How it Works
If you're looking for a way to socialize that requires little work or
expense and that keeps the party moving all night, then a Progressive
Dinner Party may hold the answer for you. At a Progressive Dinner a group
of friends plan a meal together where each course is served at a different
participant's home, so that the party literally moves from place to place
throughout the evening. This party style works especially well for
friends who live close to one another either in a neighbourhood, an
apartment building or a condo complex. Then everyone can walk from home to
home without worrying about organizing cars and designated drivers. It
also facilitates digesting between courses!
When planning your dinner, you should schedule no more than 3-4
courses. Beyond that the logistics become too complicated with too much
time wasted on travelling.
Some groups hold monthly Progressive Dinners with a different theme
each month. The course responsibilities can be rotated among participants,
or everyone can always be responsible for their favourite course. You can
pick holiday themes, seasonal themes or different cuisines for each
dinner. Tie-in your decorations with the recipes, asking each host home to
use decorations representing the nationality of the course they are
serving, or picking up on your seasonal theme. Or make the menu items
challenging by preparing alphabetical dishes, e.g. the first home prepares
an appetizer beginning with the letter A, the second home prepares a main
dish beginning with the letter B, and so forth. The next month continue
with the letter where you left off in the previous dinner. Good luck to
the host who gets the letter X! Whatever you do, have fun with it!
Sometimes organizations such as churches, woman's clubs, or veterans
groups hold an annual Progressive Dinner so that new members can meet the
group under more intimate circumstances. In that case the planning is
usually a little different. Depending on the size of the group, the hors
d'oeuvres course is held with everyone gathered in one home or location
such as the church or veterans' hall. Then the group splits off into small
groups for the next two courses in volunteers' homes. At the end of the
evening the whole group reconvenes in a large home or facility to share
dessert. If this is the case, some people might be asked to bring
appetizers and a side dish, others might prepare a side dish and dessert.
The members hosting the main course have no other responsibilities.
You can handle beverages several ways. With small groups you could ask
each host to provide the beverage that best suits their course. With
larger groups you could make it BYOB for alcoholic beverages and just ask
the hosts to provide soft drinks and coffee.
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