Apartment Entertaining: Hosting a Movie Night

Hosting an entertaining movie night involves more than just popping in the Blu-ray or DVD and passing around a bag of popcorn. If you want to host a memorable party, follow any of these tips for your next movie gathering:

Plan the Evening Around a Theme

Normal movie night gatherings can be rather boring. To make the occasion truly memorable, plan the night around a theme-preferably the theme of the movie(s) you plan to watch. If you’ve seen the movie before, think of some memorable scenes or iconic items associated with the film. For example, if you’re watching The Sex and the City movie with a few girlfriends, don’t forget the Cosmopolitans. You can’t watch The Big Lebowski with the guys without thinking of White Russians.

If you’ve never seen the movie before, plan your evening based on what you’ve heard about the films. For example, even if you don’t know much about Harry Potter, you know there will be plenty of magic in the films. Plan your drinks and decor around magic by serving witches’ brew (using green food dye to color drinks) and cakes or cupcakes decorated with spiders and wizard hats.

Choosing Refreshments

Before you work your movie night theme into the refreshment table, don’t forget the stapes of a great gathering, such as chips and salsa, cheese and crackers, veggies and dip, soda and/or alcohol. If the night is supposed to include dinner, order pizza, Asian food or chicken wings. You can even make something easy to make and serve in bulk, such as pasta. You don’t want to spend too much time preparing the food because the point of the evening is to relax, so not every item served has to match your theme.

However, don’t forget to include two or three dishes that match your theme or at least one large centerpiece that makes everyone smile and think of the evening’s theme. For example, if you’re watching Chocolat, hand out chocolate bars wrapped in ribbons to everyone attending or have a chocolate fondue station.

Change the Decor

Using your selected theme, decorate the area around the refreshment table and your entertainment center. If you’re watching Pleasantville, for example, decorate with black and white colors or in the kitschy 1950s style. You don’t have to spend a lot of time transforming your apartment; just a few splashes of color and an item or two that brings to mind the night’s theme are sure to entertain.

Wear Costumes

Extend the theme into your attire and ask all guests to dress up to fit the night’s theme. This will afford many opportunities for hilarious pictures to commemorate the movie night. Harry Potter makes an easy franchise to dress up for, as you can just put on a blanket or an old graduation gown to act as your cloak. Other fun styles to emulate include medieval or fantasy, like in The Lord of the Rings, Regency style to watch Jane Austen movies and superhero costumes for comic book movies. However, don’t pressure anyone who doesn’t want to participate, as some people can easily get embarrassed in costume. The aim is to have fun, after all!

Let inspiration lead the way for your next movie night. Design your evening around the movie(s) you’re watching and the preferences of your friends.