Hogberry, Soursop, Tamarind, Dragonfruit, Pomello, Mandarinquat, Coconut. Fruit Party had it all. Well, not really, there's a million fruits out there so we really just scraped the surface. It didn't matter. Fruit Party was juicy good.
The month prior, in December, I had recorded myself discovering, opening and trying one unique jam from the Bonne Maman advent calendar. My partner, Maddie had gotten it for me. She got it for me the year before, too. I loved it. Maybe it's becoming a tradition. (I wouldn't be mad.) Over the course of those 24 curiously delectable, fruit-filled days, it had dawned on me that 1. Yes, starting your day off with a unique fruit combination is wonderful and 2. Why not have a day where you try as much fruit as you can?
I have loved fruit for a while. The names. The endless varieties. The juice. The combinations. (Smoothies are my favorite food group; sorry chicken tenders.) A day, or an afternoon, or in this case an evening of exploration through fruit. So, what was Fruit Party actually?
I have been hosting a once-a-month Friday night adventure series called Glow Worm. One Friday a month, I'd plan an event, something less drinking focused, more adventure, more active, ideally something a bit unique that you wouldn't normally do. It's a little harder to do that in January- at least in Denver. So, Fruit Party became one of these Friday night adventures. I sent texts to many of my friends, inviting them to 'Fruit Party' where I'd ask they bring a unique, weird or exotic fruit to share at the party. People came. They brought fruit. A lot of fruit. Arguably too much fruit if there could be such a thing. We played some games. We gave away two incredible fruit baskets courtesy of our generous event sponsor: Honey Bear Fruit Baskets.
Fruit Party was a success. And here's how you can throw a successful party too.
1. Invite Your Guests
You need people at your Fruit Party. Invite guests that you think would be fun to have. People that like fruit or are open to interesting ideas. Encourage them to bring a fruit- whatever they'd like- maybe something exotic or unique or something they've wanted to try. I did not create a spreadsheet, although I did consider it. I ultimately decided that that was a little more structure than I wanted and if somehow eight people brought kiwis, it'd make for a funny bit anyway. That didn't happen. We did have two hogberries, which let me tell you, is plenty. Encourage them to bring friends! The more the merrier.
2. Get Some Fruit
Okay of course as the host of a fruit party, you should have some fruit on hand. I had reached out to a local fruit basket company that I mentioned above, Honey Bear Fruit Baskets and they kindly offered to donate a fruit basket for the party to giveaway. On top of this, they also generously sent us with 10 lbs of mandarinquats. Even more, Honey Bear also donated some really unique apples that I hadn't heard of or seen before. Hidden Rose Apples. A must try. They cut pink on the inside and had subtle notes of pink lemonade. Thank you so much, Honey Bear Fruit Baskets!
2. Setup a Photo Station
I had seen a friend do this for a party that they recently hosted. Having been donated the fruit baskets, mandarinquats and apples I thought having the photo station would help create some good content for both Honey Bear and the partygoers! It did! The photobooth was in another part of the house, off to the side so it did take some pulling people over to go take photos with the fruit and baskets. But once we did, it was a blast! We took so many goofy photos that I sent to everyone after. Here's the exact ring light + selfie station that I bought.
3. Prepare Some Music
You can make a fruit-themed playlist or just something that will be a nice backdrop to the party. I found a fruit themed playlist that actually worked pretty well. Here it is on Spotify.
4. Plan Some Activities
I thought it'd be fun to have folks paint or watercolor fruit that they could then take with them. I wasn't sure if people actually would or not but I wanted to at least have it as an option. It was popular! I had red solo cups out with water. Put some old magazine out to not destroy the table. Had all the supplies to watercolor and people went to town! I also bought some miniature doll house frames that I have used in the past for some of my own painting projects. Here's where I buy them.
One of the fruit baskets was given away to whoever painted the most beautiful fruit portrait. My friend Chris won! It was a Japanese-inspired banana. Highly topical as an hour before we played real life fruit ninja!
Which leads me to my next activity. I did not plan this nor had I ever even thought of it. Chris had suggested we play fruit ninja with my partner, Maddie's machete. Don't ask. We Fruit Ninja'd in the backyard with bananas; it was a good time.
About an hour into the party I also had planned to do a drawing for one of the fruit baskets. I had pre-made a smoothie from a book that I have, The Blender Girl by Tess Masters. I let everyone draw a number from a bowl and I had a matching number in my hand that would be the winner. To get everyone's attention, I blended the smoothie and once it finished, I announced the winner. This one went to my buddy Nate's guest, Lily!
5. Try Some Fruit
Fortunately, you don't need too many planned activities. That's what the fruit is for. It's a great conversation starter. It's fun to explore and try new things. Honestly, a fruit party is a great event to host if you have a lot of folks that don't already know each other. Which is why you should host a fruit party! Make some new friends and connect your friends to other people you think they'd benefit from knowing. All while eating a bunch of exotic fruits!
That's it! I hope you found this even a little helpful. And I hope you throw an incredible fruit party!
