by Zhaun Ortega
If you have been following this newspaper column for quite some time now, you would realize that I am not one to go with the grain, stick with the norm, or follow the popular decision. This is especially true when it comes to my events. Again, if you have been following this newspaper column for quite some time now, you would realize that I am not one to throw events to celebrate just about every popular occasion. This year, for example, I threw a Twitter party, my annual anniversary party, and the Black Out or Get Out Party (which celebrates getting drunk). Obviously, I am not the kind of organizer to throw parties to celebrate common Holidays like Valentines, Christmas, New Year, World Youth Whatever, National Heroes Blah Blah Blah, and all of those other Holidays I don’t really know about. This is why I had no real intention of throwing a Halloween party this year. Why? Because everybody does it. Too many events organizers throw Halloween parties and I feel like saturating the market even more would not be helpful for everybody else, and for the party-going crowd.
So why did I throw my first-ever Halloween party? Because my friends and the people who frequent my parties were asking for me to do so. More importantly, I’m going on vacation and I need the money. And we all know that when comes to the decision between the state of the party-market and the party-going crowd versus the state of my pocket, I always choose my pocket. So the decision was out: I was throwing a Halloween party. Now, I had to figure a theme out; something that would set my Halloween party apart from all the rest. And then it came to me: the biggest problem for the common partyphile when it came to Halloween parties is Halloween party hopping.
The problem is, different Halloween parties have different themes. Thus, different Halloween parties would require different costumes, making it impossible for people to Halloween party-hop. Obviously that is exactly why events organizers throw parties with specific themes: to prevent people from leaving their party. However, I don’t believe in suppressing one’s right to party-hop. I just find it silly and stupid. So, for my Halloween event, I did not require for people to come in costumes. Why? Because all my guests really expect from my parties is bottomless cocktails and getting really drunk. Do they need to be in costume for that? No. Plus, if they get tired of my party, they can always go to some place else.
But of course, I threw my Halloween party on a Friday. Why? Because every other events organizer decided to throw their Halloween party on a Saturday. What does that mean? A smaller, divided, market for my own party. Usually, I would not mind; but again, I needed the money. So Friday was the day, October 28 to be exact. The event was set: Eagles Bar, Marco Polo Davao. And the bottomless cocktails had been pre-mixed. Now all I needed was a title. I thought about the concept, about not requiring costumes, about not giving away any tricks or treats, and about not doing anything Halloween-related, and so I decided on the name: I Killed Halloween (which I will probably use again next year and the year after that). And so the party was named, booked, and scheduled. Here is what went down:
Even though I did not require my guests to come in costume, a lot of people actually dressed up in some Halloween inspired garb. Some donned a simple hat, or those devil horns that light up. I truly appreciated that the partyphile crowd I had in my party was fun enough to really dress up for the occasion. Of course, I was giving away a brand new Jansport bag for the person who came in the best costume, and that was definitely a good motivation. But it isn’t a Confessions of a Partyphile party without Confessions of a Partyphile games. Since it was a Halloween party, I stayed away from drinking games and instead played more jovial ones. We played the Name Game, Halloween Laugh (I asked the contestants to give out the most Halloween-inspired laugh), and the oldest game in the book: Bring Me! For the winners of these games I gave away gorgeous Janpsort USBs (which looked like actual Jansport bags. I swear I wanted to keep them for myself), Jansport Planners/Notebooks, and Gift Certificates from Mary Pauline Salon (the Davao Branch of Mary Pauline Manila). And again, the person who won Best-in-Costume, Braeden Yu who came as a zombie school girl won a gorgeous Jansport bag in grey animal prints (I know! Even the bag is appropriate for Partyphiles!).
So what happened the rest of the night? I don’t really know as I was getting really drunk myself. But I remember DJ Gary spinning the hottest and latest House tracks while everybody was getting drunk and out of control. Of course, some of the specifics are better left unsaid on print. All I know is that I am really glad that I veered away from my usual thing and actually threw a party to celebrate a Holiday that was made for the fun-loving partyphile. I realized Halloween is not all about dressing up; it is simply about having the license to become somebody other than yourself. It is about veering away from the norm, and maybe realizing that it is pretty good to be someone else even just for a night. Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I am leaving for Manila tomorrow with some pocket money. Thank you very much. Until the next event, partyphile reader!
Catch Confessions of a Partyphile on the radio on 105.9 Mix FM every Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 PM. For comments, suggestions, and more confessions from this partyphile, log on to http://party.i.ph or tweet the columnist at twitter.com/zhaun. You could also add our facebook page at facebook.com/confessionsofapartyphileC
