No, the title doesn’t refer to a genre of dance music, but to a type of party you may wish to try during the festive period.

A progressive dinner party is one where each successive course is eaten at a different host's house. The guests progress from house to house; hence, the name progressive dinner party.

These types of parties first made an appearance in the United States in the 1950s, but declined in popularity during the 80s and 90s, being replaced by catered affairs. But those were years when people had money to throw around, and in recent years casual entertaining has enjoyed a resurgence, leading to the progressive dinner party making a comeback.

Look at this way: instead of the food travelling to one location, such as when you meet somewhere and order pizza delivered, the guests travel to the location of the food. Everyone begins at the first house with appetisers, then the guests move en masse to the next house for the next course of the meal. The pressure is off of any one person to be the sole host of the party, both in the entertaining and cost. With the economy the way it is, and with people always looking at the next way to be original, this strikes manic! as an interesting idea and an opportunity to try something new this Christmas, while giving the opportunity for large families to all share in the preparation and hosting of the big events.

A weekend may work best for your progressive party, as a four-course dinner will take nearly four hours. Each course (appetisers, salad/soup, main course, dessert) will last about 45 minutes. Plus, you'll need to include an appropriate time cushion between courses as guests walk (or take a car ride) to the next destination.

Here are a few tips to get you started. First: select the hosts. A maximum of three or four is usually enough.

Then, form a guest list, keeping in mind the size of everyone's homes. While 24 people might easily fit in the house of the person who is handling the appetisers, they might not comfortably fit into the home of the person serving the main course, where the guests are more likely to be seated.

Keep the homes close together. It’s better if you can plan a party where there is no driving involved, and therefore no need for designated drivers. However, if driving has to be done, you must organise the transport in advance so there are no last minute hitches.

When planning the menu, consider foods that can be prepared in advance so that the hosts can also relax and enjoy the party.

What about the children? One idea is to have the kids at the last house with a babysitter or two. They can watch movies and eat kid-friendly food while you are enjoying adult conversation. Then you join the children for your last stop, dessert, which is probably the only one that the children are interested in anyway.

Whether guests ride or walk from home to home, you'll want to designate ‘people movers’ to ensure that guests are subtly corralled and mobilised at appointed times; this will keep the party on track, especially as the day progresses.

Staying on schedule also allows you to predict when you'll arrive at each home, something that's important if any of your guests plan to drop in just for cocktails or dessert. The fluid nature of a progressive dinner party is part of its appeal. Guests aren't locked into an hours-long commitment, but can attend as their schedules permit. And because hosts aren't required to plan, prepare and serve each course, they're free to party down, too. It's a win/win situation.

This article first appeared in The Malta Independent on Sunday's Manic! magazine.