Oscar on the Rocks

Besides the fact that the Oscars fall on a work night, there is simply no reason why they shouldn’t be celebrated with some good, old fashioned drinking games. I mean, last years show was over three hours! Three hours? Even the most Hollywood-obsessed among us is destined to get bored. Spicing up the evening is necessary. And what makes for a more interesting evening than a little competition—shaken, not stirred—with a lot of alcohol?

Here are some game ideas to get you going on Oscar night. They can be played with a few guests or many. Your drink of choice can be anything, but heavy guzzling may require some easy drinking beers or accessible shots. And please people—drink responsibly!

Game #1—I’ll Drink to That
Put the names of the nominees for leading actress and actor into a hat. When your guests arrive, have them choose a name out of the hat. Every time their actor is on screen, whether it is on the red carpet, onstage, or in the audience, they must drink. They also have to drink every time the actor’s film is referenced. If you have many guests, the game can be altered so that players pick a movie name from the hat, or guests can form movie teams. Every time the movie or an actor is referenced, someone from the team has to drink.  

Game #2—Fast and Furious
Assign guests a role as one of the thirteen presenters. They must drink throughout their assigned presenter’s entire speech.

Game #3—And the Winner is …
Have all your guests fill out the Oscar ballot before coming to the party. If their chosen actor or film does not win, they must drink. With twenty-four categories (including the obscure “sound editing” and “sound mixing”), everyone is bound to end up teetotaling a little. At the end of the show, tally up who got the most categories correct. She gets to dole out five drinks to any player(s) she wishes.

Game #4—Six Degrees to Kevin Bacon
Maybe this game is a little dated, but hopefully your guests are too. The basis of this game is that Kevin Bacon is the “center of the entertainment universe” and that anyone can be linked to him, usually by a maximum of six degrees. This can be adapted for your Oscar night in a few ways. First off, you could split your guests into teams of two. When an actor is on screen, let’s say George Clooney, the teams compete for who can come up with the lowest “Bacon Number” in the shortest amount of time.