I LIVE FOR A THEMED PARTY! Starting with a theme makes the entire party planning experience more fun and easier. Once you have your theme picked out, you can now create a color palette that matches, activities that relate to the theme and more! AND…you can get so creative with putting your own spin on commonly done themes. Superhero themes, for example, are a common party theme, so look for ways to put your creative spin on it so it stands out and you create an amazing unique experience for your client and for your party guests.
Here are five tips you can use to plan an amazing themed party:
TIP #1: Commit to the Theme
Themes could be inspired by a lot of different things— a movie, a character, a color palette, video game and more! Whatever theme you choose….COMMIT TO IT! Use it to create all the ideas around the party from the colors to the party to the decorations around the room. Your theme should dictate ALL the elements included your party from the colors, decorations, activities, party favors, food, drinks, music and more!
REMEMBER…when you create a themed party…you are creating an experience. You are transporting your guests into the theme and everything should support doing that.
TIP #2: Set the Party Tone
Set the tone for a themed party right away with the invitation. Make sure your invite clearly features the party theme and lets guests know what to expect. It is even fun to request your guests come in themed attire or costumes that match your theme. Another fun idea is to send your guests an invite box containing the invite AND a costume, t-shirt or accessory that matches the theme with the request that they wear it to the party. HOW FUN IS THAT! If you do that, be sure that when guests RSVP, you ask for each kid’s size so you can order their costumes, t-shirts, etc. For example, for a Black Panther themed party, you could send each guest a Black Panther t-shirt and have the guest of honor dressed in a full Black Panther costume so he stands out as the star but his guests all match as well.
Once guests arrive, be sure that the party space matches the theme. Transform your party space with cardboard standups, fabrics and decor that make your guests feel like they were transported into that theme. What would it look like to be in Wakanda? Here we used fabrics, characters and more to create a Wakanda dessert table!
TIP #3: Reimagine the Food
You can get really creative with the food and snacks at your party. Look for food and snacks that compliment the theme and better yet…find ones that compliment the main character! You can even get creative with naming your food and snacks to match your theme and character like these Hulk Smash Cookie Pops! Naming your food and snacks can be really fun like filling a clear drink dispenser with ordinary green punch and calling it Hulk Juice or if you are doing Ninja Turtles party…call it Mutagen! Kids will LOVE IT!
A royal ball or fancy tea party theme calls for more formal food options like scones, tarts, and mini sandwiches served course-by-course by party hosts. In contrast, a carnival style party may lend itself to more fun food stations where guests go around and help themselves. Let the theme not only help dictate the food, snack and drink choices but also how they are served.
TIP #4: Don’t Forget the Music
MUSIC IS EVERYTHING! Trust me when I tell you…you DO NOT want a silent kids party! NOPE…not cool at all! Think of it as the soundtrack to your party. You can use it to enhance your theme or make a dramatic entrance when guests enter. Just imagine how cool it would be to have your guests enter a Star Wars themed party with the Star Wars theme playing as they walk in! It immediately sets the tone and gets your guests excited about what’s to come.
Planning the music for the entire party should be part of your party planning process. Create a playlist and keep it going in the background. Themed parties are easy to plan music for…simply look for music related to your theme. If your party is themed around a movie…play that movie’s soundtrack. If your party is themed around a character, find music that matches that character. If your doing a superhero themed party, look for exciting superhero music. For this Fortnite party, the dances in the game are ALL THE RAGE….so we created a loop of all the Fortnite dances and the soundtrack and played those…ALL the kids ran to the dance floor!
TIP #5: Include Some Related Activities
Create activities that match your party’s theme and allow your guests to feel like they are a part of theme. Party activities should add to the experience of a party! An easy way to do this for themed parties is to look at the character, movie, cartoon, holiday, etc and research what they are all about. Then create activities that expand on the experience the storyline provides.
You can add an interactive station that lets the Superheroes fight a bad guy or test their strength against Captain America. Those who are most worthy might be able to lift Thor’s hammer during the party!
A Harry Potter theme might feature activities that involve magic or even the sorting hat. Unicorn parties are all about rainbows and bright colors. Christmas parties may include activities like baking or decorating cookies and Halloween parties may include activities like a Witch Hat Toss.
You could also look for local entertainment that fits with your theme. Bounce houses are great for almost any party theme. But more targeted entertainment like magicians for a Harry Potter party or Princess read-along for a Princess party or clown for a circus themed party makes the theme really stand out.
I hope the tips come in handy the next time you are planning a themed party. I’d love to hear your tips or what things you do to make your themed parties AMAZING….comment below and let me know.
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