Let's admit it—we're all sick of this social distancing and being stuck in quarantine life. We're even kind of bad at it (don't be bad at it—follow the rules). Memes everywhere lament thoughts like, "I'm a homebody but jeez, I did like going one or two places!"
We're finally realizing that social media just doesn't cut it. As humans, we crave connection, community, relationships. People are picking up their phones to call now, instead of text; they're prioritizing friendships and checking in on their parents or siblings.
It's a beautiful thing.
The following party ideas for adults will get you so excited to be on the other side of this mess and hanging with your friends and loved ones again. They'll give you something to look forward to, something to concentrate on besides how much you miss your buds.
Start planning now! Here are some of our favorite themes and ideas.
1. A DIY Cocktail Bar
Sometimes, planning the drink recipe can be one of the hardest parts of hosting a party. You have to consider everyone—the whiskey-neat drinkers, the fruity-sweet cocktail lovers, the beer connoisseurs.
Take the guesswork out of it and set up a DIY cocktail bar that allows everyone to make their own drink. This gives you less pressure and also allows everyone the fun of being a mixologist for the night.
Make sure your bar includes plenty of ice, garnishes, mixers, and glassware, as well as a decent variety of liquor. Keep an ice chest nearby stocked with a diversity of domestic and imported beer.
2. Host a Brunch (Including Bottomless Drinks)
Forget going out for brunch on Sunday mornings. Bring brunch to your house!
Make big batches of eggs, bacon, toast, fresh fruit, and allow everyone to put together their plates. Put out coffee, fresh-squeezed OJ with champagne, or maybe even a Bloody Mary bar.
Let your friends make their own plates, then everyone can sit down and munch over bottomless drinks.
3. A Self-Care, Spa Day
Who says you have to pay an arm and a leg to have a self-care day? Host your own spa get-together and swap out the high price tags for fun DIY time with your girlfriends.
Pedicures that normally cost $55? Not welcome here!
$130 facials? No thanks!
Grab all the spa essentials and set up an area of your home for everyone to relax. Tell your friends to wear comfy lounge clothes, put out a pitcher of cucumber water (and maybe some bottles of white wine), plenty of polishes, and have everyone do their own nails.
4. Keep It Active on Sports Day
Who misses team sports from our youth?
Sports don't have to be just for the kids—in fact, many of your friends are probably pretty competitive. Host an active day outdoors and play some games like soccer, football, volleyball, or frisbee. Make sure there's plenty of Gatorade and orange slices for snacks.
Up the ante in creative ways, like making the losers cook the hotdogs after. Winners get to take a shot of their desired alcohol.
5. Hold a BBQ Luau (The Ultimate Combo)
Who says you have to host a plain-old backyard BBQ? Or a luau by itself? Why not combine the two themes into one awesome outdoor party?
If you have a pool, even better. If not, maybe you can host the party at your apartment's clubhouse or at a friend or family member who's willing to share their space.
Provide plenty of island-inspired food, leis and straw skirts, and of course, Mai Tais.
6. Try New Wine Night
BYOB (bottle), wine edition!
Have all your friends bring over their favorite bottle of wine and host a wine tasting. As the host of the party, supply the glasses but allow your friends to bring over their favorite glasses if they'd like.
You can fill condiment bottles with water and rinse out the glasses before every new bottle gets popped.
7. Time for a Clothing Swap
If you have a bunch of clothes you're ready to donate, chances are, your friends do too.
This time, maybe you can hold a clothing swap with all your friends instead. One person's trash is another's treasure!
8. BYOT (Toppings): Pizza Party Edition
Pizza is so well-loved and so easy to prepare too.
Simply set out flatbreads and all the appropriate pizza toppings. Tell your friends to bring their favorite toppings too (don't want anyone feeling left out!). Have the oven preheated and place everyone's pizza in as they're ready to munch.
Bonus points if you have a kegerator with draft beer on tap.
9. See Who's Competitive at Game Night
We're not talking about playing shock roulette (although, that's fun too!), but board games or card games and the like.
Don't limit the night to one game—have a variety of them set up in various places around the house, and people can play their favorites.
There's plenty of options, like Cards Against Humanity, rummy, Scattergories, Jenga, and beer pong. You can even tell attendees to bring games with them, and play whatever the group consensus agrees upon.
Form teams and make it ultra-competitive by seeing who has the most wins at the end.
10. Trivia at Home
Do you and your friends love to go to the local bar every Thursday for trivia night?
Why not bring trivia to your house and host it there?
You can even theme the trivia if you'd like—the '90s, Star Wars, Friends, whatever—and check out trivia questions online (trust us, there's plenty).
Form teams of two or more and have someone volunteer to be the emcee.
11. Get Outside With a Scavenger Hunt
Who says you only have to party inside?
Take the party outside with an exciting scavenger hunt and watch all your friends and family turn into kids again.
Hide clues around your home, neighborhood, and surrounding area. Make maps, offer small prizes, and of course, a reward for the winner. Not only is the scavenger hunt fun to plan and implement, but it'll be a memorable experience for all your attendees.
12. Have a Themed Party
Everyone loves a themed party.
It gives attendees boundaries to dress up within and gives the host of the party (you) an easy list of themed items to buy—cups, plates, decorations, and music.
Consider various themes, like the '80s, black-and-white, Great Gatsby, and Arabian nights. Party themes are as endless as you are creative! Heck, if you're a bookworm, you can even make it Harry Potter-themed (or the like).
Have fun with it!
13. Bring the Theater to Your Home
If you have a projector, all the better. Host a backyard movie-watching night set up with blankets, string lights, and plenty of popcorn.
If you don't have a projector, don't fret. Make your couch and chairs cozy and comfortable, dim the lights, and turn the sound up.
Watch a new release that no one has seen yet and enjoy it together for the first time. Or make it a classic movie night and put on hits like Casablanca.
14. Taco and Nacho Bar (Don't Forget the Margs)
DIY bars are great—particularly when there's food involved.
Taco bars are especially fantastic because they're easy to put together. All you need is every topping imaginable, and let your friends and family do the rest. Have cheese, jalapenos, onions, lettuce, guac, salsa—you name it!—and plenty of tortillas (hard and soft) and bottles of various hot sauces.
If you have the oven preheated, you can even turn tacos into nachos, and stick the creations in the oven for 5-10 minutes to melt into gooey goodness.
And of course, have a pitcher of margaritas on hand, complete with a plate of salt and a ramekin full of limes.
15. Belt It Out at a Karaoke Party
Karaoke is super easy to plan.
All you need is a karaoke box and a corner of a room to set up stage-style. Voila!
16. Get Creative With Arts and Crafts
Okay, so maybe not all your friends are ultra-competitive. Maybe you're an artist surrounded by creative people. This is the perfect recipe for an arts and crafts night!
Perhaps you can converse with friends ahead of time and see which crafts they'd like to do most. Maybe you have an embroidery night, or you all work on individual scrapbooks. You can even host your own paint-and-sip night, and set up canvases on easels (accompanied by the drink of their choice).
Try These Epic Party Ideas for Adults
Are you excited yet?
Reading these party ideas for adults gives you something fun, exciting, and carefree to look forward to. Soon enough, we'll be celebrating life, love, friendship, and community again, and it's going to be amazing. If you're like us, we just can't wait!
Shop our party supplies, whether it's festive decorations or party games. We've got all the novelty you need to step up your game on your post-distancing party.
