Festafetti

Hosting

How to Run Party Games and Pick Prizes

The games are printed and cut. Now you have to run them without losing the room. Here is a host's routine for timing the games, calling winners cleanly, and handing out prizes people are happy to win.

When to play

Slot the games into the natural lulls: while people arrive, before the food, or between the big moments. Bingo and the scramble work as guests mingle. Save the quiz for when everyone is seated and paying attention.

  • Hand out bingo cards as guests arrive, so they warm up
  • Run the quiz when the room is seated and listening
  • Keep a scavenger hunt going in the background for a big crowd

Call the winner cleanly

Every game in the pack has an answer key you keep. When someone calls bingo, check their card against the words you have marked. When a scramble or quiz sheet comes in, check it against the key. The key is what lets you name a winner without a debate.

Prizes people actually want

Keep prizes small and useful: a candy bar, a candle, a gift card, a bottle of something nice. A few identical small prizes beat one big one, because more guests get to win across the games. Wrap them so winning feels like a moment.

The short version

Time the games to the party's lulls, use the answer key to call winners without arguments, and keep a few small prizes on hand so more than one guest gets to win.

Common questions

What are good party game prizes?

Small and useful wins best: candy, a candle, a gift card, or a nice drink. Keep several identical small prizes so a winner from each game gets something, rather than staking everything on one big prize.

How do I call a bingo winner fairly?

Keep the answer key from the pack and mark the words as you call them. When a guest calls bingo, check their card against your marked words. The key settles it, so no one argues the result.

Turn your party into a printable game pack

Type your party and Festafetti builds a different bingo card for every guest, then a word scramble, a quiz, a scavenger hunt, and advice cards from the same details. Preview it free. One payment of $19 per party removes the sample watermark so you can print the whole pack. No account, no monthly fee.

Games for your occasion

Each one is built around what that party needs.

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