fraternity and given to the “crushes” (while keeping secret the name of the inviter). There may be some sort of disclosure at the party, so that the guests can find out who has a crush on her/him.
Singles dance party and mixer
A singles dance party and mixer is a party which is organized for people who are not married and who want to find a partner for friendship, dating, or sex.
Usually a “mixer game” is played, to make it easy for people to meet each other. For example, each guest may be given a card with an inspiring quotation on it. The game is to find someone of the opposite sex who has the same quotation. Couples who have matching cards may be given a small prize.
These parties are sponsored by various organizations, both non-profit and for-profit.
Marriage-related parties
- Bachelor party (aka UK: Stag Night; Australia: Bucks Night)
- Bachelorette party (aka Hens Night)
- Divorce party
- Wedding reception
Dinner party
A dinner party is a social gathering at which people eat dinner together, usually in the host’s home. At the most formal dinner parties, the dinner is served on a dining table with place settings. Dinner parties are often preceded by a cocktail hour in a living room or bar, where guests drink alcoholic beverages while mingling and conversing.
At less formal dinner parties, a buffet is provided. Guests choose food from the buffet and eat while standing up and conversing. Women guests may wear cocktail dresses; men may wear blazers.
At some informal dinner parties, the host may ask guests to bring food or beverages (a main dish, a side dish, a dessert, or appetizers). A party of this type is called a potluck or potluck dinner. In the United States, potlucks are very often held in churches and community centers.
Tea party
Main article: Tea partyIn Anglo-American culture, a tea party is a formal gathering for afternoon tea. These parties are traditionally attended only by women, but men may also be invited.
Tea parties are often characterized by the use of prestigious tableware, such as bone china and silver. The table, whatever its size or cost, is made to look its prettiest, with cloth napkins and matching cups and plates.
In addition to tea, larger parties may serve punch or, in cold weather, hot chocolate. The tea is accompanied by a variety of easily managed foods. Thin sandwiches such as cucumber or tomato, cake slices, buns, and cookies are all common choices.
Housewarming party
Main article: Housewarming partyA housewarming party may be held when a family, couple, or person moves into a new house or apartment. It is an occasion for the hosts to show their new home to their friends. Housewarming parties are typically informal and do not include any planned activities other than a tour of the new house or apartment. Invited family members and friends may bring gifts for the new home.
Block party
Main articles: Block party and Street partyA block party is a public party that is attended by the residents of a specific city block or neighborhoo
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