PowerPoint Parties: The Must-Try Trend for Your Next Gathering—A Step-by-Step Guide to Hosting

While all gatherings are enjoyable, PowerPoint parties have surged in popularity for adding excitement to both in-person and virtual events. These themed nights allow every guest to play a role in the party's success, going beyond just bringing a hostess gift. They're also perfect for staying connected with distant friends or family, as they can be seamlessly hosted over platforms like Zoom or video chat.

The best part? Hosting a PowerPoint night only requires a computer, a screen, and the creativity of your friends. It’s guaranteed to leave everyone entertained and inspired to host their own PowerPoint party soon. If you’re eager to embrace this trend, here’s a complete guide to hosting your own, along with a variety of presentation ideas to ensure you’re the star of any event.

What Is a PowerPoint Party?

A PowerPoint party transforms the traditional Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow—commonly used in meetings and schools—into a lively, entertaining, and party-friendly activity. Participants create and deliver presentations on topics they choose, often accompanied by drinks, themed costumes, Q&A sessions, and other enjoyable elements.

You don’t need Microsoft PowerPoint to host a PowerPoint party; alternatives like Google Slides, Apple’s Keynote (available on iOS devices), or any other presentation software work just as well. These gatherings are ideal for small groups, whether held virtually or in person, and are not suited for large, rowdy crowds.

How to Host a PowerPoint Party

To organize a successful PowerPoint party, start by inviting a small, curated group of people who would appreciate the concept. This type of event is best suited for adults, young adults, and teens, rather than large or mixed-age crowds. For younger children, consider pairing them with an adult or older sibling experienced in presentations. For larger groups, forming teams to collaborate on presentations can make the activity more engaging.

When sending out invitations, clearly outline the party’s expectations. Specify the time or slide limit for each presentation, the dress code, and whether the event has a theme. If you’re hosting the party virtually, share the video call link well in advance to prevent technical issues. You can either let participants share their screens during their presentations or gather all slides beforehand and act as the sole presenter.

PowerPoint Night Hosting Tips

As a PowerPoint party attendee, your presentation can be as creative as you desire. (Most PowerPoint parties thrive on humor—both in topic and delivery.) Utilize tools like PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Keynote to craft a slideshow filled with images, charts, graphs, quotes, GIFs, videos, and anything else that enhances your message. Embrace the fun by experimenting with quirky effects that are rarely used in professional settings. (Why not let a slide spiral off the screen?) Here are some additional entertaining rules to consider.

Turn It Into a Drinking Game

Encourage presenters to take a sip of their drink whenever they use filler words like "um" or exceed their time limit, requiring them to finish their drink if they go over. (Always prioritize responsible drinking.) For added fun, choose a unique word or phrase—such as "pink umbrella"—and if someone naturally incorporates it into their presentation, the entire group takes a drink.

Create a Dress Code

Elevate the party experience by introducing a themed dress code. For instance, if the presentations focus on historical figures, have attendees dress as their chosen personality. Alternatively, you could suggest business attire or a monochromatic outfit theme.

Consider Assigning Topics

While allowing guests to unleash their creativity and present diverse topics is enjoyable, assigning a specific theme or topic can add structure and a fun challenge to your PowerPoint night. This approach pushes participants to develop enthusiasm for their assigned subject, and you can enjoy their creative attempts to make their presentations engaging. (Extra credit if you pick highly unusual topics, such as the manufacturing process of staples or the origins of sand.)

Award Prizes

To make your PowerPoint party more engaging, introduce a competitive element. Select an exciting prize and design a scoring system that evaluates aspects like presentation quality, argument strength, visual choices, outfit creativity, time management, and other criteria you deem important. Encourage attendees to score each other’s presentations in a lighthearted manner, and award the top scorer with the prize.

Share Presentations

After your PowerPoint party concludes, consider sharing the presentations (with consent) with all attendees. This allows everyone to revisit their favorite highlights, and virtual participants can enjoy the fun they might have missed. It might even inspire them to organize their own PowerPoint event.

