mypartyplan.com.au

How do you choose between Friday night and Saturday night?

“But I can ONLY hold my party on a Saturday night!”

If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that I wouldn’t be writing blogs.  It’s true…Saturdays are the most popular night for parties. Does this then mean that a Saturday night party is guaranteed to succeed while a party on any other night will fail? No.  It can work both to your favor and against your favor to have a party on a Saturday. 

Because it is the preferred night of the week to go out, most parties will be held on a Saturday (except for corporate or office parties). So if you are holding your party on a Saturday, you may therefore be competing with several other parties, events and social commitments of your guests so you may end up losing out some of your numbers.  When hosting functions on a Saturday in September or December, I have noticed that it is common for guests to “Stop-in” on the way to another party so numbers fluctuate throughout the night as guests leave and arrive.
Room hire and min spend for Saturdays are also usually more expensive and finding a venue for a Saturday can be difficult if not booked in advance.

Some clients are hesitant to book a Friday for fear of low guest turnout, citing that “my friends work till late on Fridays” and “No-one goes out on Friday nights.” This may be true, however, because Fridays are less popular (except within the city), you can often get better room hire, lower min spends, and you are not competing with numerous other events and parties. In addition, your guests can still stay out late because they are not working the next day. On the other hand, they may also be tired from a busy day or may have to come straight from work. Weigh up the pros and cons and choose the night best suited to you and your guests.  But do not fall automatically into the “I can only have it on a Saturday” trap.

Also consider the benefits and options for holding your party on a different night of the week. 

See negotiating with venues”