Wife swapping, or swinging parties, have been held for years. Some of the first were the Roman Orgies. With the 1950s and then the sexual revolution they became more common and held more often.

The first common party to be held were key parties. Couples would arrive at the designated location and upon entering drop their keys into a bowl. The party would commence as any normal party with drinks, food and conversation. At the end of the evening all participating would gather in a room with men on one side and women on the other. Each woman would then draw a set of keys from the bowl. The man who owned the keys she drew would be her partner for the night. They would either go home or go to another room to have sex. Some couples would go to the same room, giving an exhibitionism or voyeuristic feel to the experience.

With the addition of newspapers, magazines and the Internet parties are larger with couple and group sex occuring. These days a common party would include a couple arriving at a hotel. The group of partiers rents out the whole floor. This enables them to go room to room pleasuring each other. No longer are keys drawn, you find individuals or couples that you click with. Chemistry is important. Then you retire to a room. It is common for more than one couple to be in a room.

Also it can be a more intimate gathering of only two to three couples. A hot tub party is common with couples renting out a whirlpool suite and sampling each other.

Thanks to increased ability to communicate parties are larger and planned more. No longer do couples and individuals need to stay within their homes. Options have come a long way since the key parties of earlier years.