HOLI PARTY THEME

 Derived from the Hindu “Festival of Color” also known as Holi, this party theme is best served outdoors, unless of course your landlord appreciates modern art.  Everybody loves graffiti parties, and everybody loves paint parties, it stands to reason that EVERYBODY will love a Holi Party.  Color in powder form…enough said. 

HOMELESS (DERELICT) PARTY THEME

 If there are two things that the Homeless party will not do…it is 1: make you Relax, or 2: make you Kill the Prime Rib of Micronesia. HOWEVER if you are interested in having an awesome crazy time, then it is the way to go. The Homeless party is one of the most fun parties to decorate and dress up for, and for this reason is a GREAT college party theme.  Plus, you feel like you are in the movie Zoolander, and it is certainly unusual, memorable, and easy to setup as far as college party themes go!

THE BLING BALL

 One of the many things people have in common with lesser species like birds and fish……we LOVE shiny things.  Play at this with your next party by throwing a Bling Ball.  When your guests all show up wearing faux (or perhaps not so faux) jewelry and shit is twinkling everywhere there is no way you won’t feel like a baller.  To quote Nas, “Fuck it, you gotta love it!”.

THE TOON-LAND PARTY THEME

 Everyone from our generation has watched Cartoons. That, or they are some kind of poor soul who was denied their childhood.  In any event, it is safe to say that everyone has at least heard of cartoons enough to google an iconic one to design a costume.  It is loads of fun to walk through a party and relive your Nickelodeon glory days with a room full of Arnolds, Chuckies, Rockos, and whoever elses.  Who knows, maybe you’ll even encounter a SpongeBob.

THE HAND-CUFF PARTY

 The handcuff party involves handcuffing a pair of opposite gender strangers at the beginning of the night, and forcing them to stay cuffed for the entirety of the party. They will spend the rest of the night laughing at each other’s failed pickup lines, playing opposite hand beer pong, and will likely form an unusually strong friendship or completely loathe each other by the end of the night.

THEME VS. THEME PARTIES

 Sometimes it works to just go with a generic party theme.  BUT, as long as you are going to stoop to that level, at least pit two themes against each other.  At the end of the night anybody dressed in the theme that has the majority gets a complimentary post-coitus champagne shower.  Andre though……not the good stuff.  A good host always keeps the Belle Epoque stashed in case P. Diddy shows up.

RUNNING OF THE BULLS PARTY THEME

 What people often fail to realize that a party is a living breathing organism.  Sometimes it can get up and move half-way across town, and though a rare sight, it is LIFE-CHANGING to behold.  Of the Party-Theme species, there is one more dynamic party sub-species indeed.  The Running of the Bulls Party.  This party theme often shifts to multiple locations with every cell (person) of the party moving as a cohesive unit.  Beautiful.

JETLAG PARTY THEME

The Jetlag Party is an amazing way to mix up the way you think about parties, socializing, and nightlife.  The BIGGEST problem with America is that most places, bars are not opened past 2am.  What the hell is the deal with that?  Everywhere else in the world, people realize that it is totally appropriate and awesome to party straight through to the morning.  The Jetlag party theme gives Americans the ability to party all night right into the morning, or maybe to get some extra studying done in the evening while still being able to rage for the night.  Click the link to find out more!

2012 CARRY OVER:

THE SHOTLUCK PARTY

The Shotluck Party is a wonderful eclectic mess of color, alcohol, and splendor.  That is it in a nutshell.  The idea is that, like a potluck, everyone conceptualize or find one type of mixed shot or drink, and brings the ingredients necessary to make it.  This party is an amazing source of DELICIOUS drinks, drunken debauchery, and excellent reason to break the ice and talk to ANYONE.  

SEE THE REST OF LAST YEAR’S BEST COLLEGE PARTY THEMES

The post The Best College Party Themes for 2013 appeared first on The Campus Companion Party Lab.

THE TOON-LAND PARTY THEME

 Everyone from our generation has watched Cartoons. That, or they are some kind of poor soul who was denied their childhood.  I know that personally, I calibrated my moral compass using the cartoons as my instruments.  Doug Funny taught me how to be a good person, and Tommy Pickles taught me creativity and divergent thinking.  In any event, it is safe to say that everyone has at least heard of cartoons enough to google an iconic one to design a costume.  It is loads of fun to walk through a party and relive your Nickelodeon glory days with a room full of Arnolds, Chuckies, Rockos, and whoever elses.  Who knows, maybe you’ll even encounter a SpongeBob.

