This is not your mother’s dinner party—no formal wear and small talk with relatives here.

Instead, art-focused craft and dinner parties hosted by Gen Z creatives are brushing off the dust and putting away the doilies of yesteryear and bringing the “party” back to dinner parties.

“Dinner parties are so intimate and are such a great way to build community and grow friendships,” said Alessandra Brontsema, who went viral on TikTok for her elaborate dinners. “Who doesn’t love to gather and catch up over yummy food and fun drinks?”

Since eating takes up hours of our days, everyday, making food a social space just makes sense. Plus, it can be beneficial for both filling bellies and building community, to Brontsema’s point above.

According to a 2022 survey by The American Heart Association, 84% of the 1,000 adults surveyed wished they could share a meal with loved ones more often. Even more, the study found a correlation between sharing meals and lowering stress.

“Connecting with friends, family, coworkers and neighbors benefits people beyond stress relief,” reads the American Heart Association’s site. “In fact, the survey found 67% of people say sharing a meal remind them of the importance of connecting with other people, and 54% say it reminds them to slow down and take a break.”

While attending these elaborate dinner parties may lower stress, what about hosting them? Brontsema’s videos, captioned “Cooking for friends & hosting dinner parties is my love language,” show the process she has for planning, cooking and decorating ahead of her gatherings.

“I truly love all the prep that’s involved,” said Brontsema. “Cooking is seriously such a passion of mine and very much so a creative outlet for me, so I love the whole preparation process. Another favorite part is when friends arrive and see the full theme developed through the table and food.”

Many others are in agreement with Brontsema’s love language, demonstrated by an increase in searches for “dinner parties” — according to Pinterest’s 2024 Summer Trends Report, it’s an over 6000% increase, to be exact.

Other trending searches from the Pinterest 2024 Summer Trends Report include:

• Themed dinner party; +44%
• Fairy dinner party; +150%
• Greek dinner party; +75%
• Chinese dinner party; +70%
• Coastal dinner party; +70%
• Vintage dinner party; +30%
• Floral tea party +160%

This burst of interest is also helping others turn this fun past time into a full-time job. Amelia Edmondson, of Costa Mesa, California, began sharing her dinners and movie nights in 2022 and, after a Galentine’s Day party with her friend Talia, they both saw just how powerful the meager dinner party could be.

“That content went viral, and it showed me just how much people enjoy seeing this type of content,” said Edmondson of the pre-Valentine’s day gathering. “It gave me the push I needed to make hosting more of my niche. It’s so funny because I remember worrying that people would think the content was boring or over the top and the response was the complete opposite.”

While she certainly has plenty of friends and followers now—about 49K on TikTok and another 119K on Instagram—Edmondson recounts a time when making friends was harder, and so it became even more important to create these spaces for intimate connection.

“I’m often asked where I found friends to come to my dinners, and I remember many times when I didn’t have a group of friends who would join in something like this,” she recounted. “Some of my best friendships started with me going out on a limb and inviting an acquaintance to one of my events. Hosting creates such a sweet space for connection, and it doesn’t have to be perfectly Instagrammable to be a success.”

It’s not too late to get in on the trend, as really, it all boils down to a good old fashioned dinner party. Gather a few friends, some dishes and, as Edmondson shared, some flowers from Trader Joe’s and that is all you need to get started.

“I hope to be a creator that inspires others to host and try something new,” she said. “It’s such a simple way to romanticize any typical day, and gathering around a table with my people always leaves me feeling filled up.”