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3 Easy Steps to Hosting an Award-Winning Oscar Party

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.

It’s that time of year again: Oscars time. And it is the perfect excuse for a party! But how can you make your party stand out and be memorable on the rather minimal budget of us Collegiettes? Don’t worry, it’s easy. Just follow these three simple steps:

1. Give Your Party A Theme

Giving a party a theme automatically takes it up on the party scale. It allows for better decoration ideas, more interested guests, and an overall more put-together feel. You could theme your party after one of the films that has been nominated. For example, this year you could make it a “Party at Gatsby’s” to go along with the film The Great Gatsby.

Or you could even just make it a “Night at the Oscars” or “Red Carpet” themed party. Just use a lot of black, silver, and gold or put a red carpet throughout the venue.

It also helps inspire awesome invitation ideas.

2. Guest Participation

This is a super important part of throwing a party, especially an Oscar Party. There are so many fun things that you can do. And the more interactive your party is, the less likely that your guests will be bored and looking at the clock every few minutes.

Here are some great ideas to add to your party…

Make your own ballots: We do this every year at the party we throw at my house. We pass around lists of all the awards and who is nominated for which. The guests must fill out who they think will win each award before the actual ceremony begins. In the end, the person who got the most correct wins a prize. But don’t worry, it can be just something cheap and funny. We usually give out a bobble head, but you could give out a movie poster or something else as well (they’re only $8 at Newbury Comics).

Have them dress up: Having your guests dress according to the theme is a great way to add more fun to the night. Who doesn’t love a costume party?

 
Have a themed pot-luck: This is what my father is doing for his party this year. He asked all his guests to bring a “movie-themed” food item. There were no other rules other than that so we are all excited to see what people are bringing and how they are going to interpret this request. Plus, it’s less that you will have to provide and thus, another budget-friendly idea.
 
 
Pinterest has tons of ideas!
 
3. Decorations

Decorations are the most important part of any party, especially an Oscar party. Don’t be afraid to overdo it. The more the merrier and the more you have, the more filled up your venue will look, whether it be your house, dorm or a rented space. Again, Pinterest is the perfect place for decoration ideas. It also is chock-full of DIY ideas that can help keep everything within the rather low-budget of us hard-working Collegiettes.

 
So now that you’re ready, it’s time to start planning your party so that you’re prepared for one of the most celebrated nights in the film industry.
 
Photo Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

 

Hi! My name is Amanda Keohane. I am a Freshman here at Umass and I am majoring in Journalism, English and Communications. I am minoring in French and I am in the Film Certificate Program as well. In addition to working for Her Campus, I am also the lighting director for a television show called "Code of Conduct" with UVC-19 here on campus.
Contributors from the University of Massachusetts Amherst