When I’m getting ready to party, music is crucial. It’s the overture to the whole night of carousal (or of chatting on the couch in someone’s living room with a clear plastic cup of goon).

With more suspected drug-related deaths at festivals this summer, the debate around testing these illegal drugs to check their purity and for contaminants has flared up once more. But from a user perspective, when should a person seek help for themselves or a friend after taking a pill? What can ambulance paramedics do to help if you do?

Where exactly do balloons go once you’ve released them into the sky? We now know that answer, and unfortunately, it’s anything but pretty.

Imagine a party where everyone has to arrive and leave at the same time, where some guests are only allowed to talk to two or three other people all night, and there’s a mystery price (anywhere from $20 to $80) that every guest pays at the end. You just invented a group dinner at a restaurant!

Parties are for drinking out of cups, and keeping track of your cup is an important part of that. I have, in my time as a hostess, encountered a few guests who just “aren’t into labels” but, seeing as organisation and order are the cornerstones of a good party, labelled drinking vessels are very important to me. Instead of foisting cute wine charms on people—which always fall off—or trying to shout my guests into submission, I grab a roll of painters tape, and tell them to use fake names.

New Year’s Eve is on the horizon and you’re probably not sure what you’re going to do yet. Go out? Stay home? Alone? With friends? Don’t fret! Let the Lifehacker staff convince you that their way of celebrating this (often dreaded) holiday is the very best way.

Holiday parties are often more trouble than they’re worth. By the time December’s half over and you’ve survived a sloppy open bar or three, the idea of leaving the house ever again can be pretty unappetizing.

This year, take a cue from the Russians: Stay in and throw a banging dinner party.

With the weather warming up, there are few things better than a dinner party and few things worse than cooking for one. Sweating over a red-hot BBQ as your guests get steadily drunker and hungrier makes for a truly unpleasant hosting experience.

So you've been invited to a mate's Halloweeen party but haven't worked out what to wear. Don't panic! You still have time to create an inspired, no-frills costume from stuff lying around the house. Here are 20 non-sucky ideas that can be whipped together in under an hour.

Like it or loathe it, Halloween has permanently plonked itself on the Aussie calendar and continues to gain mainstream popularity with every passing year. While it's easy to ignore sprogs knocking on your door, dodging Halloween parties is slightly more difficult; especially if you work in a "zany" office that loves an excuse to dress up.

If you've been invited to a Halloween do and have left your costume to the last minute, here are ten impressive looking outfits that don't require much money or effort.

Setting the table for your dinner party may seem like the job you give to eager guests who insist on helping, but it should be done with care and precision. Sure, you could drop a cup full of plastic forks on the table, but is that really living?

The ability to pay attention to the little things is a quality all truly skilled hosts possess. A little bowl for olive pits, a scented candle in the bathroom, and a chilled cocktail glass all show that you care about your guests' comfort and their overall party experience.

These days our inboxes are crawling with spam, far beyond the stuff that makes it past the actual designated "spam" folder.

Every party spread, no matter how fancy the shindig, should contain a dip or two. Dips are easy to make, fun to eat, and much loved by pretty much everyone. French onion dip is never a bad choice — you can learn to make an excellent one here — but there are other options. Below you will find three luscious, creamy, flavour-packed dips and spreads to make, take and serve.

Video: When hosting a dinner party, it can be easy to focus on the food and forget about the party. Fortunately, you don't need to do a whole lot (or buy a bunch of flowers) to make your home feel festive and welcoming. Just a few fancy details — like cloth napkins, and good salt — will elevate the evening in a decidedly elegant fashion.

Whether you’re a university student about to attend their first party, or a grownup with friends who sometimes party a little too hard, it’s good to know what to do when things get out of hand. Here are some of the top tips and skills that can help you help others.

Oh the Popemobile. The holiest, safest and most odd-looking of transports. Since Pope John Paul II toured the world in a glass box mounted on the back of a truck, the Popemobile has become a bit of a meme. But over in Ireland, you can hire out a vintage Popemobile for your stag do, if that's what floats your boat.

Dinner parties are often a mishmash of different people coming together under one roof for refreshing drinks and a tasty, home cooked meal. Because of that, conversations can be nothing but awkward explanations of what everyone does for a living. Lame! Kick things off this way instead.

I always feel a little unsure as a guest in someone else's home. I want to be as polite as possible, and that can lead to some anxiety. Can I go through that door? Are those snacks for everyone? Where's the bathroom? Here's a trick that can help worrying guests such as me.