Eurovision 2016: How to throw the most outrageous party at home

How to throw the ultimate Eurovision party at home

• 1/9 Just follow these 8 easy steps...

  JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images

• 2/9 Step 1: Set a dress code

  Dressing in the most awful, Euro-tastic outfits is essential to the night. Wrap yourself in tin foil like Ukraine's act in 2007, use a pot of gel and bottle of hairspray for Jedward or a brunette wig and beard to create the ultimate Conchita look. Or for the more old school guest, go ABBA. The Eurovision is more about the costume than the songs for some, so your party should be too. The wackier the better...

• 3/9 Step 2: Flags, Flags and more Flags

  Decorations are obviously a must, but you don’t have to worry, it’s pretty simple – flags! Flags on doors, walls, windows and even in your food and drinks. Any country that has a space in the grand final deserves a space in your house.

  Bernard / imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock

• 4/9 Step 3: Swedish Drinks Only

  Considering that this year’s Eurovision is going to be held in Stockholm, it seems only right that Swedish traditions have an invite to your party - so it's time to hit the hard stuff.
  Brännvin, or ‘Burn-wine’, is a Swedish special liquor distilled from potatoes. Vodka is the purest form of Brännvin, and is usually seasoned with herbs to create an ‘Akvavit’. For the real party animals, it can also be drunk as snaps, also known as a ‘nubbe’, in a small shot glass alongside a meal. For the less daring maybe, lager beer and sweet cider is also very popular in Sweden. And if you really want to get creative, why not make the Swedish mule cocktail - chin chin!

• 5/9 Step 4: Play drinking Games

  With all these drinks involved, of course there needs to be a Eurovision-themed drinking game? Take a ‘responsible’ sip every time you see or hear the following...an act wearing sunglasses on stage, when someone says ‘Sweden', there are dancers that have no relevance to the song - whatsoever, there is an act wearing practically nothing, someone is wearing tin foil - again, when the presenter shouts ‘Good Evening’ and finally, when a country's performance is unusually amusing.

  Rex

• 6/9 Step 5: Party food

  With people flocking to IKEA in search of its famous Swedish meatballs, why not give it a run for its money with a delicious selection of Swedish party food. We suggest you go heavy on the meatballs and throw in a few cinnamon buns and potato dumplings for good measure.

• 7/9 Step 6: Do a sweepstake

  While watching this gloriously tacky competition, why not engage in a little competition of your own? Organise a sweepstake amongst your guests, choosing one person per country and a pound to enter, with the jackpot as the prize.

  You can print out the BBC's handy sweepstake kit from here: bbc.co.uk

  BBC

• 8/9 Step 7: Make a playlist

  Create the ultimate playlist with Eurovision hits from over the years such as, Rise Like a Pheonix (Conchita), Waterloo (Abba), Flying the Flag (Schooch), Congratulations (Cliff Richard), Lipstick (Jedwood) and Just a little bit (Gina G). It's bound to get the party started and keep the mood up during any ad breaks.

  Olle Lindeborg/AFP/Getty

• 9/9 Step 8: Karaoke to end the night

  It wouldn't be the ultimate Eurovision party without a spot of karaoke after it's all over. Even if it's not your thing, it usually ends up being the funniest and most memorable part of the night. If you really can’t wait until the end of the night, why not put the subtitles on the telly or select the sing along version during the contest? You may want to have a few drinks first...