How to Host a Themed Party

Here are the first few steps to planning a themed party.  I’m going to blog about this one as it’s happening.  As you may have read, I’m going to be planning a Sock Hop birthday party this year.  The party is going to either be in December or January – but I’m kind of an obsessive compulsive planner, so I’m starting early.  Plus, if you want/need a venue, sometimes it’s not a bad idea to plan ahead this far.

Choose your theme

Your theme can be ANYTHING.  Your theme could be the color purple.  Your theme could be recycling.  Your theme could be a sock hop.  Your theme could be Harry Potter.  Whatever works for you.

Get excited about it and talk it up (& gauge reactions)

The more excited you get about it, the more excited other people are going to get about it.  The more you talk about it the more interested people are going to get.  I mean – don’t talk constantly, just enough to intrigue people.  ALSO – gauge reactions.  If you tell somebody you’re throwing a swamp monsters party and they look at you like you’re crazy – that’s fine.  If you tell ten people you’re throwing a swamp monsters party and they all look at you like you’re crazy, you better make sure you know enough people to actually come to the party.

Make a list of each and every possible idea/activity that goes along with that theme

There are SO many resources available to you.  Google.  Pinterest.  Blogs.  Magazines.  Use them.  Here are some examples of ideas and activities based on the previously mentioned examples:

the color purple: grapes, grape jelly, Barney, that book by Alice Walker, purple, eggplant, that big character from McDonalds – Grimace, Purple Rain, paint or draw with only purple, eat only purple food, wear only purple clothes (my friend Tory would be much better at this than me)

recycling: environmentally friendly, planting, reusing materials, making outfits out of recycled materials, volunteering, farmers markets, gardening, clothing swap, book trade

sock hop: 1950s music, jukeboxes, Buddy Holly, motown, poodle skirts, making poodle skirts, prom king and queen, Grease, the pink ladies, records, diners, red and white checkered things, malt shakes, trivia games, dance off, hula hoop competition, limbo to la bamba, make root beer floats, burgers and fries

Harry Potter: dress up like characters, turn your house into Hogwartz, Harry Potter trivia, watch a Harry Potter movie, act like your favorite Harry Potter character, play Quidditch, turn Harry Potter into a drinking game, have a book discussion

Decide what you need and what fits into your budget/plan

Making a list of all of the ideas is a lot of fun.  But now, really, what works?  I can’t serve burgers and fries at my party because I have no way to cook that many on the spot.  I don’t REALLY know how you would plan a party around Grimace without getting a ball pit, which might be unfeasible.  But some of the ideas on the list are cheap and affordable – you just need to weed them out.

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Actually.  Not gonna lie – these clothing and book swap party ideas sound kind of awesome.  I’m going to have to think about this.