Planning a party usually takes a little while. You come up with the idea about 12 weeks ahead of the date to give guests plenty of time to RSVP, as well as give yourself time to curate a menu, decor style, and entertainment schedule everyone is going to love. Simple enough, right?
But what happens when plans go awry and you need to suddenly bring the date forward for your child’s birthday party? Or if you need to throw a surprise party for a friend that you may have forgotten about until now? Plans can change and we all forget the details sometimes, but now you’ve got less than 48 hours to put a party together and make everyone smile on the big day!
Can you do it? We say yes, and even that you can do it in style. It’s why we’ve made a list of ideas you might want to use – with these, your last minute party can be super fun, even if it’s a bit stressful!
Knock Up Invitations Online and Message Them Out
If everyone who’s coming along to the party, or who’s bringing their child along for the day, is friends with you on Facebook or Instagram, use these platforms to get the word out! If not, whip up an invitation using an online maker and then either text it or email it.
The entire process will only take you 10 minutes max. Once this is done, you can move on with peace of mind that everyone knows what’s going on and use the rest of your time wisely!
Don’t Overthink the Food Options
If the party is in the morning and it’s about 7pm right now, you don’t have a lot of time to cook! Which means you shouldn’t overthink the food options; keep them simple yet tasty. Look up sharing recipes, like this recipe for crack dip, and then hit the store first thing in the morning to buy ready-made dipping foods to use it with.
You probably already have the ingredients in the cupboard to knock up some baked goods, like brownies and cakes, which are also super easy to make. Get on that! Then send out some texts to see if there are any food intolerances amongst the guests, and if so, ask them to bring food of their own to add to the table. You’ll do your best to keep things edible for everyone, but you’ve got little time to manage it!
Buy Only the Decor Basics: Balloons, Streamers, Banners
You don’t have time to go all over town looking for the niche, outlandish, or unusual decorations right now. That means you’ve got to stick to the basics – don’t worry, they do most of the heavy lifting in any party, no matter how it’s been decorated!
While you’re out buying easy to prepare finger foods, make sure you surf the party aisle as well. Don’t take long, grab three or four packs, and then get back home.
Find a Pre-Made Playlist
No longer do we have to spend hours trying to track down a DJ last minute, or even put together a mixtape that’s been strongly curated in advance. These days we have platforms like Spotify where other people have done all the hard work for you.
Whatever kind of party you’re hosting at the last minute, you can tap it into the search bar and find a playlist that’s already captured the vibe perfectly. If you’ve only got a couple hours left before people start turning up, this is something you can do last minute without a problem.
Stick to Old Favorites for Games
This is the final thing to decide on. Musical chairs, pass the parcel, pin the tail on the donkey, hit the pinata – these are all fun party games for kids. For adults, activities like drinking and card games, or dance battles or karaoke competitions, or even a messy game of Twister, are all going to be popular hits. None of these options are going to be boring either – there’s a reason they’re well relied upon classics in the party scene!
A last minute party is a big stressor! Coordinating with guests, other parents, and setting up a prime party place is a lot to get done in a matter of hours! But no matter the time you’ve got left on the party clock, you can set up a few things to make it a fun ‘do for anyone who’s coming along.
