As a trivia host, one of the things I'm trying to do is to create a huge amount of fun in a variety of ways. That fun might come in the way I'm presenting the questions, the jokes I'm creating from moments that happen on the fly with players, or games and challenges themselves that spark something in the entire room.
Back in Sept 2017, I got hired to be one of the many forms of entertainment at an all-90s themed 30th birthday party by a really fun girl named Tracy. She went all out with this bash. To begin, everyone was in 90s clothing or dressed as popular characters from 90210, Wayne's World, etc. They had music videos blasting TRL style, and a full candy table for guests to bag their own Ring Pops, Fruit Stripes Gum, and Whistle Suckers. Shelves were lined with Beanie Babies, Spice Girls Barbies, and tons more nostalgic stuff! All of this paired with a make-your-own Moscow Mule bar and a ton of gnarly friends and family led to extremely fun custom group trivia night.
I of course showed up in my classic Blink 182 basketball jersey, something I bought at Hot Topic in the mid 2000s knowing it would come in handy someday. If you're wondering why the quality of this picture below looks so 90s, it's because Tracy took it on a disposable camera, which were lying around the party for guests to go snap-and-wind-crazy.
For my prepping for the trivia portion of the party, I wanted to make sure it hit all the right notes, so I laid out these rounds:
90s One Hit Wonders
90s Snacks
90s TV Show Theme Song Lyrics
90s Characters
90s Confidence Round
Over about 2 hours, players formed teams of 4-6 and worked to answer questions in groups. We also did a verbal game where I had them name something from a certain category (Simpsons characters) until there was only one person left standing. We played some buzz-in action with an all 90s Kahoot round, too, which got people on their cell phones but in a fun, engaging way. I highly recommend Kahoot for parties, it lets the people who play better alone rather than in groups flourish and feel like a bigger part of the good time.
By the end of the night, I was having just as much fun as the host was. It was a really well planned party, and I was so glad to be a part of it. It's just a great example of how to pick a theme and really run with it for a maximum amount of good times!
You can read Tracy's full Yelp review right here.
AND! If you're looking for a great blog about just planning parties in general, look no further than my friend Emily Ford! Here's her tips for the ultimate party planning.
If you have a party coming up that could use a trivia boost, email me at ryanbudds@gmail.com to get the ball rollin'! The possibilities are endless.