IMPLEMENTATION

Alert your guests that this is a costumed party where guests are obligated to dress as a cartoon character.  It can be any cartoon character, OR if you would like to give additional complexity you could specify what type.  For example, you could limit your guests to cartoon characters from the 90s, or perhaps limit them to a network such as Nickelodeon or Disney Channel.  Ultimately, the possibilities are endless.

DRINK IDEAS

Make Nickelodeon “Slime”….Mix Orange Juice, your choice of liquor (be it rum, vodka, tequila or otherwise), and add Blue Curacao and more Orange Juice to achieve the proper classic green color.  (This concoction is also great for cauldrons during halloween).

COSTUME IDEAS

• Arnold
• Gerald
• Tommy Pickles (Super Easy)
• Chucky Finster
• Phil or Lil 
• Angelica (or Cynthia)
• Doug Funny
• Patty Mayonnaise 
• Roger Clutz
• Skeeter
• Porkchop
• Norm or Daggot from Angry Beavers
• Rocko or Heff 
• Scooby
• Shaggy
• Freddy
• Daphne
• Velma
• Catdog
• Timmy Turner
• Wanda or Cosmo
• KimPossible
• RonStoppable
• Aang, Sokka, or Kitara from Avatar
• Patrick Star
• Sandy
• Spongebob
• Squidward
• Larry the Lobster
• Mr. Crabs
• Bart Simpson
• Homer Simpson
• Marge Simpson
• Lisa Simpson
• Ralph from the Simpsons
• Peter Griffin or other Family Guy Characters
• Huey, Riley, or Grandad Freeman from The Boondocks
• Uncle Ruckus….no relation
• Gin Rummy or Ed Wuncler III
• THE CLASSICS: Micky, Minny, Donald Duck or Goofy
• SO MANY MORE

The post The Toon-Land Party Theme appeared first on The Campus Companion Party Lab.

We’ve Arrived….It’s 3am….Let’s Party

JETLAG PARTY THEME

The Jetlag Party Theme is one that few college partiers ever consider an option, and the reason for this is that in the wrong environment it can quickly elicit a noise complaint.  However, in the right environment it takes partying to a completely different place.  The idea is that timing can make all the difference in the world, and can in and of itself make a theme.  Instead of throwing your party starting at 10pm as per every college party / night out ever, throw it just before dawn.  Think 4:30am and let it carry through the sunrise.  What makes it amazing is that the atmosphere changes completely, the champions of the night who have been out since 10pm the day before will still be going hard, and those who vied to attend will have undoubtedly gotten their weekend’s homework done, taken a nap, and will be fresh and ready to tear up the ENTIRE next day.  

IMPLEMENTATION

To implement a Jetlag party, it is best to make sure in advance that as many people know about it and have committed as possible.  It is funny how often people claim to go hard, and then don’t show when the crack of dawn slides around.  Additionally, another fun way to spice the party up is to make it a “Continental Breakfast Party.” ….

CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST:

Whenever I used to throw a Jetlag party it would help keep people awake, energized, and moderately less drunk to provide food to nibble on.

Some of my favorites are:

• Fresh Fruit (Oranges, Grapefruits, Melons of All kinds, Grapes etc.)
• Bacon / Prosciutto 
• Waffles (Eggos or Otherwise)
• Fried Chicken (Chicken & Waffles…DUH!?)
• Cereal 
• Toast (Butter, Jam, Lemon Curd…any kind of bread accoutrement)

MORNING CORDIALS (DRINKS):

• Mimosas
• Bloody Marys
• Malibu & Pineapple
• Screw Drivers
• Tequila Sunrises
• Morning Glory Fizz

DECORATIONS

There is no real need to do any decoration for a Jetlag Party, but a fun way to spice things up and add to the idea of travel, jetlag, and airplanes is to supply ample amounts of nip sized liquors.  Little mini-bottles of vodka, scotch and whatever else floating around makes it a LOT more fun.

The post The Jetlag Party Theme appeared first on The Campus Companion Party Lab.

