Party Theme Ideas

Oh, the old question of party theme. A great one that is properly executed can really make a party that your guests will be talking about for months. One that flops or gets poor participation from your guests can cause mild embarrassment and put a shadow over the whole event. Here are some party theme ideas, complete with decoration and attire tips. Just remember, keep your guests’ taste in mind when you choose one: That’s the secret to having a winning theme.

Just For Fun

Back to the Future: Think retro-visions of the future, not the popular series of movies. In this theme, 1950s-‘60s notions of technology and science are the focus. This could be a great one for a tech firm or any group that’s into geekery and not afraid to look silly.

Costume Ideas: Robots, astronauts, scientific phenomena (electrons, etc.)
Decorations: Think minimalist, but with colored/interesting lighting and light fixtures, carefully placed aluminum foil, and any old gizmos or small appliances you can pick up at your local junk store.
Food: Color is your friend here. Bubbly champagne cocktails dyed blue are clearly drinks of the future, as is a Tang and vodka cocktail. For food, you will need a Jello mold on a light up table.

Luau: This one’s easy, and always fun—who doesn’t like drinking fruity drinks and eating shrimp cocktail? The costume ideas, decorations, and foods are easy to come by, but please don’t just buy the “Hawaiian” party package at your local party store.

1980’s: This is particularly great for a group that you know isn’t going to shell out money for a costume; it’s easy to put together a great ‘80s outfit from various pieces you already own. Just remind your guests about off-the-shoulder T-shirts, leg warmers, and neon colors, and you should be fine. It’ll be easy to put together a slammin’ playlist, and for drinks, just pick up a few dozen four-packs of wine coolers.

Classy

Maybe you doubt the viability of having Grandma wear her best ‘80s themed duds to your sister’s engagement party. These classy themes are a bit more accessible and will certainly create a different feel at your party.

Classic Hollywood: Here you’ll want guests to don their best dry-clean-only duds, satin gloves, and sparkly hair combs. Put some old time jazz on the turntable, and decorate with stills from old Hollywood movies like Gone With the Wind and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Choose a Color: Although black and white is the old standard, any color works for this theme. Blue or red are great, too. The best part of this theme is that it’s low stress—pick up invites in the particular shade you wish your guests to wear, and they’ll know exactly how to look when they show up at the door. Buy long, curtain-like lengths of fabric in that color and an accenting one from your local fabric store, and use them to drape your walls. Colored cocktails aren’t a bad idea, either.