Humans are celebratory beings.
We are always looking for a reason to surround ourselves with people, throw a party, and entertain our loved ones. And with the holidays so far in the distance, it would be nice to look forward to a special day. But let’s remember that there are plenty of events coming our way. The 95th Academy Awards is one of them! From seeing the beautiful gowns on the red carpet to getting to see our favorite public figures receive their awards, it has celebration written all over it – even from the comfort of our own homes. Doesn’t that sound exciting? There’s so much to do for this event, including a party! So, here are five tips for throwing a fabulous, show-stopping, award-winning, and simple Oscars party.
1. Oscar Games.
You can base an entire Oscar party around one thing: games. Prediction games for who will win each category are a classic and thrilling way to get people involved. You can find printables online that list each category and the nominees that belong to it, and hand them out at the start of the party. You can, then, ask each guest to fill out their predictions, whether they’ve seen the movies or not. This automatically gives each participant a stake in the game. The “Who Am I Game” is a low-cost way to get the party started. Write the names of each nominee or movie down on sticky notes and stick each one on the backs of the party people. The idea is that they ask each other “yes or no” questions to to guess which celebrity they are. This is also a great way to break the ice at the start of the party!
2. The Menu.
Yes, you’re officially hosting a party, so you have to keep everyone happy. Your guests will be expecting that you will have food and beverage of some kind. So, our advice is: Keep it simple. Make sure you give yourself permission to enjoy the Academy Award show just like everyone else. You don’t want to find yourself alone in the kitchen while everyone is surrounding the TV! To simplify your evening, make it a one cocktail menu. Give the drink a movie-related name, or better yet, make it BYOB! Following the film theme, you can create an array of fancy popcorn too. Movie theater popcorn, kettle corn, chocolate drizzled popcorn, truffle popcorn, there’s so many to choose from. This is simple and on theme, and that is always appreciated. However, if you want to get fancy with your menu, there are hundreds of movie themed recipes to try as well.
3. Decorations.
Two Words… foil streamers. These are the sparkly door decorations that are commonly used on New Year’s Eve and other partying holidays. They do a lot for the space if you have a few of them around. Banners will also do the trick and fill the space quickly. If you’re having a hard time finding Oscars-related sayings on the banners at the last minute, just buy individual gold letters. You can use these letters to spell out Hollywood-esque sayings and quotes like, “YOU’RE A STAR” or “THEY REALLY LIKE ME” (from Sally Field’s famous acceptance speech). You’d be surprised how little decorations you need to make the space feel festive.
Here’s to an eventful night!
Love Always,
The Balancing Act