Clean cups stacked sad and lonely. Wide open spaces with reverberating music. This can’t be the party you envisioned. How did this happen? Everyone told you they were coming. Yeesh, this should not happen.

Let’s examine a party that did work and some of its supporting aspects. The party I attended last Friday in downtown DC had many of the special items neccessary for a “good party.” By good party, I mean, being somewhere else never crosses your mind.

Enthusiasm and excitement are the absolutely indispensible items for a “good party.” Even if you hate yourself, everyone there, and the beer you are drinking, but can convince everyone you are excited, the party is very likely to be a success. This may have something to do with why you hear about cocaine at parties.

The right amount of booze comes right after enthusiasm. Also, do not be too particular about the booze itself. Thinking aout who brought which bottle of wine and why will only bring down your party buzz. It’s best to just have twice as much as you think you might possibly need. If you can get one really drunk, loud and friendly person, this also helps create the desired party vibe.
The element of surprise. Ahh, that certain something that sets this party apart. “Remember the time we all jumped in the fountain?” “Remember that time the racoon/bat/cop got in the house?” The something special can be as simple as changing the venue (outside/inside) or as complicated as a VIP section, which is pretty much guaranteed to make your party ten times cooler. However, having a VIP section necessitates bouncers, which can be costly but will also add an air of mystique. Mystique and money.

To recap, you need ENTHUSIASM, lots of booze, and some surprises. That is, something that will cause the attendee to point and say, “Whoa, cool. An outdoor projection of performance art.” Or, “Hey, a wall for spray paint.” Work with people’s creativity. Not everyone is there to get completely drunk, and we aim to respect that. Right? Of course! But make sure to have enough beer, just in case.