Gen Z is in their hosting era, and the holidays are approaching—which means parties to plan. YPulse’s (new!) POV: Gen Z Is Hosting trend report explores how this generation has brought nightlife home, and now that they’re old enough to have their own spaces, they’re eventizing occasions big and small. In fact, the majority have attended a planned gathering in just the last month and have hosted a get-together, dinner, event, etc. themselves at some point. From potlucks to themed bashes, and, yes, dinner parties, hosting (and hosting-focused social content) is having its moment.
So when it comes to the upcoming holidays, brands should be considering not just what Gen Z will be shopping and asking for (though we’ve got the data on that) but how they’ll be celebrating with their friends at home. Overwhelmingly, young people feel happy, excited, festive, loved, and cozy around the winter holidays—and our POV: Gen Z is Hosting survey shows they’re going to be leaning into those vibes with their own celebrations. Here are three stats on how they’re planning to host for the holidays:
Half of young adults say they’ll be hosting a gathering for the 2024 holidays—and it’s not even October yet, so we can expect that number will grow. And note that these are just the hosts, so the number who are attending a holiday gathering may be even greater. After all, 61% of 18-24-year-olds agree, “My friends and I always have our own holiday gatherings,” so making time for just friends around the holidays is on the books.
And while they definitely want tips, tricks, hacks, and shortcuts for hosting events at home, they’re excited to have these gatherings: 71% of 18-39-year-olds agree, “I love entertaining.” Out of all the fall and winter festivities (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Halloween), they’re most likely to be planning a gathering/party for Christmas day—followed by Christmas Eve and New Year. For those who might worry that it’s too soon to talk about these events, our data shows 77% of 18-24-year-olds agree, “It’s never too early to start looking for holiday inspiration” and 60% agree, “I’m on the lookout for holiday trends.” (And they’ll certainly be seeing these trends on social media sooner rather than later.)
So, what are these holiday gatherings going to look like—will they be all out ragers or casual hangouts? Young adults who are planning to have a holiday gathering are most likely to say it will be a dinner party. Headlines about Gen Z bringing back the dinner party have been popping up this year, and YPulse’s data shows the trend is very real: 68% of young adults have had one with friends.
And they like these events to be a vibe (just like everything else they aestheticize), with all the mood-setting décor and ambiance they can pull together—so the holidays are the perfect backdrop for them. For their holiday gatherings, 56% say they’ll be decorating. And TikTok is, of course, filled with tablescape and menu ideas for these events, with 56.8K post under #holidayparty. But we will say that 50% of young adults plan to have a gathering say it will be a house party, and 18-24-year-olds are more likely than teens or older respondents to say that they go all out for their holiday gatherings, over keeping it casual.
Our POV: Gen Z Is Hosting report digs deep into how much Gen Z loves a theme for their parties, and found 62% of 18-24-year-olds prefer a themed gathering / party over no theme. And what better time to have a themed party than the holidays? The majority of young adults think that all holiday gatherings should be themed, which is not too hard when it’s the purpose of the gathering, but they’ll be filly leaning into the seasons for their events in the coming months. Social media is absolutely fueling their themed party obsessions, and young adults are the most likely to agree they’ve seen themed party content on social media that they’ve wanted to imitate.
With themed party ideas filling their feeds, young consumers are bringing the concept to the dinner table as well: 69% of young people are interested in attending a themed dinner party, so expect their holiday dinner parties to be decked out. And as the time for getting the group chat to agree on a date and decide whose bringing what, these hosts will be looking to get the decor soon. So, with 66% of young adults agreeing, “Brands should make holiday decor and merch based on what’s popular on social media,” take a good scroll on socials and get party packs together to post on your own feed as soon as possible.
