Why Every Great Party Needs a Great Name

The best parties are able to create a temporary universe of their own. There are many chemicals in this reaction – drinks, music, location, party favors, decorations, invitations, dress codes, guest lists, color schemes – but the true artistry in throwing a good party has always been about how these ingredients combine in service of an overarching mythos (read: theme or vibe).

While it’s natural to focus on the tangible logistics of party planning, I fear that contemporary party culture is becoming complacent and short-sighted. Our social lives are punctuated by waves of undifferentiated pregames, housewarmings, and birthdays that can still be fun, of course, but rarely aspire to form a memorable social experience outside of an extensive alcohol selection. Evidenced by our pseudo-nostalgic obsession with “indie sleaze” and other social cultures of the past, we are clearly yearning for a different approach to party culture – one that can transcend the trappings of physical space and social media panopticons. I think it’s still possible to throw a great party in 2025, but it will require us to be a bit more ambitious and daring at the most fundamental levels of party planning, starting with the party name.

Often overlooked in the process of throwing a memorable event, the party name has become increasingly banal, accelerating the homogenization of our social lives. As small as this detail might seem, the name of your party is a powerful indicator of the type of experience you want your guests to have, and it will certainly shape how they plan to engage. This isn’t to say that you need to break new creative ground with every casual hangout. Some of the most thoughtful and alluring event names I’ve encountered were based on inside jokes, sly pop culture references, or even a string of hand-selected emojis. The art of the party name is not a contest of ingenuity, but a signal of intention, which I would argue is central to the success of any social gathering.

Across cultures, party names have functioned as markers of collective memory, providing a stylistic reference point for some of the most famous parties in history. Consider “Lupercalia,” a violent and provocative Roman festival most likely named after the Latin word for wolf, in which citizens engaged in animal sacrifice and random matchmaking to ward off evil and infertility. Fast forward several centuries to New York City in 1966 for Truman Capote’s “Black and White Ball,” where red tablecloths and golden candelabras framed one of the most legendary and star-studded events in the history of American party culture.

Perhaps the importance of a good party name is most evident in media, as the party itself becomes a story device tasked with developing character and propelling a plot forward. In parties like Twin Peaks’ “Masked Ball” or Yellowjackets’ “Doomcoming,” we can see how a good party can reveal different sides of our personalities and encourage us to examine how we act in relation to each other. Yet, in my opinion, nowhere is the intimate relationship between parties and storytelling more apparent than in the Real Housewives franchise, which can ultimately be read as a game of shifting social alliances set against a series of dramatic parties. It’s no surprise, then, that the greatest party name of all time comes from the tenth season of Real Housewives of Atlanta, during which Nene Leakes throws the infamous “Nene’s Girls and Gays Never Forget All White Party Seafood Soiree.”

At this point, you might think that I’m taking event planning too seriously or that I’m asking for too much. I’ll be the first to admit – some of the most memorable parties of my life had little planning involved and certainly no title attached. What I’m really asking for here is a sign that you care. It’s certainly chic to be unbothered and detached, but the pervasive competition of who cares less detracts from our modern social culture. Let’s stop romanticizing the parties of yesteryear and bring some of that energy to the present. Maybe spending a little extra time on naming your party is just the start.

Have a great party name? Use it for your next event.