Party Totally Explained

A party is a social gathering for celebration and recreation. While parties are related to and often form part of religious, cultural, and seasonal festivals, the term "party" usually denotes a smaller, personal gathering.

Types of parties

Birthday party

A birthday party is a celebration that occurs to celebrate the birth of the person honored. Birthday parties are celebrated in many cultures. While a child's party is usually at home and consists of soft drinks and sweet food as well as savory, adults' birthday parties in Western countries often take place in bars or nightclubs where a range of alcoholic beverages are consumed.
   In Western cultures, particularly in the United States, birthday parties are often accompanied by colorful decorations such as streamers and balloons. A birthday cake is often served with candles that are to be blown out after a "birthday wish" has been made. While the birthday cake is brought to the table, the song Happy Birthday to You is sung. Wealthy people or celebrities may hire an event management agency or a party service to organize a birthday party. See also: Surprise party
Housewarming party
A housewarming party is held when a person, couple, or family moves into a new house or apartment. It is an occasion for the hosts to present their new home to their friends, and for friends to gather, socialize, and enjoy refreshments such as alcoholic drinks and snack foods. In some cases, the friends and family members who are invited may bring gifts for the new home. Housewarming parties are generally informal, and there are usually no planned activities besides a tour of the new house.
Dinner party
A dinner party is a formal social gathering at which people eat dinner together, usually in the host's own home. At the least formal dinner parties, a buffet of food is provided on a table or counter, and the guests choose items from the buffet and eat standing up as they talk and mingle. At the most formal dinner parties, dinner is served at a dining table with place settings. Dinner parties are sometimes preceded by a cocktail party, a social gathering in a living room or bar where guests drink alcoholic cocktails as they mingle. Women guests may wear cocktail dresses. Cocktail parties are often held as a prelude to a dinner party.
Potluck dinner party
On less formal occasions, when a club or community gathers and includes a shared dinner, the organizer may invite participants to bring drinks, appetizers, main and side dishes, and even desserts. This is called a "potluck" dinner.

Office party
Office parties are social events held by corporations or businesses at the site of the business or in a restaurant or bar. These celebrations can coincide with seasonal holidays (for example, Christmas) or an important date for the company. Office parties are held because they give employees a chance to interact in a less formal atmosphere, which can boost the morale of the employees. (External Link).
Block Party
A "Block Party" is a social event where of which a group of residents in the same area decide to throw a party at the same time, usually during the early evening hours. During such an event, partygoers are free to pass from house to house, socializing and often consuming alcohol.
Parties for teens and young adults
Several types of parties that are mainly held by teens and young adults are house parties, dance parties, and outdoor parties. In the United States and the United Kingdom the term house party refers to a type of party where large groups of people get together at a private house, to socialize and consume alcoholic beverages. House parties which center around the consumption of beer which is pumped from a keg into plastic cups are called keg parties (or "Keggers"). These parties are popular in the US amongst college students, but are technically illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to attend, and often, even older party-goers run afoul of the law for violating ordinances regulating noise and disorderly conduct Dance parties are gatherings in bars or community centers where the guests dance to pop and dance music such as house music or techno. The music for dance parties is usually selected and played by a DJ over a PA system or a powerful stereo system. Conversation isn't an integral part of these parties as those who attend express themselves through their dancing and by gesturing.A spinoff of the standard dance party, the rave involves dancing to loud house music or techno music played by a DJ over a PA system. Rave parties can involve a few hundred people in a club, thousands of dancers in a large warehouse, or in huge rave parties, such as the Berlin Love Parade over a hundred thousand partygoers. Outdoor parties include bush parties and beach parties. Bush parties are a social event held in a secluded area of forest (or "bush") in which friends gather to drink beer and liquor and talk. These parties are often held around a bonfire to provide a source of light and warmth. Bush parties are widely associated with underage drinking . A beach party is usually held on a sandy shoreline of a lake, river, or sea, and the gathering often centers around a bonfire.
   A "crush party" is a party in a sorority or fraternity where sisters or brothers get a certain number of invitations (supposedly their "crushes") to give out to their friends who are not in their house to give to the "crushes" and they get invited without knowing who invited them. There can be some sort of revealing at the party where the guests find out who has a crush on them.
   A "date party" in a sorority or fraternity is typically like a semi-formal where the sisters or brothers can do something different than the typical dinner and dance formal thing.
   See also: sex party
Cast party
A cast party is a celebration following the last performance of a theatrical event, such as an opera, musical, or play. It may also take place following the end of shooting for a motion picture, where it's also known as a wrap party, or following the final episode of a television series for the season. The party is often exclusive to the performers and crew members, with a smaller number of guests who didn't themselves participate in the performance. Cast parties are traditional for almost all acted performances, including amateur events such as high school plays.
Pre-Party
A "pre-party", also known as "Pre-Gaming" or "Pre-Funking", is an informal name for a party held prior to main events including: school dances, weddings, birthday parties, raves, or bar/bat mitzvahs. These are usually short and sometimes involve guests getting ready (putting on makeup, clothes, etc.) for the main event. After a pre-party, the guests usually leave at the same time to arrive at the main event together. Often, "pre-gaming" includes drinking alcohol before the party so one is "buzzed" before the actual party.
After Party
An "after-party" is the informal name for a cast party, used in the professional music performance community. After parties are usually coordinated by the performers, and invitations are very selective. Only the performers, crew members and a small number of outside friends are invited. The sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live has a cast party after the taping of every episode.
   After-parties can also be held after school dances, bar/bat mitzvahs, weddings, and other large parties. However, only a few select close friends of the host would be invited to the after party instead of all the people who were invited to the primary event.
   The term is now used to advertise a club's affiliation with an event, in the hopes that people will go to the club afterwards to continue partying after the primary event is over. In smaller shows, these "after-parties" hosted by clubs will also attract the performers who may be on tour and thus not have a place to host a party.
Recovery Party
A "recovery party" is a separate party held after a dance party. It is often held at a separate venue during the day or the evening after the main party. Many people don't use it as an opportunity to recover, but rather to continue partying.
Traditional parties
Traditional parties such as the English tea party or the modern cocktail party, are social gatherings within a fairly formal, or at least stylized, atmosphere. These parties often have roots in tradition which can be regional, cultural, or specific to a single family. Religious celebrations like that accompanying the Jewish Brit milah and the coming of age celebration of Bar and Bat Mitzvahs are usually accompanied by a traditional party.
Marriage-related parties

