Spring always means one thing in Athens: lots and lots of parties. Students spend numerous hours attending house parties and celebrating the infamous Mill, Palmer, Oak and High fests. Theme parties are a creative way to add some spice to the usual college kegger.
Theme parties have been popular for years. Aside from the usual Halloween-, Christmas- or New Year's-themed bashes, college students and young adults tend to think outside the box when it comes to party planning.
Last weekend, senior history major Stuart Darfus and his friends threw a golf pros and tennis hoes party, requiring males to dress in their country club-best attire while females dressed in short tennis skirts. About 80 percent of the guests dressed as the theme, he said. Earlier this year, he threw a pimps and hoes party.
Last year, Darfus attended an '80s white trash party. His outfit included cutoff acid wash jeans, gray tube socks and Velcro 'roos sneakers.
Darfus enjoys theme parties because people are more likely to be more into it and have a good time
he said. He added that people also might do things they don't normally do.
For the spring, Darfus suggests a strippers and tippers party. Use your imagination for this theme, he said.
Natalie Damon, a junior public relations major, and her friends threw their first theme party, an ugly sweater party, in winter quarter.
I like the weird ones where you have to wear something crazy she said.
Damon told guests to go to a thrift store to buy an ugly sweater to wear to the party. Although the rules were very loose, many guests were excited to go to the thrift store to pick out an ugly sweater, Damon said. The beverage list at the ugly sweater party included not only the typical college staple of cheap beer, but Damon and her friends also made 500 Jell-O shots.
Damon also likes the idea of an alphabet soup party. At an alphabet soup party, guests are asked to wear a letter. Fun begins when people start mingling and making words with one another.
Junior acting major Kristy Miller attends about three theme parties a quarter. She and her friends threw a fashion faux pas party Winter Quarter. Guests thought of what fashion statements annoyed them and dressed in that fashion, she said. People dressed in numerous fashion faux pas, including popped collars, Ugg boots with everything and matching sweat pant suits.
Miller enjoys attending theme parties more than regular ones, she said. Her favorite theme is an '80s party, complete with big sweatshirts, huge hair and leg warmers.
It's a really fun opportunity for me as an acting major to be creative outside of class she said.
Michele Fox owns Center of Attention, a party planning agency in Burbank, Calif. Fox plans parties for Hollywood stars, MGM, MTV and more. She plans a lot of parties for Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, she said.
Fox has planned multi-million dollar parties such as the Osbournes' wedding vow renewals. She even planned their daughter Kelly's 17th birthday party, which was featured on an episode of the MTV show The Osbournes
in three days, she said.
Although she is used to planning parties with huge budgets, college students can achieve the same level of fun, she said. White trash parties, including wife beater tank tops, cutoff shorts and mangled hair, can be fast and easy to create. A '70s theme is also easy because hosts can provide cheap '70s snacks like Cheez Wiz and crackers, Fluff N' Nutter sandwiches (peanut butter cookies with marshmallow cream) and fried macaroni and cheese, she said.
You can do anything on a budget
Fox said. You can be creative
and it doesn't matter about the money.
Fox also suggests a paintball party, which she threw for the Osbournes. Guests dressed in denim, burlap cloth and camouflage.
She recently planned fashion issue kick-off event for LA Weekly, a Los Angeles guide to news and entertainment. Cupcakes placed to look like a catwalk and beauticians on hand to pamper guests added a glamorous couture touch to the party. The guest list included contestants from America's Next Top Model television show.
Miller prefers fun theme parties more than non-themed ones. It's more interesting
more so than going to a party and getting trashed
she said.
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