I am not somebody that typically enjoys playing beer-pong.  As the administrator of the Party-Lab and a four time party gold-medalist, obviously I have had considerable experience playing the game, but in spite of this I have just never held the reverence and supreme love for the game that my peers all seem to share.

For me the issue has always derived from the fact that I enjoyed hosting outrageously large schindigs, and when you have limited space but lots of guests a beer pong table isn’t always the best use of space, especially where that space could be used for the good old fashioned bump and grind…..that “oh so loved” precursor to well, you know what.

However in light of recent experience, I think I may have amended my opinion …

THE TABLE 

The spark to my new opinion was ignited by the fine people over at BJ’s Beer Pong. They, in a gesture of peace and good business, decided to send us a table to test out (which we will ultimately raffle off – stay tuned for our giveaway!).   Damn decent of them if I may say so myself.

When first playing on BJ’s custom table my thoughts and feelings were reminiscent of a certain rich Russian Guy with a tiny pet giraffe featured in those DirecTV commercials. I couldn’t help but think smugly to myself: “Opulence. I has it.”

Gone are the days of playing pong on a rickety table that crowds my venue and reduces the enjoyability of the party for the rest of the guests who don’t care to play.  There is a distinct prestige that comes when playing on a table with your own custom graphics. This would be enough to make BJ’s table worthwhile, but that brings me to my next point: The game play.

GAMEPLAY

Despite my laissez-faire attitude toward the game itself, you do not reach my level of party-planning expertise without having played a few thousand rounds. In my experience, the average table at a college party is either too small, too low, too high, and/or has unpredictable bounce properties. But a custom table will rise above these issues due to the consistency of craftsmanship found in the table BJ’s sent us. Your game will be more consistent, meaning good players will perform better and bad players will suck less.

THE POINT THAT ULTIMATELY SOLD THE PARTY LAB

Finally, there is one point above all others that sold us over here at TCC. In a word – compaction. A long time ago, before TCC was as established as it is now, I had written a post questioning whether beer pong was really suitable for a full-on party setting (25+ guests). My ultimate conclusion was that size and space mattered. Beer pong tables were typically larger than necessary and often took valuable space away from the guests who weren’t playing. Thus, my verdict was nay – nix the table and spare the space. But with the table from BJ’s, size and space are no longer an issue.

Their table is compact yet tournament, and is certainly not small. It just isn’t wider than it needs to be. Plus, there are in fact three distinct sizes – compact, Pro, and Commercial…but when choosing a table to test we happened to go Pro…who wouldn’t? Ultimately, the size actually enhances the game play as players are not constantly acquiring balls back because the table is so wide that the balls ALWAYS roll back.

TO CONCLUDE

BJ’s tables are available at a range of prices and levels of customization that are finished by hand right here in the US. We at TCC believe they are a worthwhile investment for any individual who frequently entertains. The quality stands up where the graphics are concerned – the printed vinyl won’t get ruined by beer spilling on it at the height of the game (which is more than we can say for other tables we have played on), and when you get to pick design your own table you party will be the one most talked about the morning after…..as long as you actually manage to create a good design for yourself!

I’ll leave you with a quote from Ferris Bueller, someone who I think has inspired many individuals of our generation to strive for more when it comes to fun and shenanigans:

“It’s so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.”

So maybe he was talking about a Ferrari, but the quote still applies.

FLIP-BOOK

The post To Buy or Not to Buy: A Professionally Made Beer Pong Table appeared first on The Campus Companion Party Lab.

If there are two things that the Homeless party will not do…it is 1: make you Relax, or 2:  make you Kill the Prime Rib of Micronesia.  HOWEVER if you are interested in having an awesome crazy time, then it is the way to go.  The Homeless party is one of the most fun parties to decorate and dress up for, and for this reason is a GREAT college party theme.

IMPLEMENTATION

Once upon a time, there was a movie called The Night at The Roxbury, now…the long hilarious story in short hand: the Butabi brothers had a dream of a nightclub that was the club on the outside and looked like the street on the inside.  YOU MUST MAKE THIS HAPPEN.  Design your house to look like a street.  Perhaps acquire some street signs (legally), stop lights, paint your floor with a double yellow line in clear highlighter paint that only shows up in black light.  There are millions of decoration ideas.  

