Liven up your drinking party! Fail-safe conversation topics and talk themes
For anyone who struggles to find topics at drinking parties and ends up with conversations that fizzle out quickly, we’ve picked out some perfect conversation starters for those occasions! Liking anime or music can make for lively discussions with the right crowd, but if someone isn’t interested, the conversation can stall.
So in this article, we’re sharing conversation topics that are easy for anyone to join and likely to spark interest.
Some may seem commonplace, but you might be surprised how rarely you’ve really talked them through.
We hope this serves as a helpful reference—and as a catalyst to liven up your next drinking party!
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Get the party going! Foolproof conversation topics for drinking gatherings (1–10)
A story about a part-time job from my student days
Anna Umemiya, a TV personality, once said on a show that when she was younger, she took a taxi to her part-time job and ended up spending more on the taxi fare than she earned from the job.
It’s a bold story, just like her father’s.
Part-time jobs are something almost everyone has experienced at least once, and talking about the ones you did in the past is a classic topic.
The more unusual the job—like participating in clinical trials for new drugs or working as a tour guide—the more interesting the stories tend to be.
Even just sharing “part-time job clichés” like those of convenience store clerks or clothing store staff sounds like it would be a lot of fun!
About health
As we age, not only our actual state of health but also our awareness of it gradually changes.
So how about not only discussing each person’s current health status, but also exchanging views on how each of us thinks about health? If the conversation focuses only on ailments, the tone can become too serious, so let’s balance it with positive topics, such as improvements in our health.
By learning about each other’s attitudes toward health, we may discover new insights that can also lead to better personal well-being.
Something I can say only now
Doesn’t everyone have stories that, while not funny at the time, turned into good laughs as the years went by? Tales of student-era romances or rookie mistakes at work—these conversations, which connect across each person’s own genre, can really liven up a drinking party.
That said, some stories still aren’t laughable if they’re ongoing, so choose your material based on the people present and the mood.
On the other hand, talking about something you’ve been carrying alone for a long time can make you feel lighter, so this is a conversation theme I highly recommend trying.
Liven up the drinking party! Go-to conversation topics and surefire talk themes (11–20)
current events topic
Every day, something is happening somewhere in the world, ranging from major headlines to small stories.
Let’s have conversations themed around these happenings and exchange impressions and opinions from our own perspectives.
If we only focus on major incidents, the mood can get serious, so it’s a good idea to mix in lighter topics as well.
By layering a variety of viewpoints, you’ll likely gain new perspectives and knowledge you might not have noticed on your own.
Beauty & Fashion
I’ve been hearing a lot lately that sales of men’s grooming and cosmetics are steadily rising.
As we’ve moved through the Heisei and Reiwa eras, men wearing makeup has become far from unusual.
Beauty has become a lively topic for everyone, regardless of gender.
And it’s not just about outward appearance—talking about what you do for beauty and health is great too.
For example, “That cartilage supplement has been good for my overall condition,” or “A 10-minute stretch every morning has improved my circulation.” Simply sharing what you practice is perfectly fine.
It also sounds fun to talk about fashion magazines you subscribe to: “The editor-in-chief of that magazine changed,” “The designer of that brand retired,” and so on—fashion is a topic you can talk about endlessly!
A story about messing up
The bigger and more embarrassing the blunders you’d rather not remember, the more they liven up a drinking party.
Stories that have mellowed into fond memories for you over time can be laugh-out-loud funny to someone hearing them for the first time—and most people have at least one.
Plus, when you’re cheering up someone who’s down about a mistake, if everyone shares their own slip-ups, it helps them realize they’re not the only one and feel more positive.
It’s a talk theme perfect for a get-together with close friends—you can even have fun competing over who messed up the most.
complex
A topic everyone can probably come up with when asked is their complexes; even though each person’s worries are different, it can make for lively conversation.
Things you normally wouldn’t want to say might work as a funny story in the atmosphere of a drinking party.
By talking about them, you may realize they’re not such a big deal, or you might bond with someone who has the same complex—there can be plenty of positives.
However, at a drinking party with people you’re not yet close to, this kind of topic might be unwelcome, so be mindful of the distance before bringing it up.