The State Liquor Code only specifies how alcoholic beverages may be sold or served to the public. Therefore, there is no description in state law of a private party.
So, what
is a private party? Think of a dinner party in your home. You decide who to invite for a specified event and you provide food and alcohol at no charge. A large event may be a private party, but it still will have the same components as a party in your home.
Consider the following when deciding if your event will be a private party:
- Is the event open to the public? The answer must be no. An event is clearly public if it is advertised in any public venue, such as newspaper, radio, television, or flyers/posters in public places. It also qualifies as public if a person not on the original guest list can acquire an invitation through purchase of a membership, ticket, or any other item that gains him or her admission to the event.
- Your guest list must contain names of specific individuals and be limited in number. While this number may be large, you as a host are still required to know the names on the list, and to ensure that only those invited attend the event.
- If a person who is not on the invited guest list contacts you and asks to be invited and you agree, then the event has just become open to the public.
- Your invitations may be directed to a particular individual only, an individual plus a guest, or an individual plus specified guests. An example would be a company holiday party, where employees and their families are invited. You as a host have an expectation of how many guests an employee may bring.
- You may not charge for alcohol in any way. This includes accepting donations or charging for admission.
- The host cannot provide a location, glassware, or mixers for a recurring event.