While restaurants across the UK may be temporarily closed, here at The Light we wanted to make sure you aren’t missing out on dinner parties with friends and family! That’s why we’ve pulled together five of our top tips for hosting a super fun and easy, virtual dinner party from the of your own home.

Choose a theme

Whether you want to recreate the Caribbean feel of Turtle Bay or the British seaside atmosphere of George’s Great British Kitchen, be sure to agree a dinner party theme with your friends and family beforehand. Once you have this decided, you can then start to plan your event accordingly – from the food and drinks, to the music and even the dress code!

Add decorations

A dinner party isn’t a dinner party without the right ambiance! Get creative with items you’ve got knocking about your home, or turn your hand to arts and crafts to create the perfect decorations to suit your theme. Just remember to make sure these are visible on camera to the rest of your party too, otherwise your efforts won’t get the attention they deserve.

Decide on a dress code

Rather than turning up to dinner in your lockdown uniform of joggers and a T shirt, make sure to agree on a dress code - this will make the event feel more special. It doesn’t have to be the usual ‘smart-casual’ either; whether you opt for fancy dress, a certain colour, or ‘anything but clothes’, we say the more creative, the better!

Plan an activity

Just because it’s virtual doesn’t mean you can’t play a few games! Why not organise one round of a quiz each, to play during the call. Or if that sounds like too much planning, there are loads of fun online games to keep you entertained for the whole night! Check out game sites such as Jackbox for a whole range of hilarious games to suit everyone or if you’re feeling particularly daring, you can even play Cards Against Humanity online.

Make sure the technology works

The key to a virtual dinner party, is making sure that it at least feels like you’re in the same room as your companions. So make sure you know the logins to your Zoom account, your internet is working in advance, your battery is charged up, and position your laptop at the end of the table so your guests can see you and vice versa. There’s no better way to ruin your ambiance if you can’t see or hear your guests!

For advice on how to make the perfect quarantine cocktails, read our blog here.