{{Short description|Party at the house of the host}} {{other uses|House Party (disambiguation)}} {{Update|reason=Needs historical context and examples|date=June 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}

[[File:1896.09.27 STL Globe HParty.jpg|thumb|Sketch from the ''St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat,'' September 27, 1896, accompanying an article by Nina Goodwin, datelined Paris, France, September 15, beginning “One hears now, more than anything else, the subject of house parties being discussed.” The caption reads: “The most cheerful gowns in red and wood color for a dull day, when the house party gathers for afternoon tea.” Women are relaxing in garden furniture.]]

[[File:House_party_sketches_by_Marguerite_Martyn,_with_photos.jpg|thumb|right|Newspaper layout dealing with house parties, with sketches by Marguerite Martyn of the ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' and photographs of society women, 1909. The man in the center is carrying golf clubs, and there is a hammock in the lower drawing. ]] [[File:House party in Denver Colorado.JPG|thumb|A house party in Denver, Colorado, February 2009]] A '''house party''' is a type of party held at the home of the party's host.<ref>{{Cite web |title=house party |url=https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/house-party|website=Cambridge Dictionary|quote=Definition of house party from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus|accessdate=23 November 2024}}</ref>

==Organization== {{Multiple issues|section=yes| {{Unreferenced section|date=November 2023}} {{Original research|section|date=November 2023}} }} A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, word of mouth, posted leaflets, or notices on social networking sites.

Mostly people bring a six-pack or a few good bottles, some extra bags and pills, or a couple of boxes of cigarettes to a house party.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-03 |title=How To Have Fun at a House Party |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/house-party-rave-music-nightlife/ |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Uninvited guests === Broad notice of a party – sometimes unintentionally – can result in large numbers of people attending who do not know the host personally and may be disruptive.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=KPRC |first=CNN Newsource {{!}} |date=2025-05-04 |title=House party shooting leaves 14 people injured, one dead as uninvited guests open fire |url=https://foxsanantonio.com/newsletter-daily/house-party-shooting-leaves-14-people-injured-one-dead-as-uninvited-guests-open-fire-local-news-near-me-crime-law-public-safety |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=KABB |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Britton |first=Amy |date=2024-09-21 |title=Police called to disperse Cambridge house party that 'got out of hand' |url=https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/police-called-cambridge-house-party-29979706 |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Cambridgeshire Live |language=en}}</ref>

A person who attends a house party without an invitation is typically referred to as a "gatecrasher."<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 May 2025 |title=Collins Dictionary |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/gatecrash |access-date=7 May 2025 |website=Collins Dictionary}}</ref> Gatecrashing involves entering or participating in an event without authorization, often by blending in with invited guests or exploiting lapses in security.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tatler |date=2014-11-24 |title=How to gatecrash a party |url=https://www.tatler.com/article/how-to-gatecrash-a-party |access-date=2025-05-07 |website=Tatler |language=en-GB}}</ref> While some gatecrashers may be tolerated or even welcomed by hosts, they are generally viewed negatively due to concerns about safety, capacity, and the potential for disruptive behavior.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

==History== An early example of a house party can be seen in the play ''Mostellaria'' (''The Haunted House'') by the Roman playwright Plautus. In the play, a young man called Philolaches holds a house party with many friends while his father, Theopropides, is away on business.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-09-09 |title=Review: The Troubies turn an ancient Roman comedy into a modern 'Haunted House Party' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-haunted-house-party-review-20160907-snap-story.html |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref>

House parties have become a prominent feature in popular movies, particularly movies aimed at teenagers. While many have probably been present before the movie, ''The Party'' is one of the first to properly provide a scene of a house party.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1992-12-31 |title=The ideal cause for cerebration: Kevin Jackson sees in the new year by |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/the-ideal-cause-for-cerebration-kevin-jackson-sees-in-the-new-year-by-crashing-some-memorable-parties-on-film-and-in-print-1566121.html |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> However, the most popular film later on is ''House Party'', featuring the hip-hop duo Kid 'n Play.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lang |first=Cady |date=2023-01-13 |title=Kid 'n Play on the 'House Party' reboot and friendship |url=https://time.com/6247115/kid-n-play-house-party-interview/ |access-date=2024-08-21 |website=TIME |language=en}}</ref>

==In various cultures== In Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, a '''sijelo''' (in Ijekavian), '''silo''' (in Ikavian) or '''selo''' (In Ekavian) is an evening social gathering at a house.

In Ireland, a céilí is a social gathering which, in its traditional form, takes place in a domestic dwelling. Contemporary céliís often involve music and dancing and can also take place in a public or private meeting space, in addition to in a domestic setting.

In the United Kingdom, house parties may be referred to as a 'Skins' party, referring to a well-known TV show focusing on the lives of teenagers who often participate in and host open house parties.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cooper |first=Leonie |date=2017-01-25 |title='I was there' – remembering Foals' secret 'Skins' party |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/i-was-there-remembering-foals-secret-skins-party-1959490 |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-07-30 |title=Teen spirit: The 'Skins' sensation sweeping France |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/teen-spirit-the-skins-sensation-sweeping-france-2037470.html |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ewens |first=Hannah |date=2017-01-25 |title=Remembering the British Teenage Phenomenon of 'Skins Parties' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/remembering-the-british-teenage-phenomenon-of-skins-parties/ |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=Vice |language=en}}</ref>

==See also== {{wiktionary}} *Cocktail party *House Party, Inc. *House Party (radio and TV show) *Salon (gathering) *Šokačko sijelo, minority festival

==References== {{reflist}}

==Bibliography== For Sijelo: *{{cite book|author=Milenko S. Filipović|title=Among the people, native Yugoslav ethnography: selected writing of Milenko S. Filipović|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tuLYAAAAMAAJ|year=1982|publisher=Michigan Slavic Publications, Dept. of Slavic Languages and Literatures|page=97|isbn=9780930042479}} *{{cite book|author1=Norman M. Naimark|author2=Holly Case|title=Yugoslavia and Its Historians: Understanding the Balkan Wars of the 1990s|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kX5pAAAAMAAJ|year=2003|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=978-0-8047-4594-9}}

Category:Parties Category:Youth culture