How to Breathe Life Into a Boring Party

Last Updated: August 26, 2021

Despite our best efforts, some parties take a turn for the worst. A party where the guests are visibly bored or not having a good time are both awkward and uncomfortable. Luckily, simple fixes like changing the music and playing some games are easy ways to help you save any dying party.

Method 1

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Thinking Outside the Box

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Pick a theme. Throwing a theme party is a great way to liven things up from the get go! If you didn’t plan for this ahead, let your guests help pick a theme for the night. This is an easy way to get people talking and set a creative and fun atmosphere for your party.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Christina Millikin
Founder & CEO, Glow Events
Expert Interview. 11 February 2020.} Later on you can keep the fun going by holding a contest for best costume or most enthusiastic guest!
- Break out some extra sheets and turn your boring party into a toga party, or pull out Halloween decorations and turn the party into a costume party.
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Talk to everyone. If things are getting a little too quiet, it’s both polite and helpful to touch base with each of your guests. You can be the social mixer that gets everyone engaged in good conversation. Try to get different groups of people to talk to each other, the more intermingling between guests, the better the conversation flow tends to be.
- People love to talk about themselves. Try sparking conversations with questions like "How are things at work?" "Did you see the latest blockbuster?" Or "How did your vacation go, would you recommend the hotel you stayed in?"
- People also love talking about food. Try asking different groups of people things like "Where is the best pizza joint around here?" Or start a debate about the best restaurant to take a first date. Either way, things like this will definitely get people chatting.
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3
Tell jokes. Everyone enjoys a good laugh, quickly liven things up with a few tasteful jokes. Encourage your guests to chime in, or have a quick contest to see who can come up with the best wisecracks. With willing participants, you can even hold your very own roast session on someone. Someone with a great sense of humor can save any dull situation.
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Include the kids. If applicable, kids are natural born entertainers and can work wonders for a lull in party entertainment. If your party is turning into a gathering of awkward silences, divert everyone’s attention to the kids as they put on a play, sing, or dance for you.^{[2]
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Expert Source

Christina Millikin
Founder & CEO, Glow Events
Expert Interview. 11 February 2020.} Who can resist a youngster's rendition of the Frozen soundtrack?

Method 2

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Getting Your Guests to Socialize

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Play drinking games. If you’re hosting a party with alcoholic beverages, drinking games are a great way to break the silence and get people to interact with other guests. There are many kinds of games to choose from, or you can make up your own! Either way they are sure to break the ice and bring on the laughs.
- If no one at the party knows a game off hand, create your own by turning on a movie or TV show and taking a sip whenever the main character says a particular word. Or, designate a certain word or phrase commonly used to be off limits. Anyone who says the word or phrase has to take a sip.
- If you have a deck of cards the possibilities are endless. Try piling the cards face down in the middle of your guests to draw from. Have your guests help create a rule for each card. For instance, drawing a King means that person gets to decide how many sips the guest to their left has to take, drawing a 2 means the person who drew the card has take two sips, etc. Get creative with the rules and have fun!
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Pull out some board games. Games in general bring life to any dying party, you don’t have to have alcohol for a good game to shake things up! Go for unconventional methods of playing conventional games.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Christina Millikin
Founder & CEO, Glow Events
Expert Interview. 11 February 2020.} Or simply buy a fun game from the store, there are many affordable party games to choose from such as Pictionary, or Cards Against Humanity. Of course you can always have fun creating your own game together!^{[4]
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Research source}
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Change the music. Music sets the mood for everything! Finding the right kind of music can act as a shot of adrenaline for any flat-lining party. Pay attention to your guests, change up your playlist until they start to react. Some of your guests might even start to dance or sing along to a certain song or artist, that’s how you’ll know you’ve hit the right tunes to turn things around!
- If you've been playing your favorite country songs, try switching to pop or contemporary. If you're hosting an older crowd, rock or hits from the 80's might be a hit.
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Shake a leg. Once you know you’ve got the right music for your party, encourage your guests to get up and dance, this will help guests at a stuffy party loosen and really let their hair down. The easiest way to accomplish this is to be the first one on the dance floor!
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Put on a fashion show. Many people enjoy looking their best for any social gathering, chances are you've got some fashionistas in attendance. Try to spice up a drab party by having your guests put on a silly fashion show and strut their stuff down a makeshift runway, then vote for the best model. This will keep both participants and nonparticipants well entertained and makes for a great photo opportunity to look back on!
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Finish with a flourish. An impressive party is one that has a memorable conclusion. A warm goodbye and invitation to future events makes your guests feel welcome and sends them home feeling they had a great time, even if things needed some reviving along the way.
- A memorable farewell can be as simple as a toast to the end of the party, a warm hug goodbye, or sending everyone off with a small parting gift (a bottle of wine or a small bag of candy.)

Community Q&A

Question

What can I do if I'm at a party and I want to talk to somebody, but I'm too shy?

Community Answer

Just make eye contact, smile, and look for a good window into conversation. Ask them what they think of the food or the music, how they know the party's host, etc. Once you start talking, it will get easier.

Warnings

Not everyone will be comfortable with your sense of fun. If someone continuously insists on non-participation (even after repeated requests), leave them alone. They might spoil the fun for others or even feel insulted. After all, everyone of us has different ideas of fun.

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If alcohol is involved, make sure to monitor your guests consumption. You want everyone to have a good time, but only safely and in moderation. Try to curb anyone over indulging so that things don’t turn awkward or dangerous.

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