What do you get when you combine a dinner party with game night? A progressive dinner, of course. If you’re looking for the ultimate theme to jazz up your next dinner party, consider organizing a progressive dinner. The basic concept involves several courses, each served at a different person’s house.
For a typical dinner:
- Enlist four to six friends who live within a fifteen minute walk of each other to serve as the hosts. Each host should serve one course in the meal. Courses can include cocktails, appetizers, soup, salad, entree, seafood, palette cleanser, dessert, and anything else you can think of. Keep in mind the more houses involved, the longer the party will last.
- Choose a theme to work around like Italy, Mardi Gras, or local products. Each host should stick to this theme to tie the whole event together. Hosts should also choose dishes they can prep ahead and make quickly so the don’t miss all of the other stops.
- Make a general plan so everyone knows which course starts at what time.
- Invite friends aside from the hosts to attend, just keep in mind how many guests each home can accommodate.
If you don’t have nearby friends who can participate try serving each course in a different room of your house.
- Drink cocktails on the front porch.
- Serve up soup in the dining room.
- Eat the main course in the living room.
- Dish out dessert in the back yard or basement.
Don’t be afraid to use the space as is, you don’t need to bring in a bunch of extra tables and chairs. Guests can stand for cocktail hour or carry their own folding chair to each room. Keep the party cohesive by adding in a few simple decorations in the same color scheme for each room or using table linens of the same colors and fabrics.
You don’t need to spend a lot of money or designate drivers to have a fun night out on the town with friends. Keep everyone excited and engaged with a progressive dinner party sure to go down in the books as one of the best nights ever.