PowerPoint Parties Are the Party Trend You Have to Try—Here's How to Host One

All get-togethers are great, but PowerPoint parties have become popular for livening up in-person and virtual parties. PowerPoint nights give everyone something to contribute to the party's success (beyond a hostess gift). And they're great for connecting with far-flung friends or family, as you can easily host it over Zoom or video chat.

The cool thing: All you need is a computer, a screen, and your friends' creativity to host a PowerPoint night that'll leave everyone laughing (and likely, looking to host their own PowerPoint party in the not-so-distant future). If you're ready to jump on the PowerPoint party trend, here's everything you need to know to host one of your own, plus plenty of ideas for PowerPoint presentations that will make you the hit of any party you attend.

What Is a PowerPoint Party?

A PowerPoint party takes the meeting and school presentation staple—the Microsoft PowerPoint presentation or slideshow—and makes it fun, playful, and party-appropriate. PowerPoint party attendees craft and give presentations on topics of their choice. Drinking, themed costumes, Q&As, and other fun add-ons may also be included.

A PowerPoint party can also be done with Google Slides, Keynote (the presentation software from Apple available on iOS devices), or any other presentation tool—Microsoft PowerPoint is not required. PowerPoint parties are best kept to a small group of people—it's not an activity for a crowded rager—and can be enjoyed virtually or in person.

How to Host a PowerPoint Party

To plan and host a PowerPoint party, first, gather a select group of people you think will enjoy the party. PowerPoint parties aren't for everyone or every occasion—it's something best left for smaller groups of adults, young adults, and teens. If you want to include younger kids, consider pairing them with an adult or an older child with experience giving presentations; if you want to have larger groups, consider dividing them into teams to create presentations.

When you invite people, explain the expectations of the party. What's the time limit or slide limit for each presentation? What's the dress code? Is the PowerPoint party themed? If you're hosting the party virtually, send around the link to join the video call early and avoid technical difficulties. You can allow everyone to share their screen when presenting, or you can collect all the presentations and serve as the presenter.

PowerPoint Night Hosting Tips

If you're attending a PowerPoint party, your presentation can be whatever you want it to be. (Most PowerPoint parties should be goofy—in the topic or presentation.) Use PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Keynote to fill your slideshow with images, charts, graphs, quotes, gifs, videos, and whatever else makes your point, and have fun with it. And don't be afraid to use all those weird effects that the apps offer that you never get to use in everyday work life. (Why not make that slide spin off into the ether?) Here are some other fun rules to incorporate.

Turn It Into a Drinking Game

Have presenters take a sip of their drink every time they say "um" or another filler word, or ask them to finish their drink in its entirety if their presentation extends beyond the allotted time. (Always drink responsibly, of course.) You could even pick an uncommon word or phrase—like "pink umbrella," for example—and if anyone works it organically into their presentation, the whole party has to drink.

Create a Dress Code

Take the party up a notch by enforcing a themed dress code. If everyone is presenting about historical figures, have them dress up like their chosen figure. You could also ask everyone to wear business attire or dress entirely in one color.

Consider Assigning Topics

While it's fun to let them use their imagination and share a wide array of presentations at your PowerPoint night, assigning a topic theme or a specific topic can give your party more structure and challenge your guests a little, too. They'll have to work up a passion for their given topic, and you can laugh at their efforts to make their presentations entertaining. (Bonus points if you choose extremely obscure topics, like how staples are made or where sand comes from.)

Award Prizes

To get everyone invested in your PowerPoint party, make it competitive. Find a great prize and create a scoring sheet with points for the quality of the presentation, the strength of the argument, choice of images, outfit choice, adherence to the time limit, and whatever other details you think are important. Have everyone score their fellow presenters (all in jest) after their presentation. The winner at the end gets the prize.

Share Presentations

Once your PowerPoint party is over, consider sending out the various presentations (with permission, of course) to everyone on the guest list. Attendees can relive their favorite moments and those who attended virtually can better see the fun. Who knows? Maybe they'll be inspired to host their own PowerPoint get-together.

30 PowerPoint Party Theme Ideas

Ready to host your very own themed PowerPoint party? While the Drink, Talk, Learn (DTL) PowerPoint party—in which everyone chooses a topic they're passionate about, with no themes or restrictions—is a classic option, if you want to choose a party theme, check out some clever PowerPoint night ideas below.

