Disclaimer: * This article is meant for those "21 and over" *
Spring is finally upon us, a time when the snow from those long winter days begins to melt and the temperature finally begins to rise. A time when you're able to lose the countless amounts of layers of heavy clothes and winter coats and drive around blaring music with the windows down. More importantly, warmer weather on a college campus means an invitation to Darty Season.
What exactly is a "D-A-R-T-Y"?
Day + Party = Darty
aka Dager (Day Rager)
Darty Season is without a doubt, one of the best times of the year. Why is that you ask? Well, it gives the opportunity for you to enjoy your time, partying outside with your friends as opposed to being stuck and cramped inside small house parties for a few months, where there's absolutely no space to hold everyone that attends. With that being said, with every successful darty comes a list of things that are a must in order to guarantee you will be prepared to have a good time.
10. Stay Hydrated
Since you're spending the majority of your time outside in the sun during a darty, it's crucial that you stay hydrated. You can still have your fun, just make sure that you drink water throughout the day so you keep the party going and have a good time rather than passing out from dehydration.
9. Have Space
Hosting a darty, means you need the space to host all of your guests. Backyards are ideal, but don't worry if you don't have a big entertainment space in your yard! Bring the party to a local beach if you could, as long as it's okay with local authorities and things don't get too crazy. If you do end up hosting a darty in your backyard, let some neighbors know in advance so you're not welcomed by cops crashing the scene. (Please try to be smart with this.)
8. Team in Charge
Out of all your guests that you invite, the most important people to be at your darty are the ones who will help you maintain and control the entire thing. These are the people that will monitor the abundance of parked cars in the street, to be the lookout for any noise complaints, or to just generally be another set of eyes to make sure that everything runs smoothly and everyone is safe.
7. Your Squad Plus More
So you made an invite list of about 30 to 40 people...well get ready for a lot more guests to arrive unexpectedly. News travels around college campuses rather quickly, especially during Darty Season. You will be surprised how fast a group of people will throw on the closest set of flip flops and sunglasses they could find and hop in the car to find the nearest darty. With that being said, be prepared to see many more faces than what you were probably expecting.
6. Yard Games
Having backyard games are crucial to have at any successful darty because it gives your guests something to do rather than just drink alcohol. By having outdoor games, this gives your friends the chance to have fun with so many other people and livens up the party even more! Don't believe me? Set up some backyard games and see your guests have an awesome time.
5. Kegs
I feel like this is a basic college darty necessity but it needs to be reviewed on this list of must-haves. I'm pretty sure every college student has pictured either themselves or one of their friends taking part in a keg stand, so make sure you have a few at the darty and give your guests what they're already expecting.
4. Slip N' Slide
Okay, so this one is 100 percent a must for the darties during the phase of spring where the weather correlates more with Summer. It's hot, the sun is shining, and all of your guests are sweating their butts off outside all day. So what do you do? That's right, provide an epic Slip N'Slide or any other water feature at your darty (pool, hot tub, if you're at the beach, the ocean, etc). If you have something like this at your darty, I promise people will be raving about it for a long time.
3. Beer Pong
Yeah, obviously.
2. Theme
Sometimes darties have themes. You don't necessarily need to have a theme at every darty you throw, but adding a theme can bring a whole new excitement to this rager. Whether it's 90's, Beer Olympics, or Hawaiian Luau, adding a theme to your darty will get people pumped about coming with their friends and coordinating what they're going to do in order to creatively prepare to look their best.
1. Killer Playlist/DJ
This is probably the most important step of them all for your must-have list for Darty Season. Music at any party will make or break the vibe of your darty, so choose very wisely. If you have trouble picking music that you think people will like, have a friend DJ it for you! (make sure they're a good DJ, don't make that mistake) It would even bring a much cooler aspect to the darty knowing there's a live DJ there.
Whether it's on the beach or in someone's backyard, you can be sure that any location is worth attending a Darty as long as the sun is shining and there's tons of people having the time of their lives. Make sure to not forget to have a designated driver and follow up any Instagram post with a creative caption. With that being said, breakout the sunscreen, grab your favorite pair of Ray-Bans and head on over to the nearest darty. You'll probably see me there!