Next, you must invite and inform your guests that they are coming to a homeless party and that they must dress like homeless people.  Preferable sexy homeless people (trust me, it’s possible…where there’s a will there’s a way).  Tell them to “Think Derelict from Zoolander.”  In fact….just tell them to go ahead and watch that for inspiration.  

Finally you must supply an abundance of the right drinks, and right drink accouterments.

DECORATIONS

Aside from the aforementioned signs, streetlamps, and double yellow lines…also try:

• Boxes…and big ones….LOTS AND LOTS OF THEM
• Street Lamps
• Neon Lights (like you might see in the window of the store across from the bench you like to sleep on)
• Benches
• Foliage (think shrubs and trees)
• Car Parts?
• Big black plastic trash-bags stuffed with crumbled newspaper  (You know? to put next to the boxes!)
• Street Construction type stuff….like traffic cones (again…also acquire legally)

COSTUMES

• Ratty T-Shirts
• Strange beat-up hats or sweaters
• Trench Coats
• gloves with the fingers cut
• Obscure stylistic elements:
  • suspenders
  • top hats
  • feather boas
• Clothes that are too lose or too tight
• Clearly outdated items…i.e T-shirts with slogans from the 80s

DRINKS

The Drinks themselves don’t matter…..really you can have anything as long as you supply 100s of Brown Paper Bags in which you can put your drink.  GOTTA BROWN BAG at a homeless party.

• Malt Liquor works best
• Smaller bottles such as 350ML flask type bottles add to the party
• Beer
• Wine
• Liquor

The post The Homeless Party Theme appeared first on The Campus Companion Party Lab.

For those unfamiliar, Bubble Tea or “Boba” Tea is a delightful beverage that has its origins in the Eastern world.  It is usually some combination or tea, fruit juice, or milk infused tea with tapioca pearls in the bottom of the cup that are sucked up with a larger than ordinary straw.  You may remember these straws from our post on how to make your jello shots WAY BETTER by making them already in these straws.  Alcoholic Bubble Tea gives you a new reason to stock up.

The people who brought you Rummy Bears, Rummy Cokes, and Pudding Shots are Back.  The following are instructions on how to infuse your Boba pearls with alcohol to make Alcoholic Bubble Tea.

Infusing the Pearls

For ordinary pearls you would boil water and add the tapioca pearls and boil for as much as 25 minutes depending on the size.  Here is what you will do:

Step 1: Read your Tapioca Pearl packaging, for whatever time it suggests cut it in half or a third.

Step 2: Cook your Tapioca for either half or a third of the time in Boiling Water

Step 3: Choose what alcohol you would like to infuse.  Soak the Pearls in this alcohol overnight, or until they have grown more tender

I would suggest something strong, but mixed with something flavorful.  (Try something like strong rum and mint schnapps to soak your pearls…then add them to lime juice, simple syrup, and club soda for Mojito Bubble Tea!)

Alcoholic Bubble Tea Flavor Combos

• Dark Rum Soaked Pearls + Rum +Orgeat Syrup +Triple Sec+Lime Juice + A Splash of Grenadine =  MaiTai Boba
• Rum+Mint Schnapps Soaked Pearls + Rum + Lime Juice+Mint + Simple Syrup + Club Soda = Mojito Boba
• Malibu Soaked Pearls + Malibu Rum + Pineapple Juice
• Whiskey Soaked Pearls + Amaretto + Sour Mix = Amaretto Sour Boba
• Vodka Soaked Pearls + Kahlua + Vodka +Milk or Cream = White Russian Boba
• Vodka Soaked Pearls + Vodka +Milk Tea Mix = Alcoholic Regular Boba

The post How to Make Alcoholic Bubble Tea (Infused Pearls) appeared first on The Campus Companion Party Lab.

AUTUMN THEMED

PUMPKIN PUNCH

 A little bit cider, a little bit ginger; this punch is certain to quench your thirst and tantalize your taste buds.  Plus, what better way to Halloween-up your party than to serve punch out of a pumpkin.  Click the heading to check out the full recipe and for a set of instructions on how to prepare it.

PUMPKIN PIE MARTINI

 Pumpkin Pie Martinis may not be served out of a pumpkin like pumpkin punch, but it DOES taste exactly like pumpkin pie!  What could be better than that.  Click on the link for the recipe and instructions AND a great variation to make it even cooler!