30 PowerPoint Party Theme Ideas

Eager to host a themed PowerPoint party? While the classic Drink, Talk, Learn (DTL) format—where participants present on any topic they’re passionate about—is always a hit, you can also explore creative party themes. Check out the list below for some innovative PowerPoint night ideas.

1. Drunk history: Participants select a historical figure or event to present on. Encourage dressing up as the chosen figure or from that era, and suggest having a drink or two before presenting to add an entertaining twist.
2. The best [whatever] of all time: Each presenter picks a movie, TV show, video game, board game, fictional character, food, city, etc., and argues why their choice is the ultimate best. Keep topics within the same category to ignite some friendly rivalry.
3. Conspiracy theories: Everyone chooses a conspiracy theory and presents it, aiming to convince the group of its plausibility.
4. Assigning characters: Presenters select a category—like dogs, foods, or characters from a movie, TV show, or book—and assign everyone in the group to a specific role. (This works best with close friends.) For example, they might assign Harry Potter or The Office characters or even determine which type of pasta noodle each person represents. The possibilities are endless.
5. Who survives? Evaluate your friends’ survival skills in scenarios like The Hunger Games, a slasher movie, or a zombie apocalypse. Describe how each friend meets their fate and who would outlast the others.
6. Over/underrated: Each guest shares their opinion on something they believe is overrated or underrated, explaining their reasoning. Topics can range from pop culture and food to beauty products and hobbies.
7. Cast the movie of your life: Choose celebrities to play your parents, friends, partner, and yourself. (Make sure to assign roles for everyone at the party.)
8. Biggest regrets: Reveal your most memorable regrets, from failed highlights and spring break mishaps to major parenting blunders.
9. Dream pets: Rank dog breeds, explain why lizards are superior, or list the magical pets you’d love to own (unicorns, anyone?).
10. How-to hacks: Share your expertise! Walk your friends through creating your signature cocktail, finding travel deals, or mastering cool nail art.
11. The perfect undercover names: Give each guest a secret agent alias and highlight their spy-worthy skills, like expert driving or keeping secrets.
12. When a favorite show jumped the shark: Identify the exact moment a beloved TV show began to decline in quality and argue why it marked the turning point.
13. Crystal ball prognostication: Predict where you and your friends will be in 5, 10, or 20 years. (The funnier the predictions, the better!)
14. Worst gift ever: Document the strangest gifts you or others have received and explain why they missed the mark. Include photos for maximum effect.
15. Dream wedding: Even if you’re already married, describe your ideal wedding celebration if money were no object.
16. Bucket lists: Compare your wish list items with your friends’ and start planning how to achieve them together.
17. Guilty pleasures: Share your favorite guilty pleasures and argue why others should indulge in them too.
18. Me in the multiverse: Imagine your alternate selves in different realities, inspired by Everything Everywhere All at Once.
19. Junk drawer archaeology: Explore the contents of your junk drawer and showcase the weirdest, smartest, or oldest items you find.
20. Confessions: Come clean about past or present sins and explain why they were necessary.
21. Friends trivia: Test how well your friends know each other with personalized trivia questions. (No, this isn’t about Chandler Bing’s TV Guide label, though it’s Chanandler Bong, just in case.)
22. Word to the wise: Share a life lesson you’ve learned to help your friends avoid similar mistakes.
23. Phobias: Discuss your biggest (and preferably weirdest) fears and why they terrify you.
24. Two truths and a lie: Turn this classic party game into a PowerPoint presentation and see who knows you best.
25. DIY fails: Share stories (and photos!) of your DIY projects gone wrong.
26. Fandom vs. fandom: Presenters can debate their favorite fandoms, like the timeless Star Wars vs. Star Trek argument.
27. Awkward photos: Share those cringe-worthy moments from your life, whether it’s an awkward family photo or an embarrassing school picture.
28. Lottery dream: Describe what you’d do if you won millions in the lottery. The more extravagant, the better!
29. Pet peeves: Vent about your biggest annoyances, whether it’s the misuse of the Oxford comma or unnecessary honking while driving.
30. Celebrity crushes: Have everyone talk about their ultimate celebrity crush—past or present. They can explain why this person is their favorite, share photos, and even describe what they’d do if they ever met them.