Have you ever thrown a party that really bombed?

Once in sixth grade I moved to a new school. I was having triuble fitting (culture shock: Staten Island NY to Seattle) so my family planned a cookout and invited my whole class and no one came.

Last bad party I ever had.

My roommates were banking on the reputation of our blow out Halloween party (175 people, massive quantities of booze and illicit activities) to throw a New Year’s Eve party. As hosts the three of us rented tuxes! But a storm came in midday, and poured poured poured into the night. One couple came at 8:30, left before ten. No one else showed.

We had to call friends to come watch football the next few days so the keg would’t go to waste.

It used to happen all the time. It’s funny. It happened when I had very little money and it really hurt because I had invested in a party and then no one showed up.
Now that I have more money I guess I’m more popular.

My wedding shower in the early 80’s. The only people there were my mom (who was visiting from Seattle) and my best friend, who put the party on. O well.

Or you might have planned a party with some disparate groups, but the key [or “bridge”] people didn’t show and it was too much for a shyish host/hostess to handle alone, making small awkward isolated pockets of guests. And then just as the mildly buzzing conversation come simultaneously to a sudden dead halt, you can be heard, loud and clear, making some horrendous gaffe.

Been there.

My best friend (who is a very impulsive person in general) attempted to plan a party impulsively on very short notice on Facebook once during sophomore year of college; he invited like 60 people. We had two people come over and smoke weed with him; that was the extent of it. :P

Yes, but the guest of honor’s brother was killed in a vehicle accident about an hour before the party started.

What sad and dreadful stories. When a party fails so miserably, I wonder who’s the most embarrassed and awkward – the host, the guest of honor, or the handful of people who show up.

Years ago, my brother-in-law had a small part on a TV show called “L.A. Law.” Paul and I invited a number of people to stop by and watch with us. We got many acceptances, so were expecting a large group. I bought sandwich and dessert platters from a nearby deli, and I got lots of beverages and put them on ice.

As the time approached, guests started to call and say that they had to work late, or that the traffic was too miserable, or that something else had come up, etc. And, of course, there were the usual no-shows who don’t bother to call.

Two people came. BIL’s bit part – three lines – last all of a few seconds, so the four of us just sat around for a while and felt uncomfortable.

My bridal shower last year. Everyone in both of our families said they’d come and it ended up being my mom and grandma, my sister, my mother-in-law, and two of my bridesmaids. Later, one of my sister-in-laws showed up because her mom felt bad for me and made her come. We got a big place for over 20 people and only 7 showed. We had games planned and good food, and we ended up in a big empty room with a ton of awkward silences. I stayed until it was over and then left in tears. How stupid I was to give a shit about his family. I’m surprised they even showed up to the wedding (all of them giftless, by the way). Stupid selfish rednecks…

I’ve learned to expect nothing from them, and we do nothing for them in return. They’re the reason we didn’t bother having a housewarming party when we bought our home. Why bother?

When I was in my early 20s, living in NYC, I sent out a dozen or so Halloween party invitations to friends and co-workers. Many accepted, no one—absolutely NO ONE—showed up. Talk about trick instead of treat! Thanks soooo for reminding me of this dreadful non-party. :(

@Pachyderm_In_The_Room I read a Washington Post article by a woman who’d hosted a “ghost” dinner party. Twelve people had accepted her invitation. She set a beautiful table, spent a great deal of money on food and beverages, and worked several days at cooking and preparing. Not a single person showed up – nobody.

The point of her article was that it had been better to have 100% no-shows than to have had even 1 or 2 people attend. If anyone had come to her party, the situation would have been awkward and painful. Because nobody came, however, no one witnessed the disaster. Everyone who’d canceled thought that the party had been a grand success, and that everyone else had had a great evening.

Sorry to have reminded you about your Halloween party. Please note that I, too, came clean about my own bomb-a-roony (above). :-)

I’ll come to your house warming party @livelaughlove21!

@Dutchess_III Thanks! :) Although, after almost a year, it’s probably warm enough.

Oh…memories.
No. I threw a huge party at my old house on 5 acres 4 years ago in July 2009. I called it “Burning Goose” a parody on burning man and a tribute to my goose “Marwyn” in my avatar.
It was SO much fun!

I had money to “burn” at the time and hired 2 bands, built stages and platforms overlooking the ravine and creek on my property. Had tons of food, kegs of Sierra Nevada pale ale, cases and cases of local wine from my zone here. I rented porta potties, had a ranch gate installed between my front yard and the camping pasture, and we partied all night long.
My daughter painted an amazing acrylic portrait of Marwyn which hung on a huge Oak tree in my yard and he wore an orange Lei as guest of honor.

I passed out glow wands and bracelets to everyone and hung glow necklaces all around the yard on the fence posts and had Tiki torches strung together with ribbons on the cliff in my front yard with green and yellow floodlights illuminating my awesome front yard in the middle of nowhere.

People were crammed in my hot tub on the hill, slept all over the house and yard and deck and campground I set up. We danced the night away under the stars.
“Burning Goose” was a great success!
Good memories, so good!

^^ Did you not read the question? You answered the opposite question.
Too many brownies?

@Sunny2 Haha..no brownies. Well..my answer was “no”...but now that I have read @Pachyderm_In_The_Room ‘s answer, I shall change it to “Yes.” lol
I DID throw a Halloween party in the early 90’s that pretty much bombed. Only about 10 people out of about 30 something invites showed up.

It was still fun, but rather a bomb. There…to clarify. :-)

Dude, some sad stories.

No, but this is because I am not the party throwing type. I have a fear of throwing a party and it would bomb and I am not willing to take the chance.

shame on me

Yes, for my 25th birthday party. I’d invited around fifty people to my place, and I had a great deal of beer, wine coolers, food, etc. I busted my butt preparing for that party, to only have nobody that I’d invited show up. I started drinking by myself, and I was already annihilated when my step-brother and his buddies showed up. The irony was that I didn’t invite them, but we went to a bar close by shortly after they came. I don’t remember too much from that night beyond that point, but apparently they cut my drinks off after I fell from a bar stool, and I was carried home. Great party!