Throwing a party can be an intimidating experience. What if no one comes? What if it's shit? What if my house gets wrecked? These are the questions that will be inevitably floating around your anxious mind. However, there are some things that you can do to alleviate your stress.

We're not saying that doing these things will automatically make your house party a legendary night, but if you do all of these things and it's still shit then, well, blame the guestlist. Shall we begin?

If you're throwing a party, you've got to make sure your house is worth coming to. Student housing is often shiver-inducing levels of disgusting, and that's okay, what you do in your own home is none of my business. But if you've got 30+ friends coming over, not many people will stay to vibe in your filth. So have some respect and be a passable host by finally getting round to washing those month-old dishes.

There's an art to djing or curating a playlist for a house party. You've got to perfectly blend crowd pleasing bangers with those more left-field tracks that you've been desperate to hear at a party. Throw in some indisputable jams - Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield, American Boy by Estelle, stuff that never fails to get people moving, then you can slyly throw in something that'll make people ask "who is this?" Rewind by Kelela is my go-to unappreciated banger.

Being the host of a house party is, at its very essence, basically being the person who provides something for people to drink out of. Plastic cups is the classic option for beverage holding needs, but if that thoughtless amount of environmentally unfriendly plastic overwhelms you, tell people to bring their own cups. Or if you're feeling like a baller, provide each guest with a champaign flute to drink their Dark Fruit out of. Classy.

Another subtle move that'll elevate your party is having some ice to cool your guest's beverages. Nobody has the fridge room for thirty bags of cans and warm beer is a bigger mood killer than a foreplay fart, so provide some ice, 'cause what's cooler than being cool? ICE COLD, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alri-.

If you're trying to create a good vibe for your party, your gonna need a some creative lighting solutions. No one wants the full blast of the big light in the kitchen to spotlight their hedonism. Simultaneously, no one wants to go arse over tit over a garden step when they're trying to go for a smoke on your pitch-black patio garden. A combination of fairy lights, strobes, and coloured lamps should do the trick.

Before you even think about what music you're going to play, make sure you have something decent to play it on. It doesn't matter how much of a banger it is, no one wants to crowd around your crumby laptop listening to Africa by Toto. This is the most important entry on this guide. Buy or borrow some good speakers ASAP.

Sometimes Room 2 is the place to be. Yes, you want to provide a great party with all your favourite people boogying, but not everyone can throw shapes until dawn, and, let's be real, unless your guestlist is severely embarrassing, you're not going to be able to fit all your guests in the main room at once. Providing a nice, wholesome spot to sit down and chill does wonders, giving your party that all important second dimension. Come, take a seat, we're talking about Donald Trump and the intricacies of UK corner shops.

Notify the neighbours

Don't be an asshole, it may be your party but it's not your street. Tell your neighbours you're throwing a party, because the last thing you want is a mother of four in her dressing gown tearing down your soundsystem at 3am.

Hide ya shit (optional)

 

 

This isn't a wholly necessary step, you might enjoy enforcing a strict no plus-1s policy at your party, which is totally fine and makes this step unimportant. But if you've been carefree with invitation regulation and now Toby from your seminar is bringing 15 of his closest, dodgiest friends, maybe hide some of the more obvious valuables in someone's bedroom, just to be safe.

Finally, and most importantly... enjoy yourself

 

 

This may come as an obvious but hostess stress is a regular symptom from trying to throw a good party. Don't get caught up in everyone having a good time, set a good vibe and go with it, if the host is having fun the guests will follow.