Throw Your Own Week 5 Party

“You’re bored of bopping and swapping.” TALIA RICHARD-CARVAJAL brings you party suggestions, complete with playlists, The Only Way Is Essex, cocktails and costumes.

Bop College Drinking drinking society Lion King party Porter Safari Sex Swap Swinging Talia Richard-Carvajal The Only Way is Essex Traffic Lights

You’re bored of bopping and swapping. You can no longer stay up all night drinking port from your Union mug and ‘just chatting’ with your staircase.  So, “How do we karate chop our midterm blues?”  Well, if things are becoming a little stagnant, shake ‘em up.

1.    IF YOU DIDNT GET NO FRESHER LOVIN’

You grab coffee in the buttery together; you even stayed up watching the whole first series of Black Books last night, butyour favourite hot fresher friend is definitely “in a relationship” on Facebook. Is it real? There is only one way to find out. Throw a Traffic Light Party. Everyone must wear a red, green or yellow sticker (a pack of 80 can be purchased cheaply from WH Smith). Red: you’re in a relationship and you’re staying there. Green: I’m single, take me now. And my favourite category, Yellow: I’m seeing someone, but I could be convinced otherwise…

If you hold it on a staircase then ‘when the lights change’ (every 3rd song) move to a different landing and find someone new. The same effect can be created on corridors by simply moving to a different section of the corridor. For the drinks, you’ll need red, green and yellow cocktails. Obviously.

1.    Vodka-cranberry for the Reds. Sainsbury’s currently has 4 litres of cranberry juice (light as well as regular) for £3.95. Deal.
2.    Appletinis for the Greens. One part vodka to either one part apple schnapps or, if you are keeping the costs down, mix your vodka with two parts cider or apple juice.  Shake with ice.
3.    Yellow Birds for the Yellows. Bacardi with pineapple or orange and if you’re feeling a little crazy throw in some crème de bananes, which is French for banana cream. I now see why we don’t translate that.

Playlist for the evening:

– Stop in the name of Love – Diana Ross and the Supremes
– Green Light – Roll Deep
– Mellow Yellow – Donovan

Remember: make sure you invite your whole staircase to avoid a nasty visit from the porter.

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2.    I’M IN A SMALL COLLEGE, GET ME OUT OF HERE!

If you want to get to know some people out of college, but you hate trying to do it in the sweaty, sweaty corridor of Life, throw a Safari Dinner Party. It is a great way to get to know people. Possibly in the biblical sense.

Meet drunk, confused, and embarrassed: just how you want your guests to end up

Think foody pub crawl: 3 rooms, 3 colleges, 3 courses. Dress up as safari explorers or other jungle dwellers and then enjoy a fast-paced, roving dinner party. Select three colleges that are relatively close together, then serve starters at the first, a main course at the second and…you get the idea. Not only does this mean that everyone shares the responsibility of cooking, but you get to sit next to a different person at each course and you get to cycle in a tiger costume. Men’s tiger onesies are currently on sale at Primark for £10. At the end of the evening, you’ll be shattered from all that exercise, so how about snuggle down with your new friends for a viewing of The Jungle Book.

Playlist for the evening:

– Welcome to the Jungle – Guns ‘n’ Roses
– We Are Adventurers – Be Your Own Pet
– The Lion Sleeps Tonight – Elton John

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3.    IF YOU’RE HOMESICK, IT’S THE ONLY WAY

If I meet another person who tells me that The Only Way Is Essex I will have to politely remind them that being on TV does not make you cool. See Embarrassing Bodies. Are you from Cornwall and miss a good pasty? Are you from Durham and don’t understand why people laugh at the pronoun: ‘yous’?

Gather together people from your region and throw a The Only Way Is…[insert county here] Party. It’s a party, it’s a competition, it’s time to prove that the only way is not Essex, but…Northumberland.

Decorate each room with pictures of things from home, offer foods and drink typical of your area and basically prove to all them haters that yours is the best part of the country.

Playlist for the evening:

– London Calling – The Clash
– Hometown Glory – Adele
– Combine Harvester – The Wurzels

So go, party, enjoy, and send me an invite.