6 Recipes for Your Oscars Party (and Fun Hosting Tips)

In less time that it takes your favorite celebrity to primp for the red carpet, you can create an Oscar party spread worthy of a gold statue of your own. All it takes is a few simple and festive touches. Below is a simple guide for putting together an Oscar celebration in under three hours.

The Game Plan

• This is a themed party, so spend time on the details: what you’ll wear, Oscar ballots, Oscar statues, even a faux red carpet. Guests will remember these fun items and activities more than what food was served (though that’s important too!).
• The Oscars is a long show: though your party prep can easily be completed in three hours, the ceremony itself will likely be longer. Instead of making many different recipes, focus on four or five simple dishes and double up so you have enough food to last through the night.
• The Oscars are held on a Sunday, so be mindful of the fact that most of your party guests have to trudge off to work the next morning and focus on fun drinks that don’t require alcohol.

Next, get ready to party…

Red Carpet: Hour One

On a night like this, Joan Rivers is your best friend, as she and her host of pregame cohorts are often more entertaining than the show itself: start your party early enough that guests can enjoy the red carpet coverage. Keep the drinks simple and celebratory and the canapes light. Set out a few bottles of champagne and whip up Chard-Stuffed Mushrooms or Honey Brushed Pear Crostini. 

Tip: Request that guests dress as their favorite movie character of 2014. Wrap yourself in a bold Seventies fur like the women of “American Hustle” or go preppy Eighties like those in “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Pick up an Oscar statue and a length of red fabric at a craft store so everyone can walk the carpet and pose with award in hand. You may even want to print out a few pictures of your favorite stars and hang them around your home. 

Opening Act and Awards: Hour Two

Ellen DeGeneres is a hilarious and worthy Oscar host. Still, the ceremony can tend to drag on. For the sustenance you and your guests will need to keep up with all the fashion-analyzing and filmmaking retrospectives, set out filling appetizers like  Ground Beef Sopes or Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa Verde.

Tip: Make the show interactive by having your guests pick their own winners via secret ballot and offer a prize for the most correct predictions.

In It for the Long Haul: Hour Three

When the show hits a slump and even your favorite celebrities in the audience begin to yawn, focus on reinvigorating guests with an old fashioned sugar high. Whip up some Mexican Hot Chocolate or Chocolate Chile Almond Bark.

Tip: Have guests give their own acceptance speeches! It will keep them engaged and social, especially during the announcement of winners in the more obscure categories.

Finally, when the show has ended and your guests have departed, wrap up and store leftovers that you can enjoy while watching Oscar fashion reviews and post-party coverage the next night!