A party generally means the same thing for most of us - a gathering of invited people getting together for celebration, fun and socialising. A party typically features some kind of theme, food and drink, dressing up, music and dancing, maybe speaches and often some kind of decorations.

Some parties are held in honour of a specific person, day or event - such as a birthday party, a St. Patrick’s Day party or a wedding party. Generally parties are a celebrations of something as diverse as from a religious festival to a music festival or a fundraising party. Of course, the reason for the party tends to determine the size, the cost and the location of it.

Most of us have been to a dinner party, a birthday party, a themed childrens party, a house warming party or to a surprise party but not all parties are private occasion. Public parties are sometimes held in hotels, restaurants, parks, sports venues and schools. People attending such parties may be charged an admission fee to be part of it.

The business world also celebrates achievements and special occasions with branded events featuring pop up displays and promotional merchandise prominently displayed. Awards are often the focal point of these celebrations with prices given to top performers. The awards could be either general performance related or prices such as holidays, trophies, memberships or tickets to other events.