Get inspired for your next party!
Move over kids, it’s time for the grown ups to have the most epic themed party! Whatever the occasion, budget, or commitment level, these 10 birthday party themes are quirky, unconventional, and memorable enough to be the talk of the town for a long time!
If you’re seeking a punny affair, this theme is the right one for you! Enjoy the “pundemonium” of costumes, food & drink, and games to wordplay the night away!
Who is this party good for? This party is pun-tastic for people who want to go full-out with their costumes, but works perfectly for those who are not the most enthusiastic in dress-up, as there are a few easy puns to create a costume for.
Costume: Think of phrases that have words that are common expressions but don’t necessarily go together all the time. For the minimalist, you could go as “Chip on your Shoulder” (tape a chip on a t-shirt). Some more committed ideas include “Cereal Killer” (tape cereal boxes to your outfit and cover them with blood) “Chick Magnet” (wear a chicken mask and a necklace with a magnet on it) or “French Toast”(Make a toast costume with brown pillowcases and wear a beret).
Decor: Unleash your cheesy jokes and decorate with punny banners around the home and at the food & drink stations. Little pun touches like a clock with wings (“Time Flies”) or cutouts of cats and dogs hanging from the ceiling (“Raining Cats & Dogs”) can also be a fun and not as obvious play on the theme.
Food & Drink: You can go for simplicity and label the items punny names, or decorate your food for full commitment. “Shrimp on the Barbie” can be presented on a Barbie display with toothpicks attaching cooked shrimp. “Deviled Eggs” can have tiny horns made of spicy chilis. You can even serve wine in a cloud shaped jug (“on Cloud Wine”). Just be careful to not hurt anyone if you decide to serve “Fruit Punch”!
Games: There are endless game choices for a pun-derful party! You can play a simple “Pun Pictionary”, in which you have to draw common punny phrases out, or hold a “Pop Quiz” soft drink taste test for example to see if people can guess which soft drinks they’re tasting. For a modern twist, you can even use emojis as a “Guess the Pun” contest (such as party animals “🥳 + 🐄🐕🦅 = ?” or monkey business “🙊 + 💼 = ?”).
This party can be done in different ways - You can have it themed around a single letter (such as the first letter of a birthday person’s name), any letters in a birthday person’s name, or the first letter of the guests’ name!
Who is this party good for? Depending on the letter chosen, this party can be quite low-key and simple to set up and dress for.
Costume: Although this party can be done simply, we suggest finding as unique of a costume as you can! Instead of a cat for the letter C, why not dress as a carrot?! Instead of a mermaid for M, how about a monster?!
Decor: Colours and decor really depend on the letter or letters chosen. If the guests are dressing as their own first letter, we suggest decorating according to the party hosts’ first name. Think neon for N names, orange for O, and X-Ray themed for an X name!
Food & Drink: Have guests bring food and/or drinks that start with the same letter of their first name (here’s some inspiration). You’ll get a wide variety of goodies and beverages this way that still will cater to all guests. If you want to fully cater yourself, get creative with the single letter theme and make sure to cover different dietary requirements, such as vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free. We also suggest opening the rules to include brand names to help vary the food and drink.
Games: A little wordplay goes a long way for this party theme! You can play Scattergories as a group, or get creative with this idea: Have people tape the Scattegories sheets to their back, and throughout the night, guests will fill in the answers. Then, towards the end of the party, have guests guess what is written on the paper on their back for a prize!
Have you ever seen TV shows or videos where people attempt to make complex food and crafts, and epically fail at what the final goal was supposed to be?! For the non-gifted bakers and makers, this party is for you!
Who is this party good for? You’ll want a core group of friends helping with the pre-planning for this party, because as easy as it is to flub a recipe, it’s even funnier with friends! You can even start a Pinterest board, similar to a wedding registry, filled with all kinds of recipes and crafts, then have your guests race to choose between the easy and difficult options!
Costume: You’ll want to DIY a costume for this, and if it doesn’t look just right, that’s the whole point. Look on social media for inspiration that looks more complicated than what you would naturally choose, so you naturally fail at the design. As long as you can move and eat, you’re good to go.
Decor: Similar to costumes, find a DIY art project that’s not the easiest to make. Bonus points if it falls off the wall at some point during the party! There’s no hard rules on decor, but we imagine this party having clashing colours, misspelled banners, and very little symmetry.
Food & Drink: This is going to be one of the most important parts of the party. We highly recommend you have each guest bring their own dish, it helps save time for the party host and will be a fun surprise the moment they walk into the door! There absolutely needs to be a cake, preferably by someone who doesn’t know how to bake or decorate. Note - if the food isn’t quite edible, set a little budget aside for some takeaway to be safe ;).
Games: In the name of Pinterest, we see this party being a crafty affair. Depending on your guests, you could try some complicated nail art, painting portraits of each other, or create some DIY crafts based on the time of year. You can even create separate stations around the house with photos the guests will need to try and replicate (examples here).
