Christmas and New Year's are just around the corner, and the festive party season is nigh. Decided where to go yet? Plush international hotel, sleek nightspot, or a location to which you've brought your own creative originality for a private party? When on the hunt for the perfect party locale, turn to those who do this for living—professional party planners.
Step No.1 – Choosing Your Venue and Theme
Your choice of venue can of course make or break your party event, and there are many one-of-a-kind Taipei sites that you can rent out in full for the occasion. A quality restaurant or hotel restaurant/hall is a great option, with facilities such as Bu Kate Organic Restaurant (佈貓) and White House (白宮私宅) restaurant offering the space you need yet bringing an intimate and cozy hideaway feel at the same time.
If you need larger spaces than these, appropriate cafes, restaurants, clubs, and small theaters are available, which can save you time and trouble organizing food and can also assist with your activity planning; good examples are the Taipei Mayor's Residence Arts Salon's La Mairie Cafe (市長官邸餐廳), Artco de Cafe (典藏咖啡館), Live Comedy Club & Cafe Taipei (卡米地喜劇俱樂部), and A House (A房子), the last Taiwan first a cappella live house. There are even compellingly attractive venues of bigger size available that sport a pronounced arts and culture flair, such as The Red House (西門紅樓), Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914文化創意產業園區), and Taiwan Folk Arts Museum (北投文物館).
“Selecting a theme makes everything all that much more fun, for hosts and guests,”says the program director of the Live Comedy Club & Cafe Taipei, Zhang Shuoxiu (張碩修). Generally their Christmas and New Year's party events will have a theme—costume party, role play, a theme color for clothing, and so on. He's also handled more unusual approaches, such as a political spoof party where everyone got to express their discontent with the politics of the day. Whatever the main idea, a fair bit of originality is necessary to keep everyone happy through the entire night, he says. Theme parties have more drawing power, and help with program preparation and site decoration. For example, for a party with a 1960s music theme, the guests can be asked to dress up as hippies, rock and roll can be played, and Beatles and Woodstock posters can be put up; for a movie concept party, the music can be famous movie theme songs, and movie name guessing games can be staged, adding great fun and flavor.
“A good idea is to have live entertainment during the middle of the evening, when all the guests have gathered, to work up crowd excitement and a sense of togetherness,”says Zhang.“Here we might have stand-up comedy, improve skits, or a magic show. Right after this, or at the end of the program, gift exchanges and prize draws are good ideas to keep the excitement at a high pitch.”If you feel you can't handle all the planning by yourself, performance companies can step in and assist. The participation of such a group can itself be a strong promotional bonus for your party, and it is always a good idea to have an emcee, who can provide a focus and keep things flowing smoothly.
The Ingredients for Fun – Decorations and Props
The right props and decorations are key ingredients in the recipe for cooking up a great party. The area behind Taipei Main Station around Chongqing N. Rd. (重慶北路) and Huayin St. (華陰街) is home to many festival merchandise stores, and the area behind the East District's Dinghao Market (頂好商城) is home to such businesses as Party Shop (臺灣派對商店), Jamemay Export Wares (津美外銷藝品), and Shinmei Export Wares (鑫美外銷藝品), where you'll find all the festive materials needed to bring out the rich spirit of the season, such as party lights, golden globes, pine wreaths, and artificial Christmas trees.
Chen Zhenghui (陳正輝) is a man who blows a lot of hot air–winner of the 2008 International Balloon Art Competition. But he blows no hot air when he says that,“If you want to use balloons as decorations at an event, you must first consider the theme and the venue size, large or small; only then can you properly wield your skills and creativity to effectively add some bustle and color to your ambiance.”He also helps out by explaining how to create a simple balloon-art flower: take four heart-shaped balloons, tie them together to create two pair, then bind these to create four joined petals, then fix a small round or smiley-faced balloon in the middle, and stick it to the wall using double-sided adhesive. Voila, your own self-created wall art!
Getting Everyone in Rhythm – Choosing the Right Party Music
Another component of any successful party is the right music. The music design director at *In House, Song Xingrang (宋星讓), says that the keys are matching the party's theme and the type of people attending. It's also best to consider the right music for when people are arriving, during cocktails, etc., and the theme and program, all of which help to set the right tone, and smooth the pace and transitions. The start-off music clearly indicates the night's theme, so for Christmas parties, for example, brisk and upbeat tunes such as“Santa Claus Is Coming to Town”and“Jingle Bells” are often used, putting people in a light-hearted mood. During cocktails, easy-listening, unobtrusive instrumental music in the background is best, allowing guests to engage in conversation.
The most important music choice, of course, is the theme music or program music, which carries along the contents of the party. For example, New Year's parties are often dance events, so tunes with a strong beat are best, such as electronic or samba. This gets people swaying to the rhythms and wanting to join in. If you've chosen an American West cowboy theme, rolling out all-time favorite classics is the best way to go.
“If you'd like to stage a special program during your party, you can first select some appropriate music to play,”says smiling Song.“For example, you might create a music mix to be used during a song guessing contest, always good to create some excitement. As the party's end approaches, you might play some familiar golden oldies or type of music your party-going group strongly identifies with, resonating with the full crowd and getting everyone singing and humming till the lights go up. Naturally, hiring a professional DJ will greatly ease your music program workload.
The Party's Soul and Sustenance –Serving the Right Foods, the Right Way
Parties without a food plan are like being in an empty decorated shell. There seems to be a limit to the fun felt by guests. According to the very experienced catering director for the VVG Bistro (好樣餐廳), Mao Jiajun (毛家駿), food is a party ingredient that cannot be bypassed or ignored, can add great bonus points—and can even be your theme! One splendid example idea is to have a traditional Taiwan snacks theme, with pig-blood cakes, pearl milk tea, crispy salted chicken, and other favorite timeless treats, and using food-related items bought from Taipei's Dihua Street (迪化街) as your decorations, such as small bamboo steamers and bamboo screens. Another is to have a pineapple cakes or cupcakes theme, setting out your subjects in all their splendid shapes, colors, and taste variety, creating much food for thought and conversation among your guests.
A basic rule for any party is easy-to-get-at finger foods that can be easily replenished. For crackers, pastries, etc., another basic rule is to have at least three types, and you should have something more filling as well, such as sandwiches, macaroni salad, and/or mini-pizzas. Two or three types of non-alcoholic liquid refreshments should also be on hand. You need not spend excessive time or money buying these things, for the pastries can be found at any bakery and snacks can be gathered up at a convenience store or supermarket. Another option is to use a catering outfit, budgeting NT$300-600 per person expected; some even provide servers, making things even easier for you.
A clever idea is to decorate your food area with such mood guidance items as flowers, candles, and/or Christmas toys. You can also use decoration frost to create messages of seasonal greetings and seasonal designs. Appropriate food can be formed into the shape of a Christmas tree, and cakes can come with the number of the year just arriving. The idea is to redefine the food presented, making it a pleasant bit of visual spectacle.
So there you have it—all the secrets to staging the party everybody wants to come to, from the party pros. Ready to make the leap? Taipei, a 24-hour city that never sleeps, is eager to be your stage.
