A party is a gathering of people invited by a host to socialize, talk, entertain, or as part of a festival or other special occasion commemoration. Parties usually feature food and drink, and often have music and dance or other forms of entertainment. In many western countries, youth and adult gatherings are related to drinking, such as beer, wine or distilled wine.

Some parties are held to commemorate a specific person, day or event, such as birthday party, Super Bowl party or St. Patrick's Day party. This kind of party is often called a celebration. Parties don't have to be private. Public gatherings are sometimes held in restaurants, bars, beer gardens, nightclubs or bars, and hosts may charge admission fees to those who attend. Large political parties on public streets may celebrate events such as carnivals or sign peace treaties to end long wars.

Dance is a social gathering for guests to dance. It can be a leisure, informal activity, or a structural event, such as a school dance or a charity dance. The dance usually takes place at night. The afternoon dance is officially called the tea dance. Some dances have specific types, such as square dance.

The ball is a large formal banquet, featuring ballroom dancing. Female guests wear prom dresses; men wear evening gowns.

A dance is a party held in a bar or community center. Guests can dance to enjoy indoor music, electronic music or disco dancing. Dance music is usually chosen and played by record jockeys.

Carnival is a derivative of dance, involving loud chamber music, electronic music or industrial music. Carnival parties may only be attended by dozens of people in the basement, or hundreds of people in clubs, or even thousands of people in large warehouses and venues, or even tens of thousands of arenas, amusement parks or other large spaces in sports competitions. Revelry has to do with illegal drugs like ecstasy and ecstasy.

House parties are social gatherings where a group of people meet at a private home. Family gatherings that involve drinking beer drawn from a small barrel are called "keg parties" or "kegs.". The parties are popular in North America, the UK and Australia, and are often attended by people under the legal drinking age. Sometimes, even older partygoers break the law by offering alcohol to minors. They may also be arrested for violating noise laws, misbehaving or even arresting "blind pigs" (places where alcoholic drinks are illegally sold).

On college campuses, parties are usually hosted by fraternities.

Outdoor parties include jungle parties and beach parties. The Bush Party (also known as the "field Party") is in a secluded area of the forest ("Bush") where friends gather to drink and chat. These parties are often held by bonfires. Beach parties are held on the beach of a lake, river or sea, usually with bonfire parties.

School related gatherings for teenagers include dances and graduation parties in memory of recent graduates from school or university.