Party Ideas and Themes

Abba Party - Face your Waterloo, Dancing Queen, Muriel's Wedding, the ultimate 70's Party

Animal Instincts - Animal print fabrics really get the party howling. Feather boas are bound to tickle your fancy.

Alphabet Party - Choose a letter of the alphabet that requires everyone to dress up as a character that begins with... Examples: P = Peter Pan, Pirate, Pig, Policeman. Award a prize for the best / original costume (champagne) 

Arabian Nights Party - Your own Lawrence of Arabia spectacular with veils and long robes.  Someone might even go as a camel.

Army Party - Boot Camp will never be the same!  Watch the show for ideas but remember army greens, face paint or Good Morning Vietnam.

Austin Powers - 60's party.. groovy baby!

B-Side Party - Invite your guests to dress-up as their favourite pop star. See Pop Stars

Back to School Party - Hold the party at a school gym (maybe even the guest of honor�s old school if possible). Invite old school friends. Decorate room with memorabilia from the honoree�s school years, crepe streamers in school colors. Serve "kid" appropriate food or food from that period in time. 

Backwards Party - Lame idea if you ask us, but at least 2 people sent us this one.

Backyard Olympics - Really a day party for the backyard.  Think of any game you can turn into a mini Olympics of challenges.

Bad Taste Party - 
Dress Ideas - Torn Stockings, Clashing Colors, Sagging Chests (bra filled with water balloons), Housecoats, Curlers, Unbuttoned Shirts Showing Hairy Chests, Gold Chains, moustaches, Characters: Hitler, Tampon, Royal Family, Decorate the place (or undecorate it?) and make it tacky: Plastic Coverings On the Pillows, Sheets On the Couch/Sofa, Lit Up Santa In the Window, 

Barn Dances
Country and Western Party The typical barn dance.

Beach Party (Pool) - Another old favourite, requiring people to dress casually as if they were at the beach, decorate the house accordingly and have a beach ball!

Bon Voyage Party - Great 'going away' Party!  Requires everyone to dress up in costumes according to the place where the person is going... Examples: London = Bobby (policeman), Beefeater, Robin Hood, Knight, Maid Marion or Patriotic - Aussie colours and dress!  And don't forget decorating.. snow, fog...

Chains and leather � Vinyl makes great boob tubes, loin cloths, dog collars, arm bands, wrist bands, even g-strings! Stick on studs for a fresh fetish touch.

Chef / Dinner Party - Aussies have been doing this for years!  Any number of couples/families agree to host a weekly/monthly dinner at alternating houses.  One prepares and cooks an entree, another the main and another the desert.  Everyone rates each dish out of 10 to decide the best dish.

Colour Party - Choose a colour that requires everyone to dress up in that colour.  Award a prize for the best / original costume (bottle of champagne) 

Cross Dressing - The boys go as girls and the girls go as boys! Who can forget Mrs Doubtfire.

Cruise Party (Love Boat) - Think of activities: a casino, a lounge or a dining area. Using available props, build a pier, a cruise ship with lights as your focal point and add some shimmery paper that doubles as water. 

Decade Party - (1950's, 1960's, 1970's & 1980's) Always popular.  Everyone dresses up in gear from the period and decorate accordingly (60's = peace signs. smilie faces, psychodelic lights).

Envy Party - Green with envy � People whom we�re envious of � brides, pop stars, film stars, sports people, filthy rich people, fabulously beautiful people.  Wicked witches always seem to be consumed by envy. 

Fabulous Forty F party - Not sure what it is?

Fantasy Party - Decorate the room in all white and glittery and include balloon clouds with iridescent shreds, white glittery castle towers, a staircase and a beautiful gate with glittery plumage d�cor. Add white fantasy trees made of balloons and iridescent shreds�and a magical walkway of white disks covered with white gossamer, which makes a great entrance.

Flirt Party (1) - Pleasure seeking missile: (Guys) Try the obvious criminals of passion, the great tempters of history will do just fine. The hard-core, flirt-without-shame boys like Don Juan, Casanova, Errol Flynn, Jon Holmes (!), James Bond, Warren Beatty, Shaft, Bill Clinton, Hugh Grant, Julio Inglese, Chef from South Park, Barry White, and of course Tom Jones!  (Girls) Come as a woman who is totally unafraid to flaunt her sexuality; Madonna, Monroe, Cleopatra, Aphrodite, Patsy from Abfab, Joan Collins, Elizabeth Taylor, Cat Woman, Monica Lewinsky, Mae West, Sharon Stone or Ivana Trump.  

