What’s more fun than getting a dozen of your best friends together for an exciting murder mystery night? While the party may take a fair bit of planning ahead of time, a bit of preparation can make the process straightforward and make the evening unforgettable. While it may seem overwhelming, planning shouldn’t take more than a day or three.
To give people looking for an exciting, out-of-the-box idea a helping hand, we will review the best tips and tricks for planning a murder mystery party. Grab your magnifying glass and monocle as we look at some great ideas for getting a murder mystery party perfect.
Planning a Murder Mystery Party
Planning a murder mystery party is only problematic if the person orchestrating the affair procrastinates or comes unprepared. By taking care of the more in-depth steps ahead of time, several hurdles can be overcome weeks before your costumed companions ever appear.
Organize a Plot, Theme, and Characters
No one is expected to come up with an entire overarching story of how the maid was killed with a sharpened candle in the study, though you are more than welcome to give it a go. Use preexisting murder mystery and detective stories or even “take inspiration” from the dozen Agatha Christie novels available at any local library.
Get cards ready and send them out to the people attending ahead of time so they can dress and prepare for the roles they are given. Make the cards informative enough that they can base a personality and wardrobe around their position and write a brief backstory for them to get into character.
Finding public records in real life can be difficult – unless you use a specific search engine like this. However, in a murder mystery, a person’s life can be written on a cue card.
Try to set the party venue around the theme so that it helps improve the atmosphere for the people attending. Similarly, let people know what to expect when they get there so they don’t show up in the attire of someone from the unknowable future. This process should be done first, as it will determine what food, drinks, and activities will take place in the murder mystery.
Schedule Activities, Food, and Drinks
Finding out who did the terrible act in the foyer can be exhausting, and guests will soon tire out from the investigatory evening if they don’t have a decent amount of snacks, drinks, and events to enjoy. No one will be angry if pizzas, sodas, and cocktails are served, but hosts will win brownie points for making the food and drinks themed to the party.
It helps to get the guests on board for larger dinners, and placing events in the mystery that get everyone around a table helps from ruining the guest’s immersion. While a banquet laid out throughout the night will be well sought after, it can keep people from engaging in other more pressing matters.
Try to Encourage Conversation
Not everyone will be an award-winning thespian the second they arrive at the party, and encouraging people to get involved early can help move the process along. By getting the more introverted suspects into the mood of the murder mystery it can help get people socializing and help avoid unwanted lulls throughout the night.
The Last Word on Murder Mystery Planning
The arduous undertaking of making a themed party can cause a lot of headaches and stressful afternoons. Thankfully, by following a step-by-step process and getting early RSVPs, you can ensure that everything is ready when the crime scene is finally set.
Get a theme, a story, and a colorful cast of characters, and give a summary of the event and active participants a couple of weeks ahead of time. Guests may be busy, and giving them some breathing room can help make the outfits and activities much more believable. Finally, ensure everyone gets involved by gently nudging the quieter characters.
Before you know it, you will have a concerningly entertaining criminal case on your hands!