1. Drunk history: Presenters choose a historical figure or event and present about it. Have everyone dress like their figure or era, and encourage people to have a drink or two before their presentation to make it really interesting.
2. The best [whatever] of all time: Every presenter picks a movie, TV show, video game, board game, fictional character, food, city, etc., and everyone makes the case that their pick is the best one of all time. Keep topic selections within the same genre to spark a little friendly competition.
3. Conspiracy theories: Have everyone select a conspiracy theory and present it to convince everyone that it could indeed be true.
4. Assigning characters: All presenters pick a category—it could be dogs, foods, characters in a movie, TV show, or book, whatever—and explain who everyone would be in each group. (This is best done within a close-knit group of friends.) Presenters could explain which Harry Potter or The Office character everyone might be or which type of pasta noodle they'd be. The opportunities are endless.
5. Who survives? Rate your friends on their survival skills in several dangerous events, such as The Hunger Games, a slasher movie, or a zombie apocalypse. Be sure to share how each pal at the PowerPoint party meets their bitter end and who will survive the longest (and how).
6. Over/underrated: Each guest shares their hot take on something overrated or underrated—and shares their reasoning behind it. It can be something from pop culture, foods, a beauty product, a fashion trend, or even a hobby.
7. Cast the movie of your life: Choose who would lay your parents, your friends, your mate—and you! (Be sure to assign celebs for each of the attendees that you know, of course.)
8. Biggest regrets: Reveal it all, from highlights gone wrong to spring break shenanigans to major parenting fails.
   
9. Dream pets: Rank dog breeds, highlight why lizards reign supreme, or go ahead and list the magical pets you'd love to have (hello, unicorns!).
10. How-to hacks: Share your skills! Take your friends step by step through concocting your signature cocktail, getting killer deals on travel, or crafting cool nail art.
11. The perfect undercover names: Give every party member a secret agent moniker and highlight their spy-worthy skills, whether it's their next-level driving or their ability to keep a (top) secret.
12. When a favorite show jumped the shark: Narrow it down to the key moment that the show in question started its decline in quality—and make your case for it.
13. Crystal ball prognostication: Imagine where you and your friends will be in five, 10, or 20 years from now. (The funnier your predictions, the better!)
14. Worst gift ever: Chronicle the weirdest gifts you (or people you know) received—and why they're bad. Don't forget to include photos!
15. Dream wedding: Even if you're already paired off, pop in what you'd want to do to celebrate your wedding now if money was no object.
16. Bucket lists: A PowerPoint party is the perfect opportunity to see which wish list items you share with your friends—and start making plans to cross them off together.
17. Guilty pleasures: Share your favorite guilty pleasure(s), and lay out the argument why others should indulge as well.
18. Me in the multiverse: Take a cue from Everything Everywhere All at Once and imagine what your alter egos are doing in alternate realities.
19. Junk drawer archaeology: Dive into the depths of your junk drawer and share the weirdest/smartest/oldest finds.
20. Confessions: It's time to come clean on sins from your past or present and plead your case for why it had to be done.
21. Friends trivia: No, we're not talking about what the mail label says on Chandler Bing's TV Guide (though it's Chanandler Bong, if you need it for your next trivia night). Instead, quiz other guests to see how much they remember about each other.
22. Word to the wise: Keep your friends from learning the hard way by sharing a life lesson you've learned.
23. Phobias: Share your biggest (and ideally, weirdest) fears and why you're not a fan.
24. Two truths and a lie: Turn the classic party game into a PowerPoint party presentation—and see who knows you best.
25. DIY fails: Share the tales (and ideally, photos!) of projects you envisioned and how they went wrong.
26. Fandom vs. fandom: Presenters can pick their favorite fandom to discuss and (playfully) pit against other fandoms. For example, someone can bring up the classic Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate.
27. Awkward photos: We all have those not-so-photogenic moments in our lives. Whether it's an awkward family photo, an embarrassing school photo, or some other cringe-inducing memory, it's time to share with everyone.
28. Lottery dream: Share what you would do if you were to hit the jackpot and win millions in the lottery. The more lavish and outrageous your expenses, the more fun for the party.
29. Pet peeves: Whether it's the use of the Oxford comma or honking while driving, get your grievances out and tell everyone why your pet peeves should be banished.
30. Celebrity crushes: Go ahead and ask everyone to talk about their ultimate celebrity crush—past and present. They can gush about why this person is their favorite, share some eye candy, and even say what they would do if they ever met their crush in person.