Party facts for kids

Hip, Hip, Hurrah! (1888) by Peder Severin Krøyer, showing artists having a party in 19th century Denmark

A September 1945 street party in Selborne Road, Kent, celebrating victory in the Second World War

A party is a fun gathering where people are invited by a host. They come together to socialize, talk, play games, or celebrate a special event. Parties usually have yummy food and drinks. Often, there's also music and dancing or other fun activities.

What is a Party?
Different Kinds of Parties
Parties on Special Days Around the World
Parties Linked to Religious Events
Famous Parties and Festivals
Other Types of Parties
Gallery
Related Pages
Images for kids
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What is a Party?

Some parties are held to celebrate a special person, day, or event. For example, there are birthday parties or St. Patrick’s Day parties. These types of parties are often called celebrations.

A party doesn't always have to be private. Public parties can happen in restaurants, pubs, or nightclubs. Sometimes, people pay a small fee to get into these public parties. Big parties in public streets might celebrate huge events like Mardi Gras or the end of a long war.

Different Kinds of Parties

Birthday Parties: Celebrating Your Special Day

A birthday cake with lit candles, ready for a wish!

Children having fun at a birthday party.

A birthday party celebrates the day someone was born. This tradition became popular in the mid-1900s. Now, birthday parties are a common way to celebrate in many cultures around the world.

In many Western countries, birthday parties have special traditions. Guests often bring a gift for the person celebrating. Party places are decorated with colorful things like balloons and streamers. A birthday cake is usually served with lit candles. The person celebrating makes a wish and blows out the candles. They get the first piece of cake. While the cake comes out, everyone sings "Happy Birthday to You".

At kids' parties, the birthday person opens their gifts. It's also common for the host to give small "goodie bags" to the guests as they leave. Sometimes, kids and even adults wear fun cone-shaped party hats.

Some birthday parties are extra special when someone reaches a big age. For example, a sweet sixteen party in North America or a quinceañera in Latin America celebrate becoming a young adult.

Surprise Parties: A Fun Secret!

A surprise party is a party that the special guest doesn't know about beforehand. It's a secret!

Most surprise parties are for birthdays. Guests usually arrive before the person being honored. A friend might trick the person into coming to the party location without them knowing.

Guests might even hide! When the special person walks in, everyone jumps out and shouts, "Surprise!" For some surprise parties, people use streamers, silly string, and balloons to make it even more surprising. No decorations are visible from outside the house, so the person won't suspect anything.

Dinner Parties: Sharing a Meal Together

A formal dinner party sketched in 1920 by artist Marguerite Martyn.

A dinner party is a social gathering where people eat dinner together. This usually happens at the host's home. At more formal dinner parties, dinner is served at a dining table with special place settings. These parties often start with a "cocktail hour" where guests chat and socialize.

At less formal dinner parties, a buffet might be set up. Guests can choose their food from the buffet and eat while standing and talking. Sometimes, guests are asked to bring a main dish, a side dish, a dessert, or appetizers. This type of party is called a potluck. Potlucks are very common in community centers and churches in the United States.

Garden Parties: Fun in the Outdoors

A garden party is a party held in a park or a garden. These parties are usually more formal than other outdoor gatherings like picnics or barbecues. A garden party can be a very important event. For example, invitations to garden parties at Buckingham Palace by the British Sovereign are considered a great honor. The President of France also hosts a garden party at the Palais de l'Elysée on Bastille Day.

Tea Parties: A Charming Get-Together

An outdoor tea party in Australia from the early 1900s.

In some cultures, a tea party is a formal gathering for afternoon tea. These parties were traditionally for women, but men can also be invited now. Tea parties often use fancy tableware like bone china and silver. The table is made to look beautiful with cloth napkins and matching cups and plates.

Besides tea, larger parties might serve punch or hot chocolate in cold weather. The tea comes with many easy-to-eat foods. Thin sandwiches (like cucumber or tomato), bananas, cake slices, buns, and cookies are popular choices.

Soirées: Elegant Evening Gatherings

In the 1700s, in France and England, wealthy ladies would invite special guests to their homes in the evening. They would enjoy refreshments and interesting conversations. Soirées often included beautiful music. Today, the word "soirée" can still mean a fancy evening party.

