11 Oct 2018

It’s formal season baby! Time to whip out the Bondi Sands, that ridiculous dress you get to wear just once or your dad’s old grimy suit.

After the glitz and glamour of formal comes to a close, you can throw all the classiness out the window and have a formal after party- here’s some things to remember.

1. The venue is key

This is the hardest and one of the most important aspects of your afters.

Convincing someone’s parents to throw a shin dig with potentially the whole year is going to be tough but getting your pitch prepared early can help you get it over the line.

Offer your parents deals: let them bring their friends, tell them you’ll organise everything and remind them that all mess is able to be cleaned (unless someone does something stupid, like I don’t know…puts a hole in the wall but let’s not get into specifics).

2. The music can make or break your party

If you want your year group to be dancing for hours on end, you’ve got to make sure your playlist doesn’t mess it up for you.

Curate the playlist of your dreams, mixing old and new classics so there’s no boredom during the night.

Also, play those very nostalgic, sappy songs that’ll make your year cry! ‘Young Dumb and Broke’ and ‘Forever Young’ are bound to get people emotional–is it really a formal after party if you’re not crying your eyes out?

3. Be prepared for drinking games

Please, just please make sure you have some ping-pong balls and red solo cups handy. Do you really want to be that party host?

You can also check out some of our favourite drinking games.

4. Don’t starve your mates

You’re probably thinking, ‘ah the party will be super late, so everyone will have already eaten!’ but you’re underestimating the power of hunger when introduced to alcohol.

People will have drunk food cravings, so you’ve got to cater for that. Have some pizza handy, maybe some party pies or, worse comes to worst, have supplies to make the ultimate cheese toasties. But, get the bins ready, because…

5. People are going to vomit

This is going to be potentially the last high school celebration, so everyone (and their livers) are going to go all out. Throw your vomit fear out the window because you’ll probably going to be seeing a lot of it.

6. Stay semi-responsible

Sorry to sound like your mum, we know everyone is going to be wanting to have a crazy night (and it could be your last chance as a year group), but just make sure everyone is safe.

Have at least one deso hanging around (even if it’s your parents) don’t force someone to take another shot if they’ve already hurled their guts up twice and avoid deciding to go for random walks down the road and to the local park.

7. Remember to say goodbye the right way

After parties are always such a good time but you don’t want it ruined by getting too drunk or holding onto a high school grudge.

There’s a good chance you may not see these people for a while, so be nice to them! Tell them you love them! Make declarations of how much you’ll miss them! Boogie with them!

And send snapchats the next morning wondering how you’re all still alive. Fun.