This may not be an unknown party theme, but it will be different for everyone! It will take a bit of research, but the results should be worth it if you can get as authentic as possible.
Who is this party good for? This theme is perfect for a birthday party. We also think it’s best if everyone dresses up from the same year for maximum impact, even if they weren’t alive during this time!
Costume: On a hunt for a vintage wardrobe? Why not make it a pre-party party for guests? Spend a day looking through thrift stores after researching the fashions of the time you’ll be dressing for. Don’t forget to organise hairstyles, accessories, and makeup to complete the look. You can even dress like a celebrity of the time if that’s easier to emulate.
Decor: Keep shopping! Search high and low at charity shops to deck out the party space, you want it to feel like guests are traveling back in time. Make sure to research and watch movies and television shows from the time for research. Speaking of TV and movies, you can have a reel of popular shows from the time period on a loop during the party. We also love a good playlist, and this will be crucial for a party with this theme!
Food & Drink: See what food and meal ideas were trending around the year of the party (fondue in the 1960s-1970s, Jell-O desserts in the 1950s, and energy drinks and Bubble Tea in the early 2000s.) You can also print out vintage packaging labels to replace current designs.
Games: If you did your research whilst preparing the party, you could create a trivia game about events that were happening at the time, Guess the Celebrity (show the image of someone well known from the time period), or research which party games and trends were popular at the time the birthday person was born.
This colourful party is all centred around the Rubik's Cube puzzle, but in this party, your guests are helping create one!
Who is this party good for? For people who love a theme but want to be a little thrifty, this party is perfect! You will absolutely need everyone to commit to the theme, but it doesn’t have to be a very extravagant as you’ll see shortly.
Costume: The costume and the game revolving around the costume are the most important parts of this party. The party host will ask guests to wear 6 items of clothing. You need to wear one item in each of the following colours- white, yellow, blue, green, red, and orange- the colours of the Rubik’s Cube. Make sure the clothing and accessories are easy to take off and on- we’ll explain in a moment.
Decor: Be square, or don’t be there! Incorporate the colours and cube shapes in decor - DIY Rubik’s cube lanterns with LED candles, colourful streamers, and square shape buntings are perfect for this theme.
Food & Drink: Embrace the colours and shapes of the Rubik’s Cube again! Make mini-sandwiches with fillings in the colours, have bite-sized brownies, cubed cheese and meat platters, and take ordinary food and shape them using ice cube trays. You can also assign guests a colourful drink to bring to the party that matches the Rubik’s Cube colours - think Aperol Spritz for orange, a Midori Sour for green, or a Blackberry Lemonade for a refreshing black mocktail.
Games: The goal of a Rubik’s Cube Party is to end up wearing the same colour from head to toe- which means you’ll need to trade clothing with other party goers! You’ll need a few rules to avoid a flurry or flying clothing around the party though. You can create rules such as no one is allowed to see people switch the clothing, if a certain word is said at the party, or when a certain song is played throughout the night. There may be strategies and sneaky behaviour to need these rules to win, but that’s the fun of it!
This party is perfect for the birthday person who absolutely loves to have the spotlight during their birthday week or month. You’ll want a committed group of friends ready to poke fun at the birthday person!
Who is this birthday good for? This party should ideally not be hosted by the person you’re celebrating, and is perfect as a birthday party. Friends should all be close enough to tease and roast the birthday person, and you’ll want some costume commitment, depending on how much effort you’d like to put in. It could be great as a surprise theme for the birthday person too!
Costume: The party host should decide how committed to go. You could ask guests to dress like the birthday person in a specific photo, a certain outfit they always repeat, or as one of their hobbies or their career. If time allows, have their face or an iconic photo printed on shirts to wear at the party! You can also dress in relation to the time you met, such as if you met at a swimming lesson. If you met as babies - you better find a diaper to wear!
Decor: You’ll want to collect photos of the birthday person from other guests before the party! Look for photos throughout their life, candid photos, fun memories people have shared, and awkward and embarrassing photos! Create buntings of their face, and play their favourite music.
Food & Drink: A requirement, of course, would be to have your birthday friend’s favourite food & drinks. But also think of some nostalgic memories. Did you every bake cookies together as a kid? Did they live on instant ramen noodles though university? Make sure the spread is fit for the Birthday King/Queen.
Games: The party host should gather the most random facts about the birthday person without letting them know, to create a trivia quiz for the party. You could also have a contest where the birthday person judges the costumes, or perhaps a dance performance. And finally, you can roast the birthday host if they can handle it!
This cocktail party isn’t the ordinary mix and mingle with nibbles and drinks. Take it to the next level with costumes and games to make it a memorable occasion.
Who is this party good for? This party is great for the host who wants a fairly low-maintenance set up. It doesn’t have to take guests too much effort for costumes and games unless they really want to. We do suggest having a little more effort in the prep than a typical cocktail party though to make it more interesting.
