Host a Wild West Party to Kill For!
Last Updated on January 8th, 2024
Yee-haw pardner. We've gathered together some really helpful and detailed ideas and tips for running our wild west murder mystery game. Wow your guests with some ace-high decorations and food; our costume ideas and photo gallery are helpful for all.
Or scroll down to the party tips section (music, dance and slang) for ideas on how to add some more rootin' tootin' vibes to your party.
It's fun to create your own party playlist to play when guests first arrive, when they are completing the Whodunnit section and optionally as they are seated at the dinner table. Some classics we used to set the mood are "Rawhide", "Don't Fence Me In", "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly", "Three Wheels on My Wagon", "Wand'rin' Star", "Ghost Riders in the Sky", "The Cancan" and "Oh My Darling, Clementine".
The ladies in your group have two - optional - opportunities to dance "The Cancan" during the rounds. You may also wish to prime one of your guests to give a CanCan display or lesson in-between the rounds - perhaps while you are preparing the food.
"Great smokes. Wet your whistle with some Tornado Juice and mosey on down to Deadstone Creek, one of the most corrupt darn towns ever to sully the West. Thunderation, there's a blame mystery to solve ..."
The Old West had its own plumb colorful set of slang that can add a lot of fun to parties - but relax. You and your guests don't need to learn it - although there is a helpful slang sheet for all the multiple ways that were used to describe whiskey during the period. (We came up with 29 different colourful terms!) Each party character booklet is written with period slang appropriate to the character so you can have all the fun of the era without having to do your own research. For example, Wild Will says "you're gonna need a cold meat wagon if ..." whereas Kitty says "Oi'm wee Kitty O'Mara from Oireland and you handsome gentlemen visit my topping salon and drink my Oh Be Joyful Juice ..."