The Irish celebration of St. Patrick is coming up. For Irish-at-heart Americans, this means one thing: partying. St. Patrick’s Day is a day of celebration, drinking, and camaraderie, so a party makes the perfect compliment. If that’s your aim—to throw a party worthy of such a day—then you’re in the right place.
First Things First
The first thing you’ll need is a venue that can fit all your guests. Second, you’ll need to invite guests. After that, the set up begins. Music is always a must at a party. The combination of music and alcohol can be a social catalyst that silence and sobriety simply can’t compete with. Any docking station for your phone or iPod, a TV with casting capabilities (a SmartTV or one with ChromeCast), or any Bluetooth speaker setup is ideal. With the docking station and Bluetooth speaker, you’ll have to curate some sort of playlist before the party begins. If you opt to use a TV that can cast videos, however, anyone at the party with access to your Wi-Fi network can add a song to the queue and your guests can make a collaborative party playlist. This will take some pressure off of you and give you deniability if someone complains about a song.
Keep Everyone Refreshed
Next, you’ll need drinks—or at least some accommodations for drinks. You probably don't want to front the beer and booze for a party like this, but if it’s BYOB, you’ll still need a cooler and loads of ice. If that’s a no-go, clear some fridge space for your guests. You should be able to trust all of your buddies, but if it’s a party where your guests may not know each other, you could take an extra step here: a stack of sticky notes and a marker for labeling drinks next to the fridge might make some guests feel more secure leaving their precious drinks unattended. Oh, and since it’s St. Patty’s day, get a little green food coloring for everyone’s drinks!
Set the Scene
Now, with enough beer and music, your guests may not even notice that your place isn’t decorated, but decorations never hurt. While you should obviously be wearing green, remember that it’s St. Patty’s Day and you’re allowed to go totally overboard. Green beads and streamers for the walls, shamrock napkins for the table, even green lightbulbs in your fixtures—you can’t go wrong.
Feed the Masses
And finally, the hardest part: food. This is a totally optional move on your end, but to keep your guests as happy as humanly possible, you might want to provide some food for the party. There are tons of recipes out there if you prefer a traditional St. Patty’s day meal, but for a party, any food that’s got some green on it will do. An option that you can’t go wrong with: Pizza with green peppers. Yum.
Remember, these are just the basics, so go wild with it. We also reccomend having a drinking game to entertain your guests. How will you make your party stand apart?
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
