Tips for throwing a surprise party?

[Russkafin]

My brother and sister and I want to throw a surprise party for our parents for their 25th anniversay in August. We have never done anything like this before, and we are really having trouble figuring out how to get them out of the house that day so we can set up and have everyone arrive, but then also have them come home at the right time... and also be sure they don't make other plans that day. Has anyone ever thrown a successful surprise party, and how did you go about it? Advice please!

[Tak Mazé]

Get more friends and relatives to help :) They can distract them while you make preparations.

[ZephyrSamba]

Since it's the three of you planning this, could one of you take your parents out to a movie or what-not on the day of the party while the other two make all the last minute preparations? That's what was done with me when my friends sprung a surprise party on me a verrrry long time ago - the movie works well 'coz there's an exact timing element to it - you know when it's playing and how long it runs so you can get a pretty good idea as to both how much time you have for those last-minute things and just when they'll be back.

Alternatively, if you and your siblings no longer live with your parents, could you have it at one of your houses instead? That way you wouldn't need to worry about them being there when you were setting up, and perhaps you could invite them over to dinner or what-not in advance so you'd know when they were coming ...

Good luck getting this pulled together, I think that's really nice of you and your brother and sister to want to do this for your parents - I'm sure it'll come off just fine =)

[Natey]

Ye must bringeth salsa with ye.;)

[Jave]

First of all you have to make sure the person you're making the party for doesn't post here...

[solarflere]

First of all you have to make sure the person you're making the party for doesn't post here... I don't think his parents will post here just to spy in their 25th anniversay surprise party.:sweat:

[Chris Wood]

Give your parents a ring and tell them they must destroy it in one of the Hawaiian volcanos. That should give you at least a week. Unless you live in Hawaii.

[solarflere]

Give your parents a ring and tell them they must destroy it in one of the Hawaiian volcanos. That should give you at least a week. Unless you live in Hawaii. Or give them a lightsaber and tell them to kill Darth Vader LOL.

[Natey]

for REAL advice if your talkin a party with teens when some one opens the door crank up BANANAS

[EightOh]

Must... resist. Can't... resist. Apologies in advance.

Lucille (http://the-op.com/cast/Lucille): Are we going to the back? Is this what I think it is? Surprise!
Narrator (http://the-op.com/cast/Narrator): And she was surprised...

Glass shatters.
Narrator (http://the-op.com/cast/Narrator): ... that her family didn’t show up.
Lucille (http://the-op.com/cast/Lucille): So this is what my children think of me.
Television (http://the-op.com/cast/Television): (Theme to My Mother the Car (http://the-op.com/object/My%2BMother%2Bthe%2BCar)) ...More fiction than a fact / ’Cause believe it or not, / my mother dear / Decided she’d come back... / as a car

Michael turns TV off.
Michael (http://the-op.com/cast/Michael): Where the (bleep) was everybody?
G.O.B. (http://the-op.com/cast/G.O.B.): What are you talking about?
Michael (http://the-op.com/cast/Michael): Mom’s party, where were you guys?
G.O.B. (http://the-op.com/cast/G.O.B.): It’s the first I’ve heard about it.
Michael (http://the-op.com/cast/Michael): What about you? Neiman’s?
Lindsay (http://the-op.com/cast/Lindsay): Prison. Then Neiman’s. But only because I’m going back to prison, and they’ve already seen me in this.
Michael (http://the-op.com/cast/Michael): Buster? You of all people. Where were you, buddy? You barely even leave Mom’s apartment.
Narrator (http://the-op.com/cast/Narrator): In fact, Buster was worried about running into Lucille 2, so he never left his mother’s apartment. Lucille 2 was also supposed to go, but was waiting until she saw Buster emerge.
Michael (http://the-op.com/cast/Michael): Tonight, Mother was humiliated. And I want to throw her another surprise party, a real one, one where she’s not the one that’s yelling “Surprise.”
Lindsay (http://the-op.com/cast/Lindsay): Mom yelled “surprise”?
Michael (http://the-op.com/cast/Michael): Yeah, she went from giddy to devastated. I mean, it would have been funny if it wasn’t so... No, it was kind of funny.

[cheungcheung]

i've been to 3 surprise parties this year... one was ours that we were planning for our friend's 22nd bday..

2 of them failed..

only 1 was truly surprised..

it's too hard to plan a surprise party.. the odds are against you in throwing a successful one, it seems.

somehow or another, the person(s) finds out. it's still fun but.. the surprise is gone and you went to all that trouble to keep it a secret.

my advice is plan a party.. but not a surprise one.

[Sailor V]

When they know this I'll say we were just kidding!:sweat: :sweat: :sweat: :sweat: :sweat: :sweat: :sweat: :sweat: