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Tips on hosting a house party

An initiative by the New South Wales Police,  was created to promote safer house parties.

While these tips are aimed at teenagers who have been allowed to host a house party, parents can take away ideas to ensure the night can be a smooth as possible – we’ve added some things you may want to consider, that we’ve learned through our experience, works well.

Visit the  NSW Police Party website.

When planning for a huge party or just chilling with some friends, the main objective is to create memories and have a great time. The last thing you need is to remember the broken plasma, the hole in the wall or the vomit stain on your carpet …

Some tips to having a great night…

Idiot-proof your house

Lock away items that can be broken or damaged like your TV or family heirlooms. Don’t forget about the things that can get stolen – personal electronics like your iPod, mobile phone, camera, laptop etc. These are all items that can easily walk out of your home when no one is watching.

You may want to consider having your event restricted to your backyard, thereby reducing your chances of your belongings being damaged/stolen.

If you hold an event in your backyard, you could hire a marquee for shade or in case it rains – and some smaller marquees can be purchased for about $100.

Food & Drink

You can’t have a party without having food & drinks! There are heaps of websites that can help you find great food and drink recipes. It doesn’t have to be complicated it just has to be available. Food is also seriously important if you are serving alcohol. Whilst food does not stop you or your guests from being intoxicated, it does slow down the rate that alcohol is absorbed into the system. So, be a good host and provide lots of food at different times during the night. Don’t forget to also provide non-alcoholic drinks too, not everyone wants to be intoxicated, and some may need to remain sober to drive your guests home.

Get the facts: Know the Law

More information: Underage Drinking Laws – Liquor & Gaming NSW

You may want to consider if you want to restrict the kinds of BYO drinks you have at your party – Some hosts opt to only allow beer and pre-mixed drinks, while not allowing bottles of spirits, such as Scotch or Vodka.

Be aware that many young persons now drink prior to attending and event that they expect not allow them to bring alcohol; this can sometimes mean that by an hour into your event, some persons may have ingested too much to handle, and may need a “chill-out zone” to recuperate. Often, it is better they get the alcohol out of their system, so it’s important to make this away from the party, and that there is plenty of water available to allow them to hydrate.

Gatecrasher-proof your house

Gatecrashers or unexpected guests disrupt you and your friends from having a great time, they eat all your food and finish all your drinks, they are also the biggest reason why you’ll call the police – to get rid of them.

If you can, have some kind of security at the door that can discourage gatecrashers. Sometimes it’s a good idea to hire professional security guards or organise responsible friends to be at the door to let only those invited in.

Anchor Security is experienced in providing such security guards; you can find out more about hiring private security for your event at our Private Party Security page,

Notify Police of your event

Notify the NSW Police of your event via the MyNite Website. If you’re running a party without Security and have heaps of people turn up and you don’t know what to do with them, they can help when things get out of control. The Police may also:

  • advise your neighbours that you have notified Police about your party and it will be over at a nominated time;
  • call you on the phone and inform you of complaints instead of turning up;
  • consider doing a drive by or walk through just to make sure things are alright;
  • help remove unwanted / unwelcome people;
  • help you if you need any other emergency service like the fire brigade or the ambulance.

Most of the time, police turn up because you will need them to, not because they want to shut down your party.

Transport

Think about how your friends are getting to and from the party or a night out. It makes sense that someone is the designated driver. Remember P plater drivers have a zero alcohol limit, that’s no alcohol at all.

And remember police now can randomly test drivers for all types of drugs.

You may be considering taking your friends out somewhere afterwards – if so, mass transport services, such as Maxi Taxis are a great idea!

In Case of an Emergency

In any medical emergency call an ambulance by dialling Triple Zero (000). If your friends have had too much to drink or have taken drugs and have passed out, this is a medical emergency and you should call Triple Zero (000).

The ambos are there to help, but you need to provide them with as much information as possible. You should tell them how much the person has drunk and/or the substances(s) that are affecting them. The ambulance officers do not have to call the police unless they are in danger themselves, someone dies, or there are other non-drug crimes such as violence or theft.

So there’s no reason not to call them if your friend drops.

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