Nothing makes me happier than binge-watching a show. But what is even more fun is watching with friends! Gather your friends over to watch a Netflix show with these binge-watching party ideas.
I used to partner with Netflix to share my favorite shows. I currently pay for my own Netflix and will continue to because I love television and watch it. A lot.
We love Netflix in this house. My husband loves to watch movies while I prefer TV shows. My kids are open to both and love to discover new shows they've never heard of before.
TV Watching Parties are Awesome
Much like a movie night, you can also plan a binge-watching party. With new shows and series starting all the time, there are tons of options to choose from.
You can keep hosting simple and just put out some snacks or appetizers and enjoy while the show plays. OR, you can plan a themed party based on the show you'll be watching! And that is way more fun.
Even if you haven't started the show, you'll probably be aware of a few details that will help you plan the evening. Or you can do this at the release of a 2nd season and go all out with customized details that you learned from the first season.
While you can watch the show on your own, I love to use this as an excuse to see friends and have a super relaxing activity to do with them. You can throw a binge-watching party to celebrate a birthday or just because!
What I love about watching a series on a streaming platform, like Netflix, is that you can easily find a place to stop in case people need to leave or it gets too late.
How to plan your party
You can get as elaborate with your viewing party or keep it as simple as you want depending on how much time you have.
At the very least, snacks are a must. Duh.
Decorations
Decorations don't have to get too crazy. Look for ways to acknowledge the TV show through little details that you can set out around the house.
You want the focus to remain on the TV, not on distracting decor. Use small plastic animals for an Animals Gone Wild viewing party.
Or if you are watching a show like Aquarius (it's super dark but has a great soundtrack), which is set in the 60's, you can burn some incense, or use tapestries on the table and maybe light some candles.
For Scandal, you could put out a white hat. The League which is all about Fantasy Football could have football memorabilia. Nurse Jackie can have medical-themed paraphernalia. And just think of shows like Mad Men.
It would take just a tiny bit of research for you to have a few ideas to go off.
And you can always add balloons for some color.
What to serve
Food and drinks for a Netflix binge-watching party can be as detailed and themed or as easy as you want it to be. These simple fruit skewers didn't take too long to prepare and would be a fun little nod to the sword-fighting cat in Puss in Boots.
Since you will want to be in on the binge-watching, unless this is something you've set up just for the kids to do, you'll want to make things that you can make ahead of time and just grab them between episodes.
Pre-make pitchers of punch or cocktails (have enough for refills or set up a drink station so they can refill their own drinks as needed).
Make things that don't require reheating or are good at room temperature. Don't forget to stock up on snacks, things like popcorn, pretzels and even candy are perfect for guests to nibble on during the shows.
See if there are any big plot points or characters that you can use to name your dishes. And if there is any food or drink that is a big part of the show already (like the Banana Stand for Arrested Development or red wine in Scandal) start there!
Activities
While I could certainly watch TV all day, I know that some people would rather do activities.
Take a look at the shows on Netflix and see which ones you could recreate at home (in way less detail) so that you watch a few shows for inspiration and then complete an activity inspired by the show.
Cupcake Wars is a show that I watch often. I love to see how creative the contestants are with the flavors and incorporating a theme. This show is one that adults and kids would both like.
Create a cupcake decorating station for your guests to compete in a miniature version of the show at home. If you have kids and adults, you can break them into teams so they can work together. Or against each other if you prefer.
You can keep this simple, by just having them decorate cupcakes or you can set out different flavors that they could use to create their own frostings, etc. Don't forget to give them a theme! And pick an impartial judge to choose the winner.
Other shows you can create activities based on:
Bob Ross: Beauty is Everywhere - Get out the paints to make "happy trees."
Breaking the Magician's Code: Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed - You've seen the secrets, now see if you can do the tricks yourself!
Also: Chopped, Diner's Drive-Ins and Dives
Plan a kid's party
Binge-watching isn't just for adults. Netflix has tons of shows that your kids would love but they haven't found them yet. Sometimes what we'll do is if there is a new movie coming out based on an old character, we'll watch some of the old shows first, to get the kids familiar with them.
We did this with Jem, and although the newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie might be a little too mature for my kids, we can still binge-watch old episodes of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The New Mutation on Netflix.
To make a binge-watching party fun for kids, theme the food around the program you'll be watching. So for a Ninja Turtle party, serve pizza. Duh. Make a special punch and call it "Sewer Juice".
And if you can find them, get the kid's costumes (which can be as easy as buying a shirt that looks like a costume. Or you can create a turtle shell using plastic plates!
With kids, you may not be able to get the kids to sit and watch the show but you could have it playing in the background.
Have you ever hosted a Netflix binge-watching party? Invite me over if you do!!
A binge-watching party is also a great date night idea for homebodies!
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