The festive season is upon us and with the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions being lifted slowly, people are really looking forward to celebrating this year, especially given how Diwali 2020 turned out! This year while tourism around the world is booming with revenge travel, if you are one of those who are spending it low-key this year, read on to know how you can call a few family/friends over and still have a good festive time.
5 Types Of Fun Games You Can Play At A Diwali Party
There are many ways you can spend your Diwali but playing games is by far the best!
1. Card Games
Games like Poker, Rummy, Blackjack, Teen Patti, and other games are often played during Diwali in an otherwise country where gambling is illegal. Heck, I was told to put away my playing cards at a restaurant when we were playing a memory game! Why do people gamble during Diwali? It’s considered to be lucky or even auspicious in some families, as Lakshmi, the Goddess Of Wealth would shower her blessings at this time of the year. So, if you are looking for a traditional Diwali party, dust off your old Poker set and playing cards and get ready for a long night of gambling, and hopefully, some winning.
2. Housie
If you are entertaining an older group of people, a traditional Housie is a great choice. Again, people feel lucky during this time of the year so make sure you keep good gifts even for the low-value winners like Fast 5, Four Corners, First Line, and others, and an even better gift for the Full Housie. Everyone loves gambling during Diwali, so to spice this up, ask people to bid on what they are going to win next; it will drive people crazily competitive.
If you don’t want the gambling bit and still want to spice up the good ole’ Housie, you can customise the tickets with Bollywood or Diwali-themed pictures and words, and prepare clues, where if people guess the right answer and if they have that word or image on their ticket, they can go ahead and strike that off. This can get exciting and competitive even.
3. Charades
Charades is a classic group activity in Indian households, we’ve been playing it since we were kids and we know almost all movie names by now. But make it fun by bidding! How it works is two players go up to act out the same movie, but before they start, they bid on how long it would take their team to guess it. The one with the highest bid (least time) starts. If they don’t get it, the play goes to the lower-bid team, for lesser points. Make sure to pay attention to both members when they act.
Charades can further be made fun by acting out TV shows, books, plays, and famous quotes. Another twist, you can add is Musical Charades. Hum or whistle the song, and let your team guess the song, and bonus points if you guess the movie too.
4. One-Minute Games
There are so many one-minute games that you can include in your Diwali party! Mix all Gems/M&Ms in a bowl, and keep glasses for each colour. People have to segregate the colours with one hand. It sure sounds easy, but the pressure of completing in 60 seconds is what builds up the tension. Other games could include, transferring the same Gems/M&Ms, or even Rajma from one bowl to another, with the use of a straw (make sure to use reusable straws). For a difficult experience, keep the two bowls far apart. Another one could include tossing Table Tennis balls in different cups at different distances, this game can be made tougher by including 1 toss, 2 tosses, or keeping an obstacle in the way.
5. Board Games
There are numerous board games that you can play during a Diwali party. Games like Sequence, Codenames, Cranium, Taboo, and Pictionary are winners when it comes to two teams competitively playing. If there are no children, and if alcohol is being served, grab this opportunity to play a drinking game. Cards Against Humanity, Never Have I Ever, Spill, and more should be on your list.
Read Here: A comprehensive list of what board game or drinking game you should opt for depending on your guests.
5 Types Of Fun Activities You Can Do At A Diwali Party
If you and your group aren’t gamers, there are several other ways to have an enjoyable time at home.
1. Musical Night
The pandemic has affected many struggling artists. A good way to support local artists is to hire one of them to play music for you. They play the keyboards or the guitar, sing songs, take suggestions, and you can even sing along with them.
If you don’t have the budget to hire someone, the best way to have a musical night is Karaoke, you can rent a Karaoke machine and hook it up to your television or download a Karaoke App and take turns serenading your respective partners.
And if all options fail, Antakshari is always a saviour. Bethe Bethe Kya Kare? Karna Hai Kuch Kaam, Shuru Karo Antakshari Leke Prabhu Ka Naam!
2. Movie Night
Watch a marathon of your favourite episodes of your favourite show, a movie marathon, or a Diwali-based Bollywood movie, take your pick! Keep popcorn, cola, chips, and dips ready for a binge-able night. If you don’t have access to a big-screen TV, you can always rent a projector and hook it up to your phone or laptop.
3. DIY Workshops
There are a plethora of DIY workshop options available, taking place in the comfort of your own home. There are make-your-own lipsticks and perfume workshops. For art lovers, there are resin art, alcohol ink, string art, canvas painting, and other several workshops available. For type-A personalities, there are gift wrapping and bow-tying workshops out there, to help you give perfectly wrapped gifts.
For a more festive feel, you can opt for DIY paper lanterns, decorate your own diya/candle workshops, or even learn to make rangoli. Either way, the stress of a return present is sorted as guests make their own and everyone ends up having a fun and bonding experience, so win-win.
4. Go Down Memory Lane
Dust off the old photo albums and bring them out, add some on the walls and cover them up with fairy lights. So when people come over, they know they’re going to have a nostalgic evening. You can even put some of the photos on your television and add them to a slideshow. Shuffle and mix them up – from childhood to wedding to travel photos, look at them and discuss those memories; catch up with one another. Laugh, cry, and share those beautiful memories because if the past year has taught us anything, it is to not take our loved ones for granted, so cherish these wonderful times.
5. Stand-Up Comedy
Conduct your own open mic night and get those inside jokes cracking. Make it adult, make it vulgar, make it funny. Just enjoy.
If none of you have a funny bone, then just enjoy back-to-back stand-up comedy acts on Netflix/Amazon Prime/YouTube. Take turns choosing everyone’s favourite comedian, and watch a short video of them. This way, all of you get exposed to new talent and will have enough saved content to playback during those Monday blues. And your night will be a hit! Laugh until everyone’s crying, holding their stomachs and basically struggling to breathe!
Whatever you decide to do, don’t stress, just have a good time, and others will do too. And remember to be a friend to the planet, while doing so. Wishing you and your family a very Happy Diwali.