Flirt Party (2) - Flirt with Fantasy: Dress like your about to hit on anything that has a pulse! Think leather, fur, snakeskin, stilettos, plunge tops (and that's just for the boys!). The tightest jeans, the flimsiest tops, that little bit of red bra showing. Hmmm. Try body paint! Or, how about black teddies, fishnets, and baby doll pyjamas (down boys!). Of course the really mesmerising flirtsters will dress normally and just show a little bit of bra, a little bit of this or a little bit of that! Did we say tease? 

Glow in the Dark Party - flashlights, glow necklaces and bracelets (the kind you "break" and they glow for hours), glow stickers, glow in the dark glue crafts and glowing face paint.

Greed Party (1) - The Decade of Greed � Use the opulent eighties decade as inspiration. Gordon Gheko from Wall Street, JR from Dallas with that hat, Tim Robbins in The Player. Dress for success with pin-striped jacket, white man�s shirt, tie, black bra and fishnets. An attach� case bulging with play money is the ultimate accessory. Top it off with a man style hat. Boys � join the Don Johnson Miami Vice pastel suit brigade or do The Godfather thing.

Greed Party (2) - Putting on the Glitz � go for anything gold, go to your local op shop for all things gaudy or glitzy, buy a can of gold paint and create your own glitz blitz.  Sequinned fabrics are available by the metre to easily make boob tubes, halter tops, hot pants etc.

Greed Party (3) - Greedy titbits � big hair, go the chunky fake gold Rolex, dark glasses, heaps of chunky diamante rings, gold chain by the kilometre, mobile phone, ruby red lipstick, black nail polish, anything Mafia complete with violin case.

Hawaiian Luau - Fake palm trees, fruity punch and cool tropical fruit drinks.

Heaven and Hell Party - Angels, wings, devils....

Hillbilly Party - Check out the Beverly Hillbillies for inspiration... 

Hollywood Party- There is so much available to execute it. A backdrop that says "Hollywood" just like the one in the Hollywood Hills will really set the stage. Large film reels, a celebrity star walkway, old-style movie cameras, large rolls of paper film to use for decorations and even spotlights you can build all add to the glamour and allure. Everybody will feel like a star because they are invited to dress as their favourite star!

Horror Party - Plenty of scope for costumes, decorations and a load of fun... Costumes

How to Stay Young Party - Hold the party at a spa or a fitness club, or decorate a party room with posters and advertisements for vitamins, exercise equipment, liposuction, and so on. Request the guests to bring "how to stay young" gag gifts, such as vanishing cream, books or magazines on the topic, etc. Set up a buffet with all sorts of healthy foods. 
Hire a comedian to poke fun at the guest of honor, or enlist some of their buddies to present silly and/or sentimental life stories. 

Initials Party - Come dressed as your initials.  ie MM = Mickey Mouse, BS = Barbara Streisand, MB = Mr Bean

Lust Party - Lustful titbits � think suspenders and black fishnet stockings, 50s and 60s sex sirens; Marilyn Monroe, Jane Fonda, Brigitte Bardot, garters, blonde wigs, beauty spots, stiletto heels, bustiers, corsets, knee high boots and minis, choker collars, red lipstick and nails, ultra-long cigarette holders, black teddies (the one you wear, not the one you cuddle), Playboy bunnies (black leotard and fur tail and ears will do it).

Mardi Gras/Masquerade - It�s colourful, it�s easy and it�s fun. Using purple, green and yellow streamers, masks, banners and other touches, you can create a carnival atmosphere without even trying. Hats, noisemakers, feathers and beads for all. Give people masks�and let them arrive incognito, at least at the beginning! Top the tables with green plates, purple napkins and gold garland napkin rings. Inexpensive and fun.

Medieval Mischief Party - Watch films like Robin Hood, Lancelot or Braveheart for a guide.

Mexican Party - Great fun decorating a Mexican house, cactus and bash the donkey.

Moulin Rouge Party - Hot on the success of the film comes the party...  See the film, check out the outfits, music and the fun!  Roaring when? 

Murder Mystery - These are great fun!  Either plan one for home or go to one of the specially arranged ones.

Pirate Party -  Ships, ports and all aboard..

