Evening : An "evening" means a gathering of people, invited or not by an organizer in the same place (restaurant, bar, house, apartment, beach, park etc.), with the aim of socializing, talking or having fun.
The character-defining elements of an evening are the presence of food and drinks ; they are usually accompanied by music and dancing. As their name suggests, the evenings take place in the late afternoon, evening or night.
Some evenings are organized in honor of a particular person, a day or an event (in some cases we also speak of a party)
An evening is not necessarily private. Public evenings, most often paying, can be organized in bars or pubs
Birthday : An evening can be organized to celebrate a person's birthday. This kind of celebration is common to all cultures.
In Western countries, birthdays are commonly accompanied by decorations like inflatable balloons. A birthday cake is usually served to diners, with candles that are lit as the cake is presented. The number of candles generally corresponds to the age of the person. After the guests have sang "Happy Birthday," the person whose birthday is being celebrated blows on the candles to extinguish them.
A birthday can be celebrated in person or in a public place. Soft drinks and sweets are often served. For adults, birthdays are sometimes celebrated in a restaurant, bar or nightclub.
Dinners : A dinner party is a gathering of people in which people are invited to share a meal, usually at the organizer's place. In a formal diner, the meal is served on a set table. Evening dinners are often preceded by an aperitif in a lounge, during which guests drink cocktails while talking.
In less formal dinners, a buffet replaces the set table. Guests serve themselves directly on the buffet table while standing and chatting. Guests can wear an evening dress and guests can wear a jacket.
In less formal dinners, the organizer can ask his guests to bring food and drinks from the buffet themselves (a drink, a hot dish, a dessert, an appetizer). A night of this type is sometimes called a potluck. In the United States, potlucks are often held in churches or religious centers.
Reception : A reception is a social gathering where the guests are numerous and elegantly dressed. The host and sometimes distinguished guests stand near the entrance in a line to greet guests as they arrive. Each guest greets the first person standing at the entrance and introduces himself if necessary. The first person then introduces the guest to the others (in the row), then waits for other guests. After welcoming all the guests, the hosts mingle with the guests and participate in the conversations.
Although the term reception is used for several types of events, a reception does not technically include sit-down meals or balls given for example at a wedding.
Balls and Dances: A ball or dance is a gathering of people in which the guests dance. The dress code for the evening depends on the type of dance. In a formal evening, guests dance the waltz or other ballroom dance. Among the informal evenings, the square dance and the rave party are specific events.
Neighbors 'parties: A neighbors' party is a gathering organized in the open air, to which the inhabitants of a neighborhood, a building or a group of buildings are invited. The evening can be organized in a garden, a building courtyard or in a street closed to traffic for the occasion.
In some neighborhood parties, residents move from apartment to apartment to socialize, chat and consume alcoholic beverages.
Fancy dress or costume party: In a costume ball, guests wear a mask to hide their identity. In a fancy dress party or "theme party", they wear a costume.
Surprise party : A surprise party or surprise evening is a party whose existence is not known in advance by the party in whose honor it is organized. The most common surprise evenings are surprise birthdays.
In these evenings, the guests arrive before the person in question. Often, it is the friend or relative who is at the origin of the evening who accompanies the person to the place of the evening without talking to him / her about it. Guests can even hide and not appear until the person enters. All means are good to surprise the person, for example shouting all together “Surprise! ". Any decorations should not be visible to the person until they enter to prevent them from suspecting something.
Youth and adolescent evenings : An evening with friends for young people or adolescents generally brings together a large number of people and is held in a private place, apartment or house. The Anglo-Saxon term for this type of evening is "house party" (difficult to translate). Alcoholic beverages are often an essential part of this kind of gathering. In some countries where the law defines a legal drinking age, these parties are illegal when minors are present (as defined by law). Certain adults of ages are sometimes condemned for having supplied alcohol to minors within the framework of these evenings. Arrests are also justified in the event of disorder or breach of public order.
Dance evenings between young people and teenagers take place in bars or nightclubs, where guests dance techno, house music or disco. Music is chosen and played by a DJ.
Rave parties are large gatherings, sometimes illegal, which are generally held in the open air, in a field, a forest or a plain for example. These events are often associated with the consumption of various psychotropic drugs.
Student evenings and BDE (Student Office): a student evening is an evening organized for the students of a school by a student office or a student association. These evenings give rhythm to student life and are increasingly numerous (between 10 and 000 per year according to the Senate) 20. Today the majority of colleges, universities and grandes écoles have associations which have also become a form of advertising.
The excesses of this kind of events have led to a more important legislation on the evenings "Open Bar" or Unlimited drinks.