A GIRLS’ NIGHT TO REMEMBER – 20th ANNIVERSARY OF HOST A MURDER

Everybody loves a mystery. And what girl wouldn’t love to dress up, be ‘somebody else’ and play detective? But how many of us actually get the chance? Well, Jennifer Garner, eat your heart out because this year is the 20th anniversary of the hugely successful board game How to Host a Murder and it’s being played at Girls’ Nights Out all over Sydney.

Sydney businessman and restaurateur Peter Eedy knows exactly what women think of the idea of a ‘murderous’ night on the town. He runs the Sydney arm of the perennially popular Host a Murder, and refers to the ten plus phone calls he gets every day from bridesmaids and brides-to-be.

His enthusiastic girl groups range in location from Rose Bay to Penrith, and in profession from secretaries to company directors – even nuns love to play!

Host a Murder has its roots back in 1985 in California, USA, when a young lawyer and his wife decided to put an evening that was more than just your usual night out. The very first game was called The Watersdown Affair where guests were invited to Sir Roger Watersdown’s mansion for dinner in Yorkshire. Just as the guests were being seated for dinner, a Scotland Yard detective burst in to announce that their host had been found face down dead in his swimming pool. Every guest was a suspect. The remainder of the evening was spent unravelling the mystery of Sir Roger’s death and the identity of the murderer residing amongst the fellow diners.

Since the success of that game, a further fourteen games have been released – from Roman Ruins to The Good, The Bad and the Guilty, Power & Greed and many more.

Peter tells the story of a convent nun who wanted to organise a surprise birthday party for one of her sister nuns. After studying the range of scenarios available, the nuns chose the Chicago Capers game – also called “You Dirty Rat-a-tat-tat”. Nobody was more surprised than Peter when a flock of nuns arrived at the restaurant, dressed to the nines in 1920’s gangster and gangster’s moles outfits – except perhaps the birthday girl herself.

“You should have seen the look on her face when confronted with her fellow nuns dressed in such outrageous garb. It was one of the funniest Host a Murder nights I think I’ve ever run”, recalls Peter.

There are more than 25 Host a Murder locations at restaurants and hotels throughout Sydney, the Central Coast, Wollongong and the Blue Mountains. Host a Murder weekends away can also be provided at Terrigal, Wisemans Ferry and the Blue Mountains.

To find out more about Host a Murder and how it can make for a great Girls’ Night Out, contact Peter Eedy at Host a Murder on (02) 9661 8080 or check the website www.hostamurder.com.au.