The 83rd annual Academy Awards will be held on February 27th. What better way to celebrate the cinematic glitz and glamour than with an awards-themed party of your own? Besides, awards shows are much more fun when watched with friends, so check out our guide to hosting the ultimate Oscar party.
Invitations
Make your list of invitees and get your invites sent out at least two weeks prior to the awards ceremony. Giving people enough time to RSVP means more people will be free for the festivities. Opt for a paperless invitations to save on postage, and save a tree (or two). Evite.com has several Oscar-themed options to choose from.
Food
Rather than a sit-down dinner, offer small plates and appetizers throughout the night so guests can nosh while they watch. Movie treats like small containers of popcorn are a must, and think about putting together a DIY candy bar. Hit your local bulk food store to stock up on your favourite sweet treats, put them in plastic bowls and supply scoops and cellophane bags for guests to pick and mix themselves. You can also serve bite-size snacks and other tasty, handheld appetizers.
Drinks
Since everyone will be occupied watching the awards, think about serving a signature drink rather than having to deal with mixing multiple drinks from a fully-stocked bar. Opt for something with sparkle like champagne cocktails or something inspired by the movies like a Black Swan cocktail. Provide ingredients and the recipe so guests can mix drinks themselves.
Ballots
Sure, the awards are the main focus, but no Oscar party is complete without ballots. The nominations will be announced on January 25th so once you know who’s up for an award, create a simple ballot sheet in your word processing program and print off enough for each guest. Have everyone come at least an hour before the show starts to make their picks for who will take home a statue. Have a small prize on hand [i.e. movie passes] for the person who picks the most winners.
Decor
It’s an Oscar party so think glitz, glamour and sparkle. Head to your nearest party supply store for gold streamers, balloons and confetti. Fill shallow bowls with water and floating gold and silver candles and cut out cardboard stars to hang from doorways. It’s also a fun idea to offer gift bags to guests as a parting surprise. Present a tray stacked with gold bags filled with small goodies (chocolates, miniature skincare products, etc.) on the hall table for guests to grab as they leave.
Extras
Snap photos of guests as they make their grand entrance and then leave your camera somewhere accessible so guests can take “paparazzi” shots of each other throughout the evening. Upload the best pictures to an online album or your Facebook account to revisit the awards show fun later. Think about other awards-themed activities like Oscar trivia or Oscar speech competitions. If you can find cheap replicas of Oscar statuettes at a party supply store, have those on hand for trivia and best speech winners.
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