India is a cricket crazy country and World Cup 2015 is here! Indians reading this I know I don't need to tell you that, but you need to go on reading this post cause most of you do not know what it takes to throw a good World Cup party at home. Trust me, I am talking out of experience. There ae very few parties that I have attended that have been nicely planned. Very basic things get messed up is what I have seen, so here are some really simple and thoughtful tips that will help you throw some really good parties this World Cup!
1. Timing is everything
Since the World Cup this time is happening in Australia, the match start timings are ranging anywhere from IST 3:30 in the morning to 12 in the afternoon. The most ideal here would be a lunch party as it would be simplest to manage. Also weekends would be easier. So check the schedule and plan a party on such a day that everything falls together and so does a match between 2 countries that everyone will enjoy!
2. Location within the house
Knowing which area you are going throw the party will make a lot of planning very easy. So decide whether its going to be in front of the TV or the garden or the patio. This will help you understand the number of people you can invite, decorations, what kind of food arrangements, seating arrangements and a lot more.
3. Budget
Once you have decided the timing and area, you will know what scale you can have the party on and then will need to take a call on the budget so that accordingly you can start to factor in on the costs. A little alteration here and there is ok but there should always be a general idea in your mind of your spending. You can also work the other way around and plan the budget first and then the location and accordingly other things. It depends on the kind of party you have in mind. Some people do not have any budget in mind and are game to spend whatever it takes.
4. Send out the invites
There are various ways these days to invite people for a party. You can call, you can email, you can whatsapp and you can also create an event on facebook! Make sure to send out directions to your house too incase a lot of people don't know your place. You do not want everybody calling you on the day of the party while you are busy with preparations.
5. Decorations and Gifts
Thankfully when it comes to cricket, everyone will be mostly supporting India, and so you can decorate with balloons and decorations in the country flag colour or the team jersey colour. Get jerseys for everyone if you want. You could also customize the jerseys with everyone's names and favourite number or birth date. You can keep whistles that everyone might wanna blow, pom poms or posters that everyone might wanna wave on a 4 or a 6.
6. Seating
If indoors and a small group, make sure there is enough place for everyone as you don't want to be falling over each other or dropping things on one another or looking to find yourself a seat. Get the extra chairs inside, cushions, carpets, mattresses and tables to seat people and keep all your drinks and food handy. If outside then you can spread the seating over a larger area or even make it a theatre kind of seating.
7. Drinks and Food
You can make it a BYOB(Bring-Your-Own-Booze) party if you have a lower budget or stock your bar after checking with your friends on what they would like to drink. Stock up on the sodas well. If the party is in the open you can have a barbecue. If the party is inside the house, buy some snacks like chips and nachos and circulate the packets, but for the main course, food is best ordered from outside. Keep it simple like
Pizzas or Chinese take away. Even children enjoy these. I am in fact going to be ordering from
foodpanda as they have a special scheme going on for 45 days through the World Cup, where you can get great savings from all the restaurants in your area right in one place, from the comfort of your house. Check it out here -
https://www.foodpanda.in/contents/cricbites.html
8. Take care
Make sure you don't keep things around that people can trip on. Keep the washrooms clean and keep checking on them so that no one is at inconvenience as most people will be rushing in and out not wanting to miss anything. Make arrangements for people to stay back in case they have a little too much to drink and the excitement gets to them. If there are children who may not want to watch the game, make sure to set up a play area for them or they will be interrupting your fun. Keep your dressing simple as well as request your guests to keep their dressing simple and comfortable which will allow you/them to sit up on the couch or down on the floor without thinking twice.
While parties can be made really extravagant, all these easy to follow tips will help you have a nice and perfectly great time while hosting a great World Cup party in the spirit of the game! Keep the support coming! Jeetega bhai Jeetega - India Jeetega! :)
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