Birthday Party Ideas – It Themes to Me...

Birthday Party Ideas – It Themes to Me…

Photo courtesy of ladybugkt on flickr

Everyone loves a party…even those grinches who say they don’t. Food, fun, friends and maybe a beverage or two…what’s not to love? But anyone can have a party. You want to bring it up a notch, to take your party not just to the next level but the next stratosphere. And throwing a themed party is great way to guarantee that yours will be an affair to remember.

The Classic Carnival with an Adult Twist

Recently a colleague wrote a blog about volunteering at a carnival fund raiser aimed at an adult audience. What a great idea! Raise your hand if, at the last child’s birthday you went to, you wanted to boot the little ones out of the bouncy castle so you could have it all to yourself. Me too!

We all look back on the carnivals of our childhood with extreme fondness. They’re wonderful memories of rides, games and more junk food than you can remember (sno-kones). It’s actually pretty easy to recreate that with an adult twist. Rentals have changed the face of party planning. Bouncy castles, candy floss machines and carnival games are readily available for rent. And if you want the carnival fun with a smaller budget it’s easily done. Serve your guests bags of popcorn, create homemade games and for a twist on an old favorite…Margarita style slushies (they’re really just unblended margaritas).

Making out behind the rides is optional.

Vampires…Do They Really Suck?

Like ‘em or not, vampires are the biggest thing around right now. And they’re not just for horror geeks anymore. True Blood, Vampire Diaries and the Twilight series all feed into the current Vampire phase.

Think of the invitations you can create! An open mouth with fangs, a cape, you can do hard copy or e-vites and let your imagination fly! And the food and drink could easily match the theme with a little creativity and some red food coloring. (Bloody Mary’s anyone?)

Have everyone dress as their favorite vampire (or werewolf or witch). And although some people will never wear a costume, there’s something about it that gets everyone in a party mood and ready to participate and have fun.

Roll This Way…Bowling for Adults

Boy have bowling parties changed! I remember going to a bunch of bowling parties when I was around ten years old. And they were all pretty much the same thing. Fifteen kids crammed into three alleys with decibel levels somewhere around a thousand! And the repast offered…mmmm, steamed hot dogs with stale buns and cold fries. And warm, flat soda pop.

Try revisiting that without having to wear shoes that have been sweated in by about 300 people before you. Welcome to the Wii Bowling Party.

Invite your guests to wear their old bowling shirts and organize an at home bowling tournament. Be sure to draw the names from a hat and try to keep spouses and dates on separate teams (a little good natured competition never hurt anyone).