Credit: Askar Abayev Via Pexels
After a year and a half spent chiefly indoors, Torontonians are a little rusty in the party department. It makes sense: According to the BBC, Toronto was the most locked-down city in the world. And while things are slowly but surely starting to open back up – the province recently announced a premature entrance into the much-anticipated Phase Three – it will take some time before Torontonians catch up on their social skills.
So, what does a post-lockdown party look like? How do you celebrate the end of a dark period in Toronto’s civic history while still accommodating everyone’s newfound social awkwardness and altered comfort levels? Moreover, how do you make it fun?
That’s what this article aims to address. To celebrate Phase Three, here are three tips for throwing a post-lockdown party in Toronto.
Consider Everyone’s Comfort Level
The province might allow for small indoor gatherings in Phase Three, but that doesn’t necessarily mean everyone on your guest list will be comfortable with the prospect. If possible, hold an outdoor gathering, which will appeal to guests with high and low risk tolerances. Or, offer a hybrid solution: Keep the doors to the patio open, and allow people to choose between indoors and outdoors based on their comfort level.
Aside from offering an outdoor option, ensure you take the everyday precautions you’ve been observing the past year. Offer hand sanitizer, open a few windows, and coordinate with the catering company to figure out a mask policy.
Go All Out on the Food
When devising a post-lockdown celebration, consider all the luxuries people have been without for the past year. One of those luxuries is, undoubtedly, the ability to share great food with friends. After a year and a half plunging the depths of their cupboards for canned food, chances are your guests would appreciate a lavish spread.
Go all out on food with in home catering in Toronto from an experienced, high-quality catering company. Whisk people away to the azure shores of Italy with a catered rustic Italian buffet, or drop them off on a busy promenade in Paris with a French bistro spread. International travel may still be off the table, but it doesn’t have to be off your table.
Plan Conversation Topics and Icebreakers
People are out-of-practice socially. They’re used to seeing your face scaled-down in a grainy Zoom video box. That said, your guests may need some social lubricant to get the ball rolling.
While a glass or two of wine can do the trick, try also planning conversation topics and icebreakers. Encourage everyone to describe a hobby or passion they picked up in the last year. Or go around the circle and ask everyone where they plan on travelling next. Alternately, try one of these icebreaker games. While some “pandemic talk” is to be expected, try to keep the conversation future-focused.
As Toronto slowly comes out of its shell again, throw a dinner party to remember. Be accommodating, plan for some initial social awkwardness, and celebrate the occasion with fantastic food from a Toronto catering company.
