Thread: No chip and dip this year?

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OK… need suggestions/opinions from you SMART people!

I am having a Carnival of Horrors Murder Mystery Cocktail Party this year. I’m expecting approx 60 – 80 people and I live in a 3 level townhome (approx 1800 sq ft). Also because it’s a townhome, I can’t have much of an outdoor area, just my deck – THE ASSOCIATION rules . In order to make sure people move around the three levels, I’m doing the following:

Main Floor (dining room, kitchen, living room) - Buffet food (sliders, mini hotdogs, French fries, mac and cheese bites, mini bbq sandwiches, dessert table)w/ a waitress.

2nd Level/loft area (another living room) – Cotton candy machine w/ attendant and
Popcorn machine w/ attendant

Basement - A full bar w/ bartender, another living room area, cocktails tables and all the carnival games

Now, here is my dilemma… I would always put chip and dip type stuff on all the tables
for my other parties. If I do that this year, I’m afraid the cotton candy & popcorn level will get overlooked and if I move them to another level, I’ll have less party space. I really want people to move up and down and enjoy the popcorn and cotton candy. After all, everyone has to be interviewed for the murder mystery so there should be a lot of mingling going on.

I was thinking of maybe just putting bowls of circus peanuts (those orange marshmallow type candies) and animal crackers (the original Nabisco kind) on each table in keeping with the theme. Maybe even some candy corn, I can’t put actual peanuts out due to a few peanut allergies. No chip and dip stuff this year.

Suggestions/Opinions please ??? Thank you!

Maybe move the dessert table in with the cotton candy/ popcorn area with something creepy leading people to that area--like creepy balloons with weird faces or helium balloons with a glow stick and arrow attached telling people to follow the trail to their just desserts...something along that line. Or can you incorporate a clue, scene, something from your murder mystery into the 2nd level so people need to visit it to help solve the mystery?

Well, if I was at your party I'm not sure I'd leave the cotton candy machine...
I don't think small munchies will stop other people from going to other areas, but I do like the idea of the more themed munchies.

Thank both for your help! The whole house is sort of open so everyone can actually see the upstairs area. However, I've decided I'm going to use 3 different color tickets- one color per floor. In order to solve the murder one must have 1 of each color to go along with their guess. The murder mystery hosts (I have a company coming in - so I can play too), will only count each guests' guess if they have the 3 colors to go with it. That way each guest must visit each floor through out the party. Each guest will have a pouch necklace to hold all their murder mystery paraphernalia until the murder is solved. I will also be putting all the desserts (mainly cookies) upstairs with the cotton candy and the popcorn. (great idea- Minshe!). I definitely won't be doing chips and dips. I will be putting the circus peanut candies, cracker jack, and animal crackers all around instead. (thanks for your vote on that RunawayOctober!) I also would be with the cotton candy - LOL-BUT I'm definitely going to drink lots of cotton candy-tinis!

Problem solved -Thanks again! BTW- Minshe- have a Happy 25th Anniversary!!