Murder Mystery Soiree

hosting

Sep 12

Where: The Cat’s Meow Jazz Club

When: Halloween night, 1920

What: Felix Fontano, club owner, has been mysteriously murdered during a night of tomfoolery. Hooey! Can the rest of the jazz club guests solve the murder mystery without getting merked?

Is there anything better than a themed party? No.

Is there anything better than someone hosting an event on Halloween so that you don’t have to scramble two nights before to figure out a costume and a plan? Even more no.

And let’s be real, you know you’ve always wanted to attend a murder mystery party, so why not step up and host one yourself?! I’m here to provide the most iconic event guide for your next gathering, Halloween or not. I’ll give you the tips, tricks and tools you’ll need to host your own murder mystery party. Let the games begin!

Step 1: Big Details (two/three months prior)

Decide which murder mystery you want to use and how many people you want to invite. Whether you purchase a board game style from amazon, make your own because you’re a genius, or purchase from Jazz Age Jeopardy (this is what I chose).
Send invitations to your friends and confirm their set characters. Give details like theme, time, location, costume suggestions. We had our friends wear their 1920’s best!

Step 2: Guest count + Menu (2 weeks prior)

Finalize guest count and characters. It’s gonna suck if your guests aren’t committed because it will quite literally throw a wrench in the plan, so make sure you’re inviting your least flaky friends LOL.
Think about what you’ll want to serve at the party for food + drinks. Keep with the theme! Fix up some swanky cocktails/mocktails to get the story rolling and the characters settling into themselves. Make it a drinking game- if they don’t speak in full character, they must drink.
Order or make any decor you think will fit the theme. I made a lot of things myself, but dollar tree and amazon were also main characters in this event.
Make a themed playlist that’ll fit your vibe. Thanks spotify, peace and love babe.

Step 3: Party Production (day before)

It’s here! Time for you to transform your space to really wow your guests! This is my favorite part, obviously. Throw up your decor, make sure all your ducks are in a row when it comes to the actual game. Was I running to staples at 9 PM the night before to grab name badges? Maybe but that’s quite frankly none of your business.
Prepare any food or drinks the day before so that you’re not running around like a chicken with your head cut off while your guests are at the party. Or maybe there’s a chicken in the murder plot?
One person needs to know the whole story to keep the night moving, and all signs point to you, toasted host! Really familiarize yourself with the game, so that you are the best host/narrator you can be. Murder mystery parties can get complicated, especially with a big group of people, so it’s important that you stay on top of your game (no pun intended).

Step 4: Day of!

Kick your feet back, enjoy a themed cocktail and get ready to welcome your guests to a memorable murder mystery party that they are sure to dig!
Greet your guests in FULL CHARACTER. If you’re taking it seriously, they’ll match your energy. If they don’t, why did they even bother? Kidding.
Take pictures! Have fun! Don’t get murdered!

Recap: This roaring 20’s themed murder mystery was liiiiiterally so much fun. Truly, it was ~hip to the jive~. We had 20 guests, which was a lot, but we had plenty of characters to provide. If you have last minute guests, that’s fine too because there were “place holder” characters that really didn’t play a major role in the story line. We had the party around 7:00 PM so passed apps, snackies and desserts were provided. When the guests came in, they were greeted at a table with beverages; Shot (gin) Roulette, a champagne tower and of course, our themed drinks. Fun was had, the 20’s were indeed roaring and the murder was solved. 10/10 would definitely (toasted) host again.