Bachelor party (UK: Stag Night, Australia: Bucks Night)
Bachelorette party (UK: Hen Night)

Holiday-related parties
Iran
Norouz Australia
Australia Day BBQ/parties United States
4th of July parties
Kwanzaa parties
Halloween parties
Super Bowl parties Canada
Canada Day parties Internationally celebrated parties
New Years Parties
Halloween parties
Cinco De Mayo
Candle Night Christian
Christmas parties
Easter gatherings
Mardi Gras Parties
Saint Patrick's Day parties Islam
Eid ul-Fitr celebrations Jewish
Passover celebrations
Hanukah parties
Purim parties
General celebratory parties
Parties may be thrown to celebrate personal events, such as:
Passing an examination
Success in sport or business
Getting a (better) job
Being released from hospital
Being released from jail
Graduation from a school
Fund raising Party
These parties are focused around the act of rising money for a person or institution, often used to raise money for political campaigns, schools, businesses, and charities. These parties are usually formal in nature, consisting of a dinner followed by speeches or presentations extolling the thing being fund raised for.
Parties focused on a specific interest

Costume or fancy dress party � This is an offshoot of the classic masquerade ball, where the costumes of the participants provide the theme of the event. Costume parties can be designated with a specific type of costume to be worn for example horror, fantasy, anime, or dress from a certain era or culture much like the toga party.

Game party � A game party is a social gathering where games are played. Bridge parties where the card game of bridge is played and various party games like Spin the bottle and Truth or Dare are common.

LAN party � A party that involves multi-player computer games using a Local Area Network

Pharm party � Are controversial events where young adults bring different types of Prescription drugs and over-the-counter medication to a location wherein they're distributed in various ways. This is obviously a dangerous activity because certain combinations of prescription drugs can cause serious injury or death when taken simultaneously. Further danger exists when alcoholic beverages are thrown in the mix. Despite the media attention there are currently no statistics regarding these parties.

Coke party � A party where the primary inebriant featured at the party is cocaine. This is often a euphemism cocaine users use to describe shared drug use.

Pool party � An event where the main action of the party involves swimming, and any other entertainment which can involve a swimming pool. These parties more often than not occur during the summer warm months. Games that will occur at a pool party are Marco Polo (game), Pool Volleyball, Chicken (game), etc.

Political houseparty � A party is hosted in a private home for the purpose of supporting a particular candidate, political party, or ballot measure, or to share information and opinions about an upcoming election.

Toga Party � a party in which all participants dress up in Greek-style robes with holly on their heads, and generally get very drunk. This theme was popularized by the movie Animal House.

Tupperware Party � a party in which the central activity is to purchase product, in this case Tupperware, normally after it's demonstrated at the party. This name has come to stand for any type of party in which the hostess holds the gathering with the purpose of selling something. Common examples include clothing, decoration, and makeup products, such as Avon, Be-line, Home Interior and Mary Kay parties.

Types of partiers

Party crasher

VIP

Party pooper (opposite; the anti-partier)

External results

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