02 Apr 2016

It’s that time of year again–Year 12 is in full swing and amongst the exams and assignments and shit tonne of stress eating, we have one saving grace: 18th season is here.

18ths are notoriously messy shindigs that involve embarrassing photographs and finding out just how much of a beating your liver can take. 

Unfortunately, what you should and shouldn’t do at your 18th is knowledge that comes with experience; a little problematic considering you only turn 18 once. Luckily, there are other people out there who’ve been through it all before, and can provide a little advice on how to host the most legendary 18th of all time. 

1. Dress code

One of the first decisions you’re going to have to make when planning your party is what kind of theme you want to have, if any. While a classic “dress nice” always works (boys, this does not mean board shorts–never board shorts), themes are trickier as you’ll always have a few people who will abstain from dressing up in true, party-pooping fashion.

If you want to go with a theme, try and make it creative, relatively broad and easy to achieve. The best dress-up parties are the ones you don’t need to buy anything for, so make sure your partygoers can create their look with items they already own. Allow them to get a little imaginative with their costume and don’t restrict their options too much; this way, they will hopefully be more inclined to put in the effort.

2. Invitations

While I am always a fan of a hard-copy invitation on nice, thick cardboard, the modern-day invite usually comes over Facebook. Always exercise caution when posting your event to Facebook. Even if you want to invite the whole grade, you should always make your event private. You can’t change the privacy of an event once it’s been created, so this is a must-do. There have been too many horrible stories about gate crashers and people getting hurt that it just isn’t worth publicising your party.

3. Food & drink

I know mini pies are the cheapest, easiest and, lets face it, most delicious party food to ever be created, but it’s always nice to see a bit of variety in the food options, beyond things wrapped in pastry (because 16 party pies and half a litre of goon never mixes well). Carrot/celery sticks with dip always does the trick and a bowl of guac is a constant crowd pleaser. Nachos is easy to whip up if you’re looking for larger dinner portions and pizza is perfect for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

In terms of drinks, just remember that it’s illegal for any adult to supply alcohol to an underage drinker without their parent’s permission, so avoid getting you or your parents in trouble if the coppas do get called round. As host, it’s your responsibility to provide every mixer under the sun, and plenty of it, so no one is forced to drink straight from the bottle. That’s when the ambulances start getting called. And always provide some alcohol-free options too, for the desos.

4. Music

Your music selection depends mainly on what kind of vibe you’re going for with your party. While it’s tempting to fill a playlist with music you love, make sure you also add in a few crowd pleasers that are sure to get everyone moving towards the dance floor. Yes, this may mean getting off your music high horse and playing some “mainstream hits”, but don’t worry, I promise you’ll survive these trying times.

If you’ve got a little bit of money to spend, a DJ and speaker system almost always ensures a solid couple hours of dancing. If you’re looking to do your music on the cheap, ask around your circle of friends to see who might be willing to lend you some high quality speakers, so you can keep those tunes pumping all night.

5. Speeches

One of the worst offences at most 18ths is saving the speeches until the end of the night. By this point, everyone is too drunk to form coherent sentences, and most will feature of the phrase “I just love you so much!” some fifty odd times. While often hilarious, they’re ironically not the most heartfelt of dedications.

If you’re planning on having speeches at your party, try and place them somewhere in the middle of the night. People will still be able to deliver their speeches as they originally intended, and listeners will be just tipsy enough to find them interesting. The perfect balance!

6.  Good times

Don’t stress too much about hosting. Accept the fact that there will be mess, things might get broken, and you will possibly have to sponge bright-blue vomit out of your mum’s new rug. Just enjoy your party for what it is–a damn good night! If you have invited the right people who care about you, then you wont have to worry about them doing anything to ruin your fun. Just sit back, relax and enjoy your first sips of (legal) alcohol. The night is yours!