Unique Party Ideas – Thinking Outside of the (Gift) Box

x's and o's with the words think outside the box

Photo courtesy of ArtJonak

With so many unique party ideas, we all strive to ensure that our party is the one that everyone remembers and talks about for weeks to come. We want our guests to have such an amazing time that our party is the yardstick used to compare future parties. And whether it’s a kids’ birthday party, an anniversary or retirement party, or a holiday celebration, we don’t our guests to see the same old, same old. We want something amazing, fun and different.

But since most of us aren’t Kardashian’s, we can’t just call the party planner to the stars. We have to do the work ourselves. But never fear! There are a lot of great resources out there to help you throw an exceptional and distinctive party without the celeb sized bill. All it takes is a little creativity, some hard work and the internet!

Unique Party Ideas – To Dream a Little Theme

Although attributed to several different people, it was writer Barbara Grizzuti Harrison who said “There are no original ideas. There are only original people.” Which, in my opinion, is pretty much true. Everything is a variation on an existing theme. Now some people may disagree but it does make borrowing ideas a little easier.

The best way to make your party unique is to find a rarely used theme and add a little twist. You don’t want to go so far outside the box that you’re in over your head. Having some perspective or experience is a good place to start. So, how can you add that twist to an already existing theme?

Unique Party Ideas – And Now for Something (Slightly) Different

The costume party. Yawn. We’ve all been there. Another costume party. How many kitty cats, baseball players and toasted westerns (a cowboy with toast taped to their body) have you seen? But shake it up a bit, add a twist and you have a different (dare we say original) idea. Are you and your friends great lovers of literature? Throw a “Favorite Literary Character” costume party. A big fan of the Oscars? Have an Oscars costume party where your guests can come as anyone ever connected to the Oscars (but hopefully not the streaker from the 1974 Oscars).

Bowling Party. Done that about a dozen times as a kid. But how about an adult bowling party, at your own home! Thanks to Wii, it’s easily done. Invite your guests to show up in their most garish bowling shirts (bowling shoes not required). Although you can serve anything, consider variations on our favorite bowling alley foods such as hot dogs, nachos and adult beverages. You can add some contests (ugliest shirt, most strikes, lowest score) to make things a little more interesting.

Kiddie Party (for Adults). Although it sounds a little silly, it is actually a lot fun. Starting with the invitations and carrying the theme through the games, food and even loot bags! Instead of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, how about Pin the Tail on the Kardashian? Simon Says can be a lot more interesting after a few drinks. And if you’ve ever watchedThe Ellen DeGeneres Show you know that Musical Chairs is a lot of fun when you add blindfolds.

Unique Party Ideas – Food for Thought

One of the best things about parties, besides the friends, fun and frivolity is the food! Food, glorious food! And often we see the same things at all of the parties we go to, so change things up a bit and theme the party around food. That will keep people talking for weeks to come. You can pick a country and theme it around that. An all Italian party with food, drinks and decorations. How about a Mexican or Jamaican theme with food and fun to match?

Thanks to the internet it is so easy to find recipes and decor ideas that will be central to your theme. There are numerous web sites devoted to tourism for every country. Have you always wanted to go to Japan? Serve sushi and tempura, decorate with cherry blossoms and have some anime going. Have you been dying to go to Amsterdam? Decorate with Van Gogh prints (off the internet) and tulips, use red light bulbs and serve…Heineken.

I was at a party recently that kind of scratched the surface without really diving in. It was French food and wine but there was no decor or games to match. While we had a great time (and the food was wonderful) if our host had brought it to the next level, it would have been truly formidable!

The possibilities (and countries) are literally endless.