Party Planning

Theme parties aren’t just for a child’s birthday party, anymore. The best excuse for a no-reason party is a theme party. Don’t think you can handle one? Think again!

So, you want to throw a theme party. Or, you want to throw a party but don’t have an excuse. Or maybe you’re just intrigued about the idea of a theme party that’s not for an 8 year old. Aren’t we all?

A theme party does take a bit more planning than your average get-together, but it can certainly be a huge amount of fun. It’s not the type of party that your guests are going to forget about in the coming weeks, either!

Here’s our Top Ten list of Themes, and a few ideas for each of them. The best advice with a theme party is really to let your imagination go wild. You never know – if your friends think that it’s a huge success, maybe you’ll be hosting a different theme each month!

10. Hollywood Party

Ah, the glamour. The lifestyle. Hollywood at its finest can be in your very living room! Hosting a Hollywood themed party is a lot of fun, and it’s something that your guests are probably pretty opinionated on.

If you’re not sure what to do, focus on a trivia game that will put your skills of either classic Hollywood, or today’s stars, to the test. Champagne in traditional, long stemmed glasses is a must for the rich and famous – and if your friends are really adventurous, go one step further and suggest everyone come as their favorite Hollywood star.

9. Beach Party

It doesn’t matter if you’re near the beach or relaxing at home – or if it’s 90 degrees out or 9. A beach party can be a lot of fun, and a great way to relax.

Serve tropical drinks with colorful garnishes, and bright hors d’oeuvres that are full of color and flavor. If it’s cold out, it’s okay – turn up the heat in the house and encourage people to bring out colorful summer clothes. You can even pick up beach themed decorations on the cheap because it’s off-season.

8. Casino Party

This is an excellent idea for anyone who loves to gamble, and wants to enjoy himself with a larger number of friends – or even just a few.

Set up several tables either indoors or outside (Be careful if it’s windy) and you can have a few games going. Poker, Blackjack, Craps, or even Roulette. Make sure that you have room for guests to just mingle if they want – not everyone will want to play the entire night, after all.

7. Traditional Afternoon Tea Party

Looking for something a little less casual, a little more themed? Try a traditional afternoon tea party on nice Saturday afternoon. It’s the perfect thing to do outside, though it works almost as well indoors.

Make sure you have plenty of tea (While plain old black tea works fine, consider going to your local health food store and seeing what exotic loose-leaf teas they might have to try), and cucumber sandwiches are a must. This can be a blast for a smaller group of people, but realize that the tea can get expensive, the more guests you add to the mix.

6. Wine-Tasting Party

I went to this great little get together at a friend’s house a while back. The atmosphere was casual, and there couldn’t have been more then ten or fifteen of us. She called it a ‘wine tasting’ party.

Each person brings a different bottle of wine – their favorite, or a vintage they’ve wanted to try – and everyone gets a taste of something different. It’s also great when the host wants to throw a party but doesn’t have a lot of cash, because the main attraction is being brought!

5. Uncle Sam’s Party

Having a BBQ and want a theme? Why not go with an all-American Uncle Sam theme! At the front of the house, put a life sized Uncle Sam to invite guests to come around back, and serve chips and pretzels in overturned Uncle Sam hats.

With the food, don’t worry about fancy steaks. This is America’s party, and what could be more classic American barbeque then hot dogs and hamburgers? Add pulled pork and beer and chicken so that everyone has something to eat, and don’t forget the red, white, and blue decorations.

4. Christmas in July

Want something festive, but the heat this time of year got you down? Grab Christmas-themed invitations (Or make your own!) and do a non-traditional Christmas in July party.

Sing along with your favorite Christmas carols and make eggnog milkshakes to cool off from the heat outside. Bake Christmas cookies and bring out the holiday Santa or elf hats to get everyone in the mood. With something like this, even the biggest cynic will be laughing and singing along.

3. Moving Party

If you’re moving to a new location, and want to throw a good-bye party so you can see your friends one more time, this is a fun way to do it. Use a piece of cardboard and write down invitations with a sharpie pen.

All you need is a stereo and some snacks for guests. If they want to enjoy seating other then the floor, suggest they bring folding chairs. Oh, did I not mention? The charm of this party is that everything is packed up and already moved – no furniture at all!

2. Potluck Pasta Party

This one can be a lot of fun with the right people. Make it a potluck, but ask everyone to bring a different pasta dish. On your own, try making something random and fun – like using flavored noodles, or a crazy sauce.

Write up little cards with the history of different dishes and put them around for talking pieces, and serve the food either sit down or buffet style. You can even do a pasta dessert.

1 . Baking Party

This is only good for a small group of friends – it doesn’t often translate well to a lot of people – but for a close knit bunch of friends, it’s perfect. Have a meal planned out, buy all of the ingredients, and let everyone do the cooking when they come.

Make sure there’s plenty of wine to sip on while you’re cooking, and if you’re not sure everyone can handle a full meal, make it a dessert or two. If you have the room, you can even do a cook-off. May the best team win.

Basically ...

There’s no right or wrong when you’re doing a theme party. Put your personal spin on the theme, and make sure to have the right friends for the theme. Mostly, enjoy yourself – and your guests will enjoy themselves, too.