Between busy schedules and long distances, making plans to hang out with your loved ones can be a headache. But where there is a will, there is a way. With friends all over the map, one of the best ways to get everyone together is through streaming parties.
Whether you want to watch the latest home premiere movies or need to experience the series finale of your favorite TV show with your family and friends, streaming can make it all possible even when you are miles apart. With that being said, this solution still requires some planning and care from you.
To help you get the most out of this idea, here is a guide to hosting a streaming party at home.
Choose What to Stream
First off, you need to have several options at hand about what to stream during your watch party. From Netflix psychological thrillers to Hulu miniseries, you can start off with a variety of genres and titles. This is also where you need to consider how long your watch party should be. Typically, watching a 2-hour movie together is easier than binge-watching an 8-hour series in one go.
Make Sure Everyone is On Board With the Idea
No matter if you’re choosing between options like going to the movies, hanging out at the beach, or gaming at the casino, you usually have to throw around a few ideas to hang out with your friends and family in person. This also holds true for streaming parties, where you need to get everyone’s buy-in before choosing the title that you want to watch together.
Ensure That Everyone is Available at the Same Time
Once you have everyone’s approval for your streaming idea, you need to make sure that you also have their confirmation regarding their availability. Since streaming parties usually take at least an hour, you need to ensure that everyone invited is available for the required window of time. With a personal scheduling app, you can make this task a walk in the park.
Send Out Digital Invites to Make It Official
After finalizing what to watch and when to stream it together, you should put together these details in writing so everyone remains on the same page. If good old email is not your cup of tea, you can use digital invite apps for the best alternatives to Windows email and other clients. With a digital invite platform, you can also design custom invites for complete personalization.
Look For Ways to Elevate Your Experience
While you might be physically distant from your loved ones during a streaming party, it doesn’t mean that you cannot enjoy shared experiences together. For instance, buying the same snacks and munching on them during your watch party can make you feel closer to each other, while chatting through a video call can make you feel like you are sitting together. This can take your streaming party to another level.
Suggest Which Snacks Everyone Should Enjoy
Whether you’re looking for horror movies to watch with friends or romantic movies to enjoy with a special someone, you need to have some snacks by your side during your streaming party. While traditional movie and TV snacks such as popcorn and candy are easy choices, you can also go for more gourmet options such as truffle potato chips and duck fat pretzel bites.
Explore Different Platforms to Stream On
Your streaming experience also depends on the solution you use to watch something together. While some streaming services offer built-in watch party features to their subscribers, they might run short of delivering an optimal experience. By browsing through different watch party options, such as browser extensions and TV apps, you can choose something that ideally works for everyone.
With these suggestions, you can easily host a streaming party fit for all ages. Once you go through these steps a few times, you can also pull them off without thinking twice and continue to host memorable watch parties with your loved ones.