The party kit concept (also known as a ‘party pack‘) is simple yet impactful. It combines the benefits of using reusable items with the advantages of sharing.
Set up within the community, a party kit provides everything needed for an event—reusable plates, cups, cutlery, and more. Borrowed and then returned, it’s ready to be used again. By offering a practical, sustainable alternative to single-use tableware, party kits help reduce waste, lower the carbon footprint of events, and keep materials in use for longer.
There are hundreds of party kits available through various setups, including those run by individuals from home, zero-waste stores, community groups, school PTAs, and lending libraries. Libraries of things, tool libraries, kitchen libraries, toy libraries, nappy and sling libraries, and even some public libraries have already added party kits to their inventories.
In this article, I’ll explore how party kits can be incorporated into sharing libraries, the benefits they bring to library members, and how they support the growth of lending libraries and the local sharing economy.
What is a Party Kit?
A party kit is a box of reusable tableware borrowed for an event and then returned to be used again. They contain reusable plates and cups, but many also include items such as bowls, cutlery, jugs, serving platters, table linen, and reusable decorations like bunting.
This makes it easier for people to access reusable tableware without having to invest in and store large quantities of items for occasional use.
Party kits are most commonly used for children’s birthday parties, with plastic tableware being the most popular choice as it is durable, lightweight, affordable, and suitable for young children. However, party kits have also been used for baby showers, workplace BBQs, community group meetings, and even gallery openings.
How Party Kits Fit into a Library of Things
The party kit concept aligns closely with the principles of lending libraries, and many have already successfully added party kits to their inventories. There are two main models for incorporating party kits:
Pre-packed party kits: These are boxes of tableware lent out as single items. This setup is common in locker-based sharing libraries or libraries where tableware is not the main focus, such as public libraries, toy libraries, and nappy libraries. It simplifies administration by reducing the effort required to prepare each rental, though borrowers may end up taking more items than they need. Here is an example of Share Bristol’s party kit listing: https://things.sharebristol.org.uk/product/2314
Customisable party kits: In this model, users build their own party kits by selecting items from the library’s inventory of tableware, decorations, and other party essentials.