The person hosting the soirée, called the hostess, would decide the party's style and who to invite. Famous hostesses included actresses or other well-known women.

Dances and Balls: Moving to the Music

Folk dance at an Assyrian party in Chicago, USA.

A dance is a social gathering where guests dance. It can be a casual get-together or a formal event like a school dance or a charity ball. Dances usually happen in the evening. An afternoon dance is sometimes called a tea dance. Some dances focus on specific styles, like square dancing.

A ball is a big, formal party that features ballroom dancing. Women wear ball gowns, and men wear formal evening clothes.

Block Parties: Fun for the Neighborhood

A block party is a public party for people living on a specific city block or in a neighborhood. These parties are often held in a street that is closed to cars. At some block parties, people can move freely from house to house, socializing with their neighbors.

Costume or Fancy Dress Parties: Dress Up and Have Fun!

At a masquerade ball, guests wear masks to hide their faces. At a costume party or a fancy dress party, guests wear costumes. These parties are often linked to holidays like Halloween and Mardi Gras.

Christmas Caroling Parties: Singing Holiday Cheer

In England and the United States during Christmas, it's a tradition to have a Christmas caroling party. People go from door to door in a neighborhood and sing Christmas carols. Some popular carols include "We Wish You a Merry Christmas", "Jingle Bells", and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town".

In Spain, this is called El Aguinaldo. Children who sing carols are often given small tips. Spanish Christmas songs are called villancicos, mostly sung by children at small parties.

Parties for Teens and Young Adults

A dance party with a live band in Berlin.

Dance parties are gatherings where guests dance to different kinds of music, often played by a disc jockey.

Outdoor parties include bush parties and beach parties. These often have a bonfire. Beach parties are held on the sandy shore of a lake, river, or sea.

A pool party is a party where guests swim in a swimming pool.

School parties for teens and young adults include proms and graduation parties. These celebrate someone finishing school or university.

Fundraising Parties: Helping a Good Cause

A fundraising party, or fundraiser, is held to collect money for a person or an organization. This could be a school, a charity, a business, or a political campaign. These parties are usually formal and might include a dinner and speeches about the cause.

Often, there's an admission fee for these parties. The fee can be quite high, especially if it's for a political campaign.

A group of graduate students celebrating at a graduation party.

Graduation Parties: Celebrating Achievements

In many places, parties to celebrate graduating from school, college, or university are very popular.

Marriage-Related Parties: Before and After the Big Day

Bridal shower
Bachelor party (also called stag night)
Bachelorette party (also called hen night)
Wedding reception

Showers: Gifts for New Beginnings

A shower is a party where the main goal is to give gifts to the guest of honor. A bridal shower is a way for an engaged woman to receive gifts for her upcoming married life. Guests are expected to bring a small gift related to the event. Games are often played at these parties. A new trend is the gender reveal party for pregnant women, where they announce if they are having a boy or a girl.

Housewarming Parties: Welcome to the New Home!

A housewarming party is held when someone moves into a new house or apartment. It's a chance for the hosts to show their new home to friends. These parties are usually informal. Guests might bring gifts for the new home.

Welcome Parties: Greeting Newcomers

A welcome party is held to greet someone new. This could be a new club member, a new employee, or a family's new baby.

Farewell Parties: Saying Goodbye

In many cultures, it's common to throw a farewell party for someone who is moving away or going on a long trip. These are sometimes called bon voyage parties. Retirement parties for co-workers who are leaving also fit into this group.

Cast Parties: Celebrating a Show's Success

A cast party is a celebration after the final performance of a play, musical, or opera. This kind of party might also happen after filming a movie (called a "wrap party") or after the last episode of a television series. Cast parties are traditional for most theater shows, both professional and amateur.

Usually, only the performers, crew members, and a few others like sponsors are invited.

Pre-Parties: Getting Ready Together

A pre-party is a party held right before another event. This could be before a school dance, a wedding, a birthday party, or a bar mitzvah. These parties are usually short. Sometimes, guests get ready for the main event together, like putting on makeup or costumes. Guests often leave at the same time to go to the main event together.

After-Parties: Keeping the Fun Going

An after-party is a party held after a musical or theater performance, or after another event like a wedding or a school dance. Usually, only close friends of the host are invited.