How to Throw a Progressive Dinner Party

A progressive dinner party is a party that is always moving. Guests move to different locations for each course of the meal and hosts get a chance to host a party in their homes without a night-long commitment. It can be a fun way to throw a dinner party if organized properly.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Determine your guest list. Before you do anything, you'll need to have a ballpark figure of how many people will be invited to the party so you can coordinate your hosts from there.

2. Decide on a theme if you want to have a themed party. Your theme can be reflected in the food, decorations, or both.

3. Coordinate hosts for each of the courses. If you have a sizable group, you may need large locations, such as a church basement, for the first and last locations and then send smaller groups to people's homes. If your progressive dinner party is small, you can do the first and last locations in different homes.

4. Send out the invites. Make sure you stay at or under the figure you planned for in Step 1 and inform all your hosts when you receive an RSVP. Regular group emailing is a good way to stay in good communication with your hosts when planning a progressive dinner party.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep location in mind when plotting out the location of each course. Have a logical path rather than one that backtracks all over the place.
• Allow for travel time when deciding the start time of a progressive dinner party. Plan to be at each location for 45 minutes to an hour, and keep the party moving.
• Don't plan a progressive dinner with more than three location changes.