How to Throw a Virtual Party for Your Friends

With no cure for the coronavirus on the horizon, we enter yet another month of social distancing measures. However, just because there is a pandemic out there, that doesn’t mean that we have to stop living our lives. Yes, there are some changes that have to be incorporated into daily life, but, by now, most of us have learned to be flexible and adapt to the situation. If you’re looking for fun or are not sure how to host your next celebration, why not throw a virtual party. As we are unable to gather in the usual manner that we are used to (home parties or restaurants), there are still some ways that we can have fun with our loved ones and friends. Keep reading for some helpful tips on how to best organize your next virtual party.

Determine the Theme/Purpose of the Party

First of all, you need to know why you are throwing this party. Is it someone’s birthday? Is this going to be a surprise? Are you celebrating a birth, a wedding or a promotion? Is this a work party, perhaps? Or, is it a casual hangout between friends who haven’t seen each other in a long while? Whatever the case, you need to know what the party is for in order to know how to proceed and how to cater to the event.

Decide on the Number of Guests

The next step is determining the number of guests. How many people do you plan on inviting? Keep in mind that it will be hard for multiple conversations to be held at the same time. For an intimate conversation, inviting six to ten people is probably the best. However, if it’s a children’s birthday party, they might want to invite 20 of their friends. This is also possible but prepare for chaos. Make sure to keep in mind hosting etiquette, specifically ensuring to introduce and welcome party ‘attendees’ as they log on.

Choose the Right Platform

Once you know how many people you plan on inviting, you need to find the best platform where you can host your party. Luckily, these days video call platform options are endless, importantly, there are an abundant amount of “free” solutions. For example, Google Hangouts aka Google Meet can accommodate up to twenty-five guests, while you can invite up to fifty people for free by using Facebook’s Group Video Chat or Skype. Zoom is also becoming increasingly popular despite being fairly new to the video calling platform.  Zoom allows you to invite up to a hundred guests, however, be mindful that it allows a maximum of 40 minutes free of charge, after which time you will be able to continue at a price or the conversation (party) will be terminated. You have to keep in mind that not all of the people you plan on inviting have these installed so pick the one that is the most accessible and the easiest to use for those that are not as tech-savvy.

Pick a Theme

Not every party needs a theme but if you feel like this particular party will benefit with an interesting theme, why not go for it? If the event has a specific purpose, use that to your advantage. On the other hand, if it is just a meeting among friends, you can spice it up by telling everyone to wear a costume or decorate their background. For example, you can make it formal and ask the guests to put on their best evening attire. On the other hand, you can pretend you’re going out and turn this virtual party into a real one by decorating your spaces like a nightclub. Don’t let the pandemic stop you from living out the Roaring 20s. Party themes are truly countless so take into account what you and your guests love and go off of that.

Think About Entertainment Options

Unless you’re throwing this party only to catch up, you will want to consider some form of entertainment. You can all watch a movie on Netflix if there is one you all wanted to see together, by simply installing the NetflixParty Chrome extension. However, if you are a crowd that prefers games, you can keep it simple by playing ‘Truth or Dare’ or ‘Never Have I Ever’. On the other hand, you can turn to the endless source of entertainment that is the internet. For example, you can play ‘Cards Against Humanity’ online as well as find a wide variety of games through guides such as CasinoTopsOnline. You can even meet online to do some DIYing together.

Get Food Delivered to Everyone

Finally, as you want this to feel like a real party, you want to provide everyone with food and drinks. If you live in the same city, you can simply order delivery for everyone so that you can all have the same meal. On the other hand, if your friends don’t live in the same place as you, you will have to do some research and organize for them to have the best food possible if you plan on this being a surprise. Of course, if you are all planning this together, everyone can order or prepare their own food.

Don’t forget to create and send out invites as well as occasionally remind people about the party by sending them reminders and funny gifs to hype up the event. Other than the previously mentioned steps, all that is left to do is have fun with your friends.