BUTTER BEER (YES, THE STUFF FROM HARRY POTTER)

 Butter Beer is REAL.  Yeah, you may not be able to boogie off to Hogsmeade for a day of wizardly shenanigans, but call your house “The Three Broomsticks,” and you can pour yourself a pint of that belly-warming butter beer.  Check out the recipe and instructions by clicking the heading link.

THE THANKSTINI (THE OFFICIAL DRINK OF THANKSGIVING)

 So it may be early, but who cares.  Novelty drinks are always FUN.  Thanksgiving is often viewed as a lesser holiday bested by seemingly more important ones like Christmas, Hanukkah, Halloween and more.  BUT, it is one of the few with a newly OFFICIAL drink, created by Barney Stinson in the hit CBS series “How I Met Your Mother“.

SPOOKY HALLOWEEN THEMED

Spooky cocktails are a lot of fun to accentuate a party with, and another great way to add flare to your cocktails is to include pieces of dry ice that guests can put in their cups to give the illusion of boiling concoctions.

VAMPIRE BITE

 Looks like blood, but definitely tastes a LOT better.  For those who love a cocktail, the Vampire Bite is perfect.  Hit the link for the mixing instructions.

WITHE’S BREW JUNGLE JUICE

 It’s almost October, which means it’s time to start preparing for Halloween. And what better way to do that than to make Halloween Jungle Juice, or Witches Brew’. There are a couple different things going on here that aren’t normally in Jungle Juice, like brown sugar, nutmeg, and orange peels. These ingredients will give your potion a distinctly Halloween feel that will be perfect for any college party celebration. 

FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER

 Its green, it’s fruity, and it hates fire.  Okay, so maybe it doesn’t hate fire, but it is at least the same color as Frankenstein’s Monster, and it tastes great.  Give it a try and you will see!  Check the link for the details.

ALICE IN NIGHTMARELAND

Alice in Nightmareland is a drink sure to lead you down a rabbit hole of your own.  It will be one of your greatest Halloween adventures…..IF you can remember it the next morning that is!  Check the link for details.

DEMON’S BREATH

Demon’s Breath is a Halloween drink that is certain to give you a kick, a kiss, and a bite.  Bear that in mind.  Click the heading for some details.

The post Best Halloween Drinks and Concoctions for 2012 appeared first on The Campus Companion Party Lab.

INTRO TO HOLI FESTIVAL

In India, the Holi Festival is celebrated at the end of Winter or beginning of Spring in order to usher in the new season.  The colors in Holi Powder are meant to be appreciated in a way similar to one appreciating the return of color and life that occurs in Spring.  Mythologically, Holi varies by region, but themes that are somewhat constant are love and passion, and common motifs are fire, rebirth, color, and vitality.  Seems appropriate for College, right?

IMPLEMENTATION

To best celebrate Holi, there are a few parameters.  One, the party should be outdoors, two it should be the start of Spring (for religious sensitivity sake),  and three guests should wear clothes they aren’t worried about dying, usually old white t-shirts work well.

Clothing

• cheap white clothes
• bandana or cloth to cover mouth (so you don’t breathe in too much color powder)

Color Powder

Purchase Holi Powder from a local World Market or Online.

People can then take handfuls of this powder and throw it.  

You can also use food dyes and scented oils to color and fragrance water, and encourage people to bring water guns

Fire

Another important element of Holi is fire.  For this reason and can be a good way to give people a place to sit down and relax by provinding seating around a fire pit/chiminea/bowl.

DRINKS

The best drinks for Holi are those that can be consumer rapidly preceding the introduction of colored powder to your beverage, or that are protected.

These include:

• Shots
• Closeable Coffee Mugs
• Camel Baks
• & Sippy Cups (of course)

MUSIC

• Panjabi MC - Mundian Tu Bach Ke
• Panjabi MC – Jogi
• Dr. Zeus

Let me say that I in no way mean to discount the significance or importance of what is a religious holiday for Hindus, by using their traditions for the entertainment of the college community.  Instead, please think of this theme idea as an homage to the mythology, significance and celebration of Holi as it pertains to college and parties.  It is pushes cultural awareness!  Both Holi and college parties are festivals that deal with love, passion, and are celebrated in a way that reduces the significance of social status and norms in favor of joyful elation instead.

