By Margot Carmichael Lester

Who can resist Oscar-night excitement? The 78th Academy Awards® make their appearance on March 5th. Why not take advantage of the big event by planning an award-winning get-together at your place? Here are some tips from party pros and party animals to help your mixer take the prize. With these fun ideas — and the courage to invite all the hotties you’ve had your eye on — this could be a very big night, and not just in Hollywood:

Choose a theme
“If you latch onto even the simplest central theme, everything else will fall into place,” says Virginia Fout, event producer for the Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar™ party and owner of V Productions. “Themes are not only the perfect starting place to plan your event, but they provide your guests with a fun experience from the moment they walk in the door. The best part—you can create a theme that will work with any budget.” Now, what kind of themes are out there? Anything from a black-and-white event — that colour scheme applies to what people wear and the food you serve — to musicals (yup, it’s time to rent a karaoke machine) can qualify. A good theme is one that gets guests in a playful mood.

A good way to get started is with a themed invitation. “Last year, I did a James Bond-themed invitation, inviting all secret agents to converge at MI6 Headquarters (my place),” explains Bill Larson. “It was great.”

Dress it up
It wouldn’t be Oscar night without a keen eye for wardrobe. “Invite guests to come as their favourite Oscar-nominated actor, director, or character,” suggests entertaining expert and party maven Ginny Morey. “Or do a conceptual costume and come as your favourite film of all time.” Not only will this help guests get in a party mood, it will also give everyone conversational fodder as they ask people to explain their attire.

Mix it up
Plan a mixing activity before the show starts. Give each person a slip of paper with the name of a nominee or the name of a film and get them to match the actor with the movie and chat about what they loved (or hated) about the flick. For a fancy dress party, ask each guest to seek out their favourite nominee for an autograph and gush about why they’re a fan. Silly as these games can be, they get people mingling—and give you a chance to talk to that special someone you’d like to know better.

Roll out the red carpet
Need another fun get-mingling idea before you tune into the big event? No Oscar night is complete without a red carpet. “I rent a rather raggedy strip of red carpet and place it in the driveway,” says Ava DuVernay of Los Angeles. “Before entering the party, each guest is required to stand like an idiot with my plastic Oscar and take a Polaroid, which will be their parting gift.”

Set up Craft ServicesWhen it comes to food, “keep it simple,” Morey advises. “If you want to go really easy, just use movie theatre foods. Popcorn, hotdogs, penny sweets, chocolate-covered peanuts and raisins—that sort of thing.”

You don’t have to become broke stocking the bar, either, she continues. “Limit your offerings to a cocktail or drink that ties to the nominated films—whether it’s something actually consumed in the film or simply a drink popular during the decade or year that the film takes place.”

Don’t miss a minute
Now, to watch the proceedings in comfort and style, try this: DuVernay rents three additional televisions so there’s one in every room — “including the bathroom”.“I also rent extra chairs to line every room of the house with seats.” To make viewing more fun, Morey suggests getting Styrofoam balls or something similar to throw at the TV screen “to express your displeasure at someone’s speech, joke or costume.” Tip: Play “musical chairs” at various breaks in the action to facilitate circulation and interaction, and keep the lights low… like they’d be in a real cinema.

Make sure to vote
Filling out the Oscar ballot is de rigueur for serious party-throwers (ballots are available at several sites on the Web). DuVernay runs a sort of pool, with each guest putting in $5 and the person with the most wins taking the pot. To get people mixing, pair guests off to pull together a “team” ballot. You get to pick your teammate, of course, which is the whole idea behind this award-worthy evening, right?

Last year, author and freelance writer Margot Carmichael Lester watched the Oscar arrivals from the Hollywood sign.