Neigbours
You want to keep the neighbours happy - they are your neighbours all year round, and this party only happens once or twice a year. You want to be able to have another party. Don't piss off the neighbours more than is totally necessary.
Make flyers. Do this well in advance, to give the neighbours at least 3 weeks notice. Give the date of the party: some of them will want to arrange a weekend away, so they need the time to plan. Give a reason, say it's for a birthday; it's hard to argue with birthdays.
Tell the neighbours what to expect. You know how it's easier to wait for a bus if you know how long you have to wait? People feel more comfortable if they're in receipt of the facts. Also, if someone argues with you on the night, you can say "But you had all the information". Write on the flyer "long late party, brass band 'til midnight, DJs til dawn" or whatever. Tell them the worst. Don't apologise - you have rights too, you have the right to have a party.
This is the important bit: invite the neighbours to your party. Chances are they won't come; or if they do, it's just to have a bit of a nose around; if they come and stay, that's cool too. Even bothersome neighbours aren't going to be much of a problem: they'll get lost in the crowd at the party, and generally, they won't take a party invitation as an open invitation to the house. Parties are a world apart, they're not in real space-time.
Flyer the entire neighbourhood. All your neighbours on either side, and across the road, and those who back onto you, the whole of that side of the street. Party music carries a long way, flyer the whole block around you. When you go around, do it when you think people will be home. Take a pretty pal with you. Knock on the door. They're less likely to complain if they've met you. Smile a lot, be merry, make conversation.
On the night, if someone comes to complain, be polite, be sympathetic, and don't give an inch. Being polite and sympathetic will confuse them. If you're utterly stubborn, they'll get bored and go away. Remember this: The right to watch telly and go to bed is not more important than the desire to have a party. What one person wants is not more righteous than what all the party folk want. You're not breaking the law, you're having a party, and you gave full and frank warning. They might make allsorts of threats ("I'm calling the police" for instance, or "I'll send the Boys round"). Don't rise to it. The police won't come unless you're doing blatantly illegal stuff or causing some serious breach of the peace. Say calmly "Okay, I'll see them when they get here" and smile sweetly. Or you might say "Really? Is it really necessary?". Invite them in, offer them a glass of wine, apologise for their lack of sleep, but not for the party. Remind them it's a saturday night, it's a birthday, it's only once a year, you did warn them etc. Don't get heavy with them, don't swear at them, don't insult their pitiful lack of a social life. You will get guests hanging about being nosy and saying "Is everything alright? Do you want a hand?" The answer is "Everything is fine, no I don't need a hand, it's fine, thank you." Keep everything as calm and sweet as possible, but be utterly stubborn.
If the nigbour is being equally stubborn, try this compromise: offer to turn the music down after, say, 2 AM. They might haggle you on the hour. Don't offer to turn it off. Suggest to them that they sleep in another room in their house. They won't really do this - it's a way for you to show that you're not going to shut down the party, they will have to make some compromise, and you'll try to meet them halfway.
If the noise police come round, then you have to be polite and "sober". Do not let them into the house. You are not required in law to give your name. They have no powers other than warning you. If the party is a regular nuisance, then they can do something - give a formal warning, confiscate equipment, all that. But for one party, once or twice a year, they can't do anything. Be polite, thank them for coming round, invite them in (they never accept this). Let them take as long as they want: they've kept me on the step for half an hour chatting away. You want them to know that you are a reasonable person, having a party... which is a reasonable thing to do.
The next day, or in the next couple of days, make a point of contacting any neighbours who did get pissed off, and say thank you for their tolerance.
Make sure that you clear up any mess or debris from the street or communal hallways as soon as possible after the party. Do this before doing anything else, and do a good job. It earns you brownie points, but it's also common courtesy.
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