Hosting an Oscar Party? Read Our Best Tips and Ideas

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Oscar Viewing Party Invitation from Punchbowl
Oscar Viewing Party Invitation from Punchbowl

I have always enjoyed movies. I remember going through a phase as a teenager when I watched the classic movies from the 50s starring Cary Grant, Gregory Peck, Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Bing Crosby. I loved the high drama of Alfred Hitchcock’s North By Northwest, Rear Window and Vertigo. When I returned to university a decade ago, we studied Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire in my American Literature class. I watched that movie about a dozen times in order to write my paper. It’s now one of my favourite movies!

Nowadays, I don’t have as much time to watch movies. I try and catch some of the newer releases on Netflix when I can. But I always tune in to watch the Academy Awards! I love seeing all of the Hollywood celebrities dressed to the nines, and trying to figure out who is going to win the coveted Oscar. I have even attended informal Oscar parties hosted by my friends in the past.

If you are hosting an Oscar Viewing Party this year, here are a few ideas to plan your party:

Oscar Viewing Party Invitation from Punchbowl
Oscar Viewing Party Invitation from Punchbowl



Oscar Viewing Party invitations

Make your Oscar Viewing Party elegant by sending out a special invitation. Punchbowl has free Oscar Viewing Party invitations you can use like the one pictured above.

Ask everyone to dress up Oscar style

Why not look as good as the Oscar crowd when watching the Academy Awards. Plus, if all of your guests are dressed up, you can post some really elegant photos on Instagram! You might even be able to get a photo like Ellen DeGeneres did at the 2014 Oscars.

Ellen DeGeneres's Oscar 2014 selfie
Ellen DeGeneres’s Oscar 2014 selfie

Serve a light buffet of appetizers and drinks

The Oscars start at 8 p.m. on Sunday, February 20, 2020 (on ABC and, I believe, CTV in Canada) so your guests should have had dinner by then and you need only provide appetizers and drinks. If you want to splurge, champagne is the perfect drink for your party, but you could also consider prosecco, which is less expensive, or a signature cocktail. You’ll definitely want to start your party by 7 p.m. so that you can watch the Oscar pre-show, which includes red carpet interviews of many of the Oscar nominees. As far as finger food goes, aren’t these the cutest Cheese and Cracker Tuxedos?



Cheese and Cracker Tuxedos from cutefoodforkids.com
Cheese and Cracker Tuxedos from cutefoodforkids.com

You could also try these easy Low Carb Avocado Shrimp Cucumber appetizer.

Choose a cream, black and gold colour theme

Choose napkins, plates, candles, flowers and tablecloth in a colour theme of cream, black and gold for a super elegant Oscar night look. You can even make these cute bow tie napkins from black napkins for your guests to wear.

Create a ballot or bingo card listing the major Academy Awards and nominees

Hand out a bingo card or ballot listing the Best Movie, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Director nominees and have each of your guests complete the ballot based on whom they think will win. At the end of the night, add up the scores and award the winner with a small prize. Ideas for an Oscar-themed prize could be a bottle of wine, gourmet coffee, mascara, or nail polish.

You might be interested in reading, “How to Be a Great Holiday Host at Your Party“.

11 COMMENTS

  1. What a fun party idea! I would definitely have evening dress up in their nicest outfits, serve fancy food and drink and then hand out my own Oscar’s to the guests!

  2. Few years ago, I attended an Oscar themed party. It’s really nice to dress up and eat delicious meals! I might suggest theme on our next company party. Thanks for the tips!

  3. It’s that time again! I’ve had so much fun having Oscar parties over the years. My favorite memory: when we hosted a party in our Brooklyn apartment and Chris Rock, hosting the Oscars on stage in LA, gave a shout-out to Brooklyn – and our entire party erupted in loud cheers. We always do the ballots, too, but we’ve never had tuxedo crackers. Will up the game for next time!

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