Pop Stars Party - Dress up as your favourite stars! Beatles, Elvis, Material Girl, Rock'n'Roll... also called a 'celeb' party.

Space Party (Space gigs) Futuristic Party - 

Stone-Age Party - Yabba dabba do..
Unofficial Flintstones Page

Surprise Party - always an option for adult birthdays, especially milestones.  When deciding if you want the guest of honour to know about the party, keep in mind that if it�s a surprise, you will have to figure out a way to ensure that the birthday celebrant attends. 

Here are some suggestions: 
- Have the party at a location the birthday person wouldn�t consider suspicious - a relative�s house for dinner, restaurant, favourite bar, etc. 
- Have the party either a few weeks before or after the date of the actual birthday. 
- If you�re having an at-home surprise party, take the guest of honour out to dinner, and have an assistant welcome the guests. When you return from dinner - surprise! 
- Throw an early-morning (breakfast buffet) or late-night (dessert buffet) surprise party to catch a suspicious one off guard. 
- Make sure that everyone parks away from the party site, especially if they have a unique car or license plate, or if you are hosting at your house. 
Instead of the traditional "jump out and yell surprise", have the guests walk in on the birthday person, as if nothing out of the ordinary is going on. 

* Survivor Party - Everyone is asking about survivor parties.. Watch the show... castaways, head bands, tribes, flaming torches.

Titanic Party - The Titanic is a marvellous theme for a party or special celebration because it has something to offer everyone...

Toga Party - Popular because it is simple, but not popular with mum because she looses a few sheets.  

Tropical Party - American concept, transform the house into an island paradise: palm-treed islands rest placidly in front lawn lagoons next to thatched roofed bamboo huts; boats tethered to docks float on plastic-lined, flooded porches or swamped basements; real beaches, made with tons of imported sand, cover the entire first floor; paper-mache volcanoes belching smoke erupt next to native-dressed mannequins that spout a steady stream of champagne through their mouths; and lawn torches illuminate the palm fronds, bamboo rods, and tiki god images that are placed everywhere to give the total effect. And all this is lavished on appropriately clad partiers as they sip exotic punches from chopped-off coconut shells and sugar cane rods or voodoo-faced mugs, topped with miniature parasols, as they await the delicious offerings of the authentic pig roasts and Hawaiian luaus served up in the backyard. 

Video Party - After you scramble their minds with drink, make them star in a video. 

Viking Party - 

Western Night - Cowboys and injun's! 

Wild Wild West Party - Old-West shoot-'em-up parties.

Wizard of Oz Party - Decorate with poppies, sunflowers, bunches of straw, small metal funnels, paw prints, diplomas, hearts, medals, green balloons with baskets hanging from the bottom, big pink bubbles... Party Hats: small metal funnels, decorated. Name tags can be decorated with Oz stickers or rainbows or Oz rubber stamps. Use yellow street chalk to turn the pathway to your door it into a yellow brick road. Put the appropriate shoes (ruby) on a pair of socks stuffed with newspaper and have them sticking out from under the house. Let the guest of honour dress like Dorothy because all takes are braids, a blue checked dress, and a stuffed dog in a basket, and don't forget the shoes! Make Dorothy's shoes: Spray old shoes with glue and rolled in red glitter. 

Xmas in July Party - Sometimes these really go off

Date Themes

Boxing Day - Go on a pub crawl in fancy dress is great fun with many pubs offering prizes for the best costume.

New Years Eve - General fancy dress (anything goes)

Australia Day - January 26th - Dress up in period costume and celebrate our National birthday.

Easter - Bunny Rabbits, Eggs, 

St Patrick's Day - Irelands famous day of the green!  

Grand Final - Football/Rugby Team colours or team mascot - Lions, tigers

Halloween - Witch, Goblin all see Horror

Christmas -  Father Xmas, Elves, Reindeer

Personalize the party!

If the party is celebrating a person [like a birthday], then focus the party around the person�s hobby. If they love to fish, decorate the room with fish cut-outs. Use an Under the Sea tableware pattern, set up a fish buffet (shrimp and crab appetizers, fish entree and a cake in the shape of a fish. 

Design the party around their vocation. Dress up as "patients" for a doctor or "students" for a teacher. Decorate the room to suit the theme, with X-rays, stethoscopes for the doctor; pencils, books and maps for the teacher. Theme the party around the honouree�s favourite cartoon when they were a kid.