The post Holi Festival Party Theme appeared first on The Campus Companion Party Lab.

Some of last January’s Winners

Last January TCC published an article entitled “20 Best Tumblr Party Blogs to Follow” and brought these blogs to the forefront of partydom  everywhere.  They garnered follows, and we finally had a list of the best places for images, tips, and party ideas.

This fall we are preparing a new list because, as we all know blogs change, get neglected, and sometimes just disappear altogether.  It’s high time we re-evaluate the Tumblr party-blog greats.

To be considered for our list refer to the following criteria and rules.

Make a Post including the following:

• This Link: The Campus Companion Party Lab
• The Phrase: “The Campus Companion Party Lab is searching for the 20 Best Tumblr Party Blogs, reblog this to help (your blog name here) join the ranks.
• The Tag “Campus Companion Party Lab”

The post Are You the Best Tumblr Party Blog? appeared first on The Campus Companion Party Lab.

To quote the ever popular Trick Daddy:

Tuck tuck that ice in, you ain’t, you ain’t iced out. Tuck tuck that ice in, I shine like a lighthouse.

 I value this quote because Daddy’s words cut straight to two simple truths.

1. People love anything shiny that they can wear on their bodies….especially those that sparkle, glint, shimmer, twinkle, or of course bling.  
2. We love to be competitive in our conspicuous consumption and display of our shiny, twinkly, glinty, sparkly, and blingy items.

Pair these truths with the fact that party goers love novelty and free things and you have yourself a recipe for one EXCELLENT party theme.  Thus, the Bling Ball is born.

IMPLEMENTATION

The purpose of the Bling Ball is to provide enough fake jewelry for everyone to get “Iced Out.”  In order to do this, you actually need surprisingly less bank roll than you might assume.  Cheap bulk lots of costume jewelry and fake crystal jewelry can be bought online for less than a pretty penny on most occasions.  BUT nevertheless, the theme itself can rack up some expense with bigger parties, so make sure you have the budget, or possibly consider going BYOB.

So…to start:

Step 1: Buy the bling.  Try completing searches on sites like eBay such as “Wholesale Lot Costume Jewelry,” “Wholesale Crystal Rings,” “Wholesale crystal watches,” “Wholesale crystal bling.”  The queries are infinite especially where you can interchange crystal with rhinestones and other phrases.  

You Can also Try this eBay Store: http://stores.ebay.com/so-high-Jewelry-2011

OR YOU CAN BUY THESE……BLING….CANDY…..WHAT’S NOT TOO LIKE.

Step 2: Lay out the bling all around your house almost like it is a jewelry store.

Step 3: Inform all of your guests that you are throwing a “Bling Ball.”  If you like, you can come up with a dress-code, otherwise just let your guests know that they should don as much gaudy and overstated jewelry as possible.  Make sure to also let them know that you will have some on hand in case they are lacking.

Step 4:  Ascend to Bling Status…then ball.

 BLING-MOSPHERE TWEAKS

For this type of party, you definitely need a bit more light.  Without the light, your ice won’t shine….and that we cannot have.  Keep the light present, but still a bit dimmed, and try accenting with other color lights like blue, or maybe black light.  Another good way to accent the theme is to make it a Color Party where everyone must wear white.  For some reason this really brings out the sparkle.  Plus it just makes everyone look so fresh and so clean.

THEME PAIRS

• Color Parties (Especially White, and Black)
• Glitter Parties
• Anything But Cups Party (Sometimes people bring chalices)
• Hip Hop Gs and Rock n Roll Groupies

DRINKS

There are a few different types of drinks that pair well with the Bling Ball, and they all share something in common.  They are carbonated.  Sparkling drinks for sparkling ballers.  Champagne, Gin and Tonic, Aurora, and many many others are always a good option.  

OR, if you have the bank roll you can buy alcohols that come in crystla and rhinestone encrusted bottles…See our Post on World’s Most Expensive Alcohols.

GALLERY 

All images in this gallery are affordable on eBay (except the alcohols).  Click the image to see the title with price info.

AGAIN…..BUY RING POPS

The post The Bling Ball appeared first on The Campus Companion Party Lab.