Progressive Dinner Party Tips & Suggestions

If you're tired of the same old cookouts and dinner parties, you might want to try hosting a progressive dinner party with your friends.

What is a progressive dinner party?

At a progressive dinner, several different friends plan and host an entire meal. Each course of the meal is served at a different participant's house, and all the partygoers move from home to home during until the even concludes.

Progressive dinner parties can be a lot of fun, plus they break down party planning activities so everyone shares a little bit of the responsibilities for the party. You can include as many different courses as you like, but here are some suggested courses:

• hors d'oeuvres 
• cocktails
• appetizers
• soups
• salads
• entree or main course
• desserts
• after dinner drinks

Tips for Planning a Progressive Dinner

Four to five stops works best. Unless you're planning to go all-out, four to five different stops will be enough to fill up your evening. Remember that the more stops you add, the later your dinner party will last. 

Plan enough time for each stop. Each course will require a different amount of time to complete, but you can generally plan 45 to 90 minutes at each home for the different dinner courses. Don't forget to calculate travel time between homes.

Consider making it a monthly event. A monthly progressive dinner is great for groups of friends that want to keep in touch on a regular basis. With larger groups it's also a great way to divvy up the entertaining costs and prepping responsibilities.

Try a themed dinner. Try coordinating with all hosts to plan a themed menu. You could try themes by inspired by country's cuisine, a holiday, or even a movie. The possibilities are endless!

Have you ever hosted a progressive dinner? What tips do you have for first-timers?