Roundup of easy party tricks. A collection of ideas that require no preparation.
When you’re asked to do a wedding performance, you might be thinking, “I was asked to perform, but I won’t have time to prepare or practice before the day,” or “I can set aside time to prepare, but I get nervous, so I’d rather avoid a live performance at the venue.” If that sounds like you, you’re probably looking for simple performance ideas.
In this article, we’ll introduce ideas that require minimal preparation and practice, as well as options where, once you’ve prepared in advance, you won’t have to do anything on the day itself.
Find ideas that fit your situation and preferences—ones that make you think, “I want to try this!” or “I could pull this off!” Even though we’re calling them “simple performances,” we’ve collected only the best recommendations—from funny to moving—so we hope you find them helpful.
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Roundup of easy party tricks: a collection of ideas that require no preparation (11–20)
Gesture Game
This is a game where you express a given prompt using only body movements, and others try to guess the original prompt from those movements.
The sight of someone desperately moving to convey something, along with the frustration that the prompt may not be communicated even then, makes the game exciting.
The number of people moving and guessing also matters: as the number of each increases, so do the perspectives on what to capture, and the chances of a correct answer go up.
An alternate version where you express song lyrics through movement and guess the song title is also recommended, as it reveals each person’s thinking about which part of the lyrics to focus on.
Stocking Sumo
Maybe you don’t even need any prep for this one? If you’ve got pantyhose, you can play a party game called “Pantyhose Sumo.” For Pantyhose Sumo, prepare two pairs of pantyhose, tie the feet together to connect them, then each player puts their head through the waistband of one pair and you both pull against each other.
The person whose pantyhose come off their head first loses.
Your face inevitably gets funny while you’re tugging, so the room is guaranteed to erupt in laughter.
It’s a bit tough for women to play, so it’s recommended for men who don’t mind putting their bodies on the line!
Size-Up Game
The prompts are all related to size, and it’s a game where the goal is to present items that scale up in size according to numerical order.
The person who draws the first number presents a small item that fits the prompt, and the person with the last number presents a larger item that takes the earlier ones into account.
Those with the remaining numbers, considering both the first and the last, come up with answers that would fit around their own number.
If the items scale up in order by the end, the group succeeds.
It’s a game where it’s important to anticipate how the people before and after you will answer while thinking about your own response—building a bond by carefully reading each other’s intentions.
Limbo dance
Limbo dance originated on the island of Trinidad in the West Indies.
It’s a simple dance in which you pass under a horizontally held bar, yet it’s enjoyed all over the world.
As you go under the bar, you lean your upper body backward.
The lower the bar gets, the harder it is to keep your balance, and many people end up falling backward.
The great thing about this dance is that it’s a hit whether you succeed or fail.
For those who aren’t very flexible, it can be tough—you might bow out early and get the crowd going right from the start.
10-second drawing
This is an icebreaker game themed around drawing that you can start right away with just paper and a pen.
The rules are simple: as the title suggests, you draw a picture in 10 seconds, and the others guess what it is.
If you’re good at drawing, 10 seconds is enough to make your idea clear; if not, the results can be hilariously messy and really liven things up.
For larger groups, you could use a variation where each person gets 3 seconds and three people take turns to complete a single drawing.
You could also award points to those who guess correctly or to those whose drawings are understood, and compete for the highest score!
Freestyle rap (improvised rap)
When it comes to freestyle rap, not only how many words you know but also your technique for rhyming well gets tested.
With a focus on the sound of words, why not try a rap-like exchange and enjoy a rhythmic back-and-forth? A full-on style that follows a track can be difficult, so I recommend a format where you respond to your partner’s words with something that sounds good.
Once you get used to catching the words, speed it up, increase the number of words per turn, and gradually work your way toward a more authentic freestyle.
Roundup of easy party tricks: a collection of no-prep ideas (21–30)
Draw a portrait on the spot
On-the-spot creations make for lively entertainment with great momentum, and the fact that they require minimal preparation is a big plus.
For some improv fun, how about drawing portraits of the people who are there? For those who are good at drawing, it’s a perfect chance to show off their skills, and even when someone who isn’t good at drawing gives it a try, it creates a different kind of excitement.
Rather than aiming for high quality, it’s usually more entertaining as a performance to capture a person’s key features and present a stylized caricature.