Costume: Have people dress up like their favourite cocktail, or characters from TV and movies that have a signature cocktail. Think James Bond for Martinis, tropical wear for a Piña Colada, or break out the gore and dress like a Bloody Mary.
Decor: You can be as minimal for this cocktail party as you like. At the very least, dim the lights, play music that’s easy to carry a conversation over, and use plenty of candles to recreate the aesthetic of a cosy cocktail bar.
Food & Drink: As this is a cocktail party, you’ll want to spend plenty of effort of the cocktails! How about creating a bespoke cocktail guests can sip on arrival? Or have a DIY cocktail bar so guests can create their own? Make sure to offer a variety of canapes to keep bellies full. You could have the guests even bring cocktails based on their costumes, or perhaps an unexpected theme, (example here).
Games: If you have the space, a cocktail making competition is a must! To save budget and have guests involved, ask guests to bring a few cocktail making ingredients for the contest. You could also have a blind tasting cocktail challenge (make sure to ask about allergies beforehand), where the winner can be given a brand new cocktail making kit to take home.
Y2K styles are super trendy right now. Combine the emergence of emails and online chats, and you’re in for a technically silly party!
Who is this party good for? With Y2K decor and fashion being so trendy at the moment, this party can be pretty easy and low-maintenance to set up for. You and your party guests may very well find some party props already in your home or at your local shopping centre.
Costume: Try to base your costume on your childhood email. Think of the funny emails you and your friends had back in the day - was the name of your email about a certain celebrity you loved at the time? Or perhaps something to do with your favourite animal? If you want to vary the theme a little more, you can request people to dress up in a style that reflects the time of the late 90s-early 2000s.
Decor: The first step is to find the best Y2K playlist, with some R&B, pop, and electronic music everyone will know from the time. We suggest using vibrant neon accents in the decor, and even incorporate some tech, by creating a streamer of CDs with fishing line! You can also put up movie and album posters, or magazine centrefolds of the popular celebrities and heartthrobs of the time.
Food & Drink: Think of the snacks you ate during this time in your life. If you were young, this might be things like chicken tenders, mini pizzas, fruit kebabs, and other dippable nibbles. For a fun touch, make a fruity punch with groovy garnishes and edible glitter.
Games: See if you can get a hold of some old video game consoles and duke it out on the TV! For the more outgoing party guests, a karaoke battle of the top hits of the time would be a crowd-pleaser (if your guests sing well!). You could also play famous tv commercials from the time and have guests try to guess what the advertisements were for.
Have a party outside of the house! This party is a great one to create a game and challenges around and takes little effort to set up.
Who is this party for? For someone who is tight on time and space at home, this party is great to do in any neighbourhood known for its op-shops. For guests, you only need to bring your wallet!
Costume: In this party, the costume is created during the party! You’ll alternate from bars to thrift stores, collecting items as you go based on a set of rules (more on this later). We’d recommend at least 3 bars/pubs and 3 thrift stores.
Decor: No decor needed for this party! If you are planning on having a large group of friends for this party, we do recommend making reservations at any popular pubs or bars you intend on visiting.
Food & Drink: For this party, it’s all up to whatever pubs or bars you visit. We do recommend having a few snacks at each stop - it’ll give you the energy to keep shopping!
Games: The party host should create some fun challenges for guests as they go from shop to shop to create an outfit. These challenges can be rules on what their outfit’s requirements will be. For example, guests might need to buy something blue (the party host’s favourite colour) at Stop 1, followed by an article of clothing with the same letter as their first name at Stop 2. We also suggest everyone to wear their spiffy outfits at the final bar stop, or have your friends go to the host’s home to dress up for the grand finale!
Looking for a party for two? Check out AmazingCo’s Thrift Birthday Date for some more ideas!
Feeling too inspired to pick just one theme? Why not trick your friends into a multi-themed party!
Who is this party good for? This party makes the biggest impact if people really get into dress-up, but as party host, you can decide how out there the themes for your party will be. This is also a great idea for two people celebrating a birthday who can’t agree on the same birthday theme- that way you can incorporate both ideas!
Costume: The whole idea of the multi-themed party is to tell small groups of people different themes for the party. For example, you can tell a handful of people the party is space themed, then another group will be prehistoric themed. Then, when they all arrive at the party, make sure to get footage of their reactions!
Decor: This is very dependent on the themes of the party. Playing with the example above, you can decorate toy dinosaurs in astronaut helmets, hang flying creatures and rocket ships from the ceiling, and play eclectic music from sci-fi and prehistoric films.
Food & Drink: Fusion food that’s unexpected and tasty is your best bet for a multi-themed party. For the space/prehistoric theme, you could make chicken wings with galaxy sauce (with edible glitter) or present vegetables in a greenhouse-like encasement, as if they’ve been grown in space.
Games: Base the games around the themes, and split guests into teams based on the theme they arrived as. Make it super competitive with some classic party games, such as Charades, Telephone, and Musical Chairs.
