Organizing Party and planning

Party is a gathering of people in the company of food and fun activities. It encourages socializing and interactions among people. Traditionally Indian families celebrate such gatherings with formal sit down lunch or dinners. The concept of organizing get together became a trend with the advent of birthday celebrations. This for most was limited to the annual birthday celebration of the kid(s) or typical New Year celebration.

Over the past decade or little more, the partying scene has taken fancy of many and is often looked upon as a chance to unwind and relax in the company of friends. The event management companies that are blooming in every corner are only a good reason for people to opt for more celebrations.

The mid-size parties or events that consist of guests in the range of 15-25 are the ones where we can invest our skills of being a party organizer. These size parties or events are organized at home or terrace or in garden.
Although food dominates the minds of most attending the parties, we also need to take into account the other factors that go along to make it a memorable one.


Offlate, theme based parties are becoming popular even in India. Initially it was only the cake and decor that took care of the theme. Now we can also include the party favors, dishes, cutleries, home decor, games and also the food as per the theme.


Before finalizing the theme and food we need to identify the category of the event.

Broadly, I classify the parties in 3 categories for planning purpose

Type	Invitee Group	Time	Occasion	Theme
Category A	Primarily Kids with elders and close family member. Fun group with hyper energy and enthususiam	Late afternoon to evening 16:00 PM to 20:00	Birthday or kids related traditional parties	Cartoon based, sports, princess, cars, beach, garden etc
Category B	Grown ups, Elders, kids, friends , family, traditional and culture focussed group	Lunch 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM	House warming, Grih Pravesh, Satyanarayan, Diwali, Ganpati	Usually taken care by the reason or occasion. One can make it special by asking invitees to dress up in traditional attires or invite them to help in decorations etc
Category C	Grown ups, non family exposed to international cuisine, Formal groups	Late evenings to mid night 7:00 PM to past mid-night till you push people out	Formal dinner parties for spouse's office colleagues, Friends from College, Celebrations of special events with friends like promotion party, birthdays, Anniversary	Tux and Gowns, Mexican, Italian, Chinese, Red and White, Black and Blue etc

Each kind of party can be planned smoothly and enjoyed even by the host. There are some common areas and some specific for each kind of party. 

Check the posts below to get some help to host your parties,


Planning and Shopping for the party 


Pantry Staples and Make Ahead preparations


Category A - Sample Menu, theme and ideas


Category B -Sample Menu, theme and ideas 


Category C -Sample Menu, theme and ideas 


Recovering from Party Hangover and leftovers