Before you deploy any of the party tricks below, keep this in mind: the real “trick” behind impressing people is not showing off. It’s simply doing something that fits seamlessly into the plan of your party to begin with.
For example, let’s say that people are already at your party, enjoying the music and having a good time. If you were to stop the music and ask everyone to watch your cool “party trick,” they’re going to hate it. In fact, they’re going to be predisposed to hating what you have to show them.
Don’t do that. Instead, let’s look at some casual, fun party tricks that will increase the quality of your party without looking too forced.
Party Trick #1: Restarting a Candle with Its Own Smoke
Your party’s going well and you even have a little mood lighting going—a solitary candle set out on a coffee table or even a kitchen counter.
Suddenly, the candle goes out. Maybe a gust of wind got to it—or someone left the window open. Either way, a snuffed-out candle can have a surprising psychological effect: it makes it feel like the party’s about to end. Until you come in, whisking a stick lighter to save the day.
But you’re not going to simply re-light the candle. No, you’re going to show off just a little bit. Here’s where it gets interesting.
Instead of re-lighting the candle wick itself, you can actually light the direct path of smoke leading to the candle wick. This smoke, slightly flammable as it is, will then burn down to its source—the wick—and re-light the candle itself. Here’s a YouTube video if this in action.
Keep in mind that you’ll want to do this trick somewhere far away from other flammable items and liquids—such as alcohol—so make sure you keep your candle clear from people.
Party Trick #2: Lay Out Some Masks
This one is less a visual trick than a “trick” that takes your party to the next level.
Imagine it: you’re having an adults-only party, maybe even after going out on the town. People are already feeling pretty good. With your libations served, the partygoers are feeling loose and relaxed.
Then someone notices a bunch of masks laid out somewhere. They decide to try one on.
Before you know it, more people are trying on the masks. Without you even asking one guest, it’s become a “mask themed” party.
What happens next? When someone wears a mask, it has an unexpected side effect: it lowers their inhibitions. The feeling of security and anonymity provided by a simple plastic party mask far outweighs their cost—you can secure a bunch for only a few dollars. The end-result is a better party with lively guests. And you didn’t even have to do anything except spend a few dollars on cheap plastic masks.
The key here is not to push them on people. It works far better if the “mask” idea feels much more spontaneous and less forced.
Party Trick #3: Spinning a Straw with Invisible Static Energy
This party trick fits in to a party naturally because you’ll likely have no shortage of plastic bottles and straws—and it makes for a good “bar bet” as well.
The simple premise is this: you pose the idea that you can spin a straw on a bottle top without touching it. Take two straws into your shirt and rub them against the fabric to give them a static charge. This will be the invisible energy you use to move one straw with the other—without requiring that either straw touch.
Then you’ll simply need a plastic bottle. Balancing one of the straws on the bottle top, you’ll then take the other straw and “push” the edge of the other straw around the top.
Here’s a video explaining how it works—and showing off this party trick in action.
As you’ll see, you don’t even have to touch one straw to the other to get it to move. It’s something anyone can do—yet seems to make good fun for parties.
Party Trick #4: The Joys of Planning Ahead
This one isn’t a “trick” so much as it is a multitude of tricks.
The key: if you plan ahead with just a little bit of research, you can put some easy “finishing touches” on a party that elevate it to the next level. Here are just a few ideas:
Frosting mugs. Serving beer? A frosted mug is a great way to add a touch of class. Just make sure you take clean room temperature mugs and place them in the freezer at least an hour before the party.
Ice molds. Setting up specific ice molds in advance can give you great twists for the party, such as a large sphere-shaped ice cube for a punch bowl. The sphere shape minimizes surface area, which ensures slower melting throughout the night.
Keep a champagne bottle on ice.A bottle of champagne isn’t only a great way to celebrate a great party, but keeping the champagne bottle on ice will also scream “party” to anyone, even the first guest who sees it.
It doesn’t take much to execute a party trick or two that will take your party to the next level. Even if it doesn’t seem like it will completely change your party in an instant, just try planning ahead. These tricks might surprise you.
