The "Unknown Host" ...a party idea for an older child
Mar 26 '00
If you are the parent of an older child, I’m sure you share my dread of coming up with fresh ideas each year to celebrate your child’s birthday. The old standards of pool parties, skating parties, and a general “get-together” are fine, but for at least one party in your child’s life, try something totally different!
This idea was done by a friend of mine for her daughter’s 18th birthday. We all love surprises, no matter what our age, and her friends loved the suspense of the unknown as much as the actual party itself. We call this party the “Unknown Host” party. The premise of this party is that the guest receives an invitation asking them to assume a role, complete with costume. They have to be at a designated pick-up point and will be picked by the host (who is not named)and then taken to the party. There is much preparation that must be done ahead of time for this type of party. The secret to its success is the suspense, participation, and preparation for the invited guests. Here is a guide of how the party works.
1. Three weeks before the date you have selected for the party, make a guest list. For each guest, you have to think up something that interests or defines them, and this will become their “role”. For example, my son plays trumpet, so next to his name would be listed “plays trumpet”. If you can’t think of something for everyone, don’t worry...you will have roles that can be generic so that anyone can fill them.
2. Once you have the list completed, you can print your invitations. You will have the same basic information for each guest, however the “role” for each one will be different. For instance, the basic information will state that they have been invited to an “Unknown Host” party, on May 1st. Josh’s invitation stated that in order for him to be “picked up” to attend the party, he had to be standing in front of the high school at 5 pm, in his band uniform and had to be heard playing the school song on his trumpet. Each guest will be asked to assume a role, and be at a designated place at a certain time.
3. The invitations are sent with a PO box as the RSVP reply. Our experience was that once the invitations were received, the guests were all excited and there was a “buzz” among those invited. Who was behind this? What do you have to do? The kids had so much fun before the party comparing what their role would be and discussing how they would prepare for it. (I should state here that the host did call the parents ahead of time and informed them of the party. We're all concerned about the saftey of our children so she thought it was important that the parents know who was throwing the party. I might add that all of the parents thought it was a great idea and asked to drop by and see all of the guests in their costumes.)
4. For the day of the party, line up enough transportation so that you can pick up 4 or 5 teens in each van. This gives them a chance to be in on the fun of seeing their friends fulfilling their various roles. Also, you don’t want the kids to have to stand in their designated places for too long so be sure to be on time in picking them up.
5. After each guest is picked up, they are taken to the site of the party. Parents also stopped by and see all of the teens as a group….and it was quite a site to see! Be sure to take a group picture!
6. After pictures were taken and costumes were compared, the teens did shed as much of the costumes as they could for dancing, and a few games that we had planned. Also make sure you have lots of FOOD!
7. Ideas for roles:
*Dress as a gardner and stand in front of a gardening store
*A football player standing in front of the stadium (you can also do a cheerleader, baseball player, basketball player)
*One of the funniest was the girl who dressed as an actress and was standing in front of the movie theatre. She did a Gloria Swanson costume.
*Nurse or doctor standing in front of the hospital.
8. Other Info:
Our party was held on a Sunday evening so that most of the pickup points were closed.
When selecting roles for the guests, make sure it will be one that will interest them and be fun so that they will want to participate. Excitement is infectious, and half of the fun of this party is the anticipation leading up to the actual party.
I've also seen this done as an adult party, with the costumes being more on the adult side....
I realize that this type of a party may not be for everyone. I live in a small town so planning something like this was not a problem. In fact, we soon saw others doing the exact type of party for their teens, and there were even a few adult parties. Whenever we see someone in costume standing in front of a business, looking as though they are waiting for a ride, we know there is another party in town!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
willowbear
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Member: Julia
Reviews written: 54
Trusted by: 289 members
About Me:
To love what you do and feel it matters...how could anything be more fun?
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.