Having a party and want to try something different? You’ll find an idea you absolutely love in this Ultimate List of Party Theme ideas.

This is a general list of party theme ideas. It doesn’t include calendar holidays. For those ideas, please see the bucket list for the specific holiday.

To make it easier to narrow down your choice, choose a type of party that you, the guest of honor, or your crew prefer, and then pick a party theme in that category.

Food Themed Parties

A food bar party theme

When we refer to a “bar”, we mean a serve-yourself buffet-style party focused on one particular food or beverage. The food is usually set up on an island in the kitchen or a buffet table, decorated in the party theme.

baked potato bar: serve with all different toppings including chili
chili bar
hot chocolate or hot cocoa bar
sundae bar
parfait bar
berry bar
candy bar
bagel bar
color-themed candy or cupcake bar
bratwurst bar
fantasy themed dessert bar (mermaid, unicorn, etc)
freakshake/milkshake bar
nacho bar
taco bar
burger bar
popcorn bar & movie
martini bar
mojito bar
margarita bar
dessert bar – can even narrow it down to all same color.
mocktail bar
pizza bar and beer
burrito bar
pancake bar
panini bar
soup & crackers bar
sushi bar
cookie bar
cupcake bar
churros, dip & toppings
hot dog bar with lots of toppings
burger bar with toppings and sides
health food bar
bloody Mary bar
sushi bar

outdoor wine and cheese party for foodie parties

Foodie Party Themes

Appetizer party
Bloody Mary Brunch
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – fancy dress brunch
Beer tasting party
Charcuterie board
Cheese board
Cheese fondue
Chocolate fondue
Chocolate tasting party
Chili cook-off
Clam bake at beach
Coffee tasting party
Cookie exchange party
Cookout with backyard games
Cupcake party
farm to table: go to the local farmer’s market, buy fresh and cook dinner.
Fruit and chocolate fountain
Grill and Chill: BBQ with sundae ice cream bar dessert
Ice cream social
Macaroons
Olive Tasting Party
pasta night
picnic
pie bake-off
Sangria Brunch
signature drink & dessert
Tea party – dresses, hats & tea in the flower garden
High tea at a fancy restaurant
Watermelon Fiesta
Willy Wonka & Chocolate Factory: send golden tickets as invitations, chocolate food bar
wine tasting

Costume party ideas

ABC (Anything But Clothes): recycling at it finest.
Alice in Wonderland: how many Mad Hatters do you think will show up?
Aliens and astronauts: halve the group to be either aliens or astronauts. Half the food is astronaut food (freeze dried ice cream for dessert) the other half “alien food”. Capture the flag game at night with glow in the dark gear, etc.
Alien Abduction: everyone is dressed like an alien and party room is their mothership. Anyone who shows up not in costume is the abductee! (This is not permission to torture them for not playing along.)
Alphabet inspiration: Choose a letter and the color scheme, costumes and entertainment all revolve around that letter. This could inspire 26 parties. Alternately, have a general alphabet party with kindergarten letter banners and guests dress as something that begins with the first letter of their name.
Angels & Devils: you could ask couples to have one dress as each and singles dress as either. Separate room and decorate one side as heaven and the other as hell. (Use a fan to make flames look real.)
Animal PJs: everyone wear plush onesies of their favorite animal. You can narrow it down to forest, African animals, etc. to make it easier for decorating & food.
Anime: can choose one series or dress as favorite, serve pop culture Japanese food
Apocalypse Now: dress as if the apocalypse happened today. Who will be the zombies, zombie hunters, fallout shelter people?
Back to Prom: music from the era you graduated high school, dresses, finger food and dancing. Vote for the King and Queen!
Banksy R Us: Everyone wears a white shirt and they all write messages and make drawings on each other’s shirts with permanent markers for clothes. Show a YouTube video about Banksy. Artsy food & decor.
Black Light party: this never gets old. Everyone wears white and neon colors, lamps and lights have black light bulbs.
Carnival: dress up in costume and have groups perform acts! Carnival games for prizes & bouncy castle for adults.
Clowns: everyone loves a clown party. You know what to do.
Color party: choose a color, any color. Everyone comes dressed as that color. All the food & decorations are that color. You could have a party every month a different color. Easy, breezy.
Comic book: dress as your favorite comic book character or superhero
Cops & Robbers: 1/2 the group. Hide an item, give them clues to solve, and have them compete to find it first.
Cowboy & Cowgirl: western wear, line dancing, Tex-Mex food.
Director’s Cut: choose your favorite movie director and ask everyone to dress like a character from one of their movies.
Elvis: everyone dresses like their favorite era Elvis and lip syncs 1 or 2 of his songs from that era. Peanut butter, banana & bacon sandwiches.
Enchantment Under the Sea: dress like anything you’d find under the sea like mermaids, sharks, fish, octopus. Hang balloons of aquatic animals & fish from the ceiling, metallic blue & white sheeting on the walls to look like waves, a bubble machine
Fairy: create a fairy wonderland and serve little appetizers
Fairy Tale: everyone dresses as their favorite fairy tale. Hostess is Mother Goose, of course.
Fright night: everyone dresses the scariest that they can. Prize for best costume. Watch scary movie, eat “bloody” food.
Goth costumes & party room.
Hats: this can be a fast & easy party. Text your friends tell them to grab their hat and come over. Hang hats on fish wire from the ceiling. Put serving bowls in hats. (You’re gonna need more hats!)
Havana Nights pool party: Cuban attire, food, music, salsa dancing and maybe swimming.
Heroes and Villains: have 2 people dress together, one as the hero and the other as that hero’s villain & have a superhero party. Have a contest to see who knows which character all guests have dressed as.
Hollywood Game Night: have everyone dress as their favorite actor & keep it a secret. Guests have to guess who they are. Then play games like the game show at Jane Lynch’s house.
Hollywood Red Carpet: Everyone dresses like a movie star, have props & backdrop for an amazing photo op to post on social media.
I Love Disney: dress as your favorite Disney character & eat food they feature at Disneyworld. Put Cinderella’s castle on the wall as a decoration.
James Bond Night: guys in tuxedos, girls dressed as fav Bond Girl, casino games, shooting gallery, (octopus in tanks?)
Jocks & Cheerleaders
Las Vegas night: Everyone wears their glitter outfits. Karaoke singing. Casino games.
Lip Sync Battle: ask guests to dress in costume to go with a song or two that they are going to lip sync sing. Prepare a couple of well-known children’s songs with props for the ones who show up without preparing!
Luau: Hawaiian shirts and grass skirts. Tropical drinks and hula dancing.
Matchmaking Party: get those friends hooked up – speeding dating or matchmake people who are “meant to be” using a questionnaire
Masquerade Ball: Venetian masks, jewel colored gowns, and capes.
Mermaid & Merman pool party.
Mexican Fiesta: Ole! A Mexican hat dance party with Mexican food and a pinata.
Murder Mystery: there are kits set up to host a murder mystery dinner. Everyone has to be there, so don’t invite anyone who is the type to back out at the last minute. Play actors are best for this one, not the shy.
Neon Night: glow in the dark everything, black lighting, do neon-painted clothing, neon lights
Paired: have 2 people come to the costume party dressed as things that go together like bacon and eggs.
Pajama party: Everyone shows up in their comfy PJs and binge watches a show or movie series.
Pimps & Hos Dance Party: play dance games that make people mingle
Pirates of (your town): Talk like a pirate, dress like a pirate, serve finger foods to eat with your hands. Drink like a pirate in a wooden or metal tankard.
Popstar costumes & karaoke
Prom Night 2.0: prom is wasted on the youth, grab your significant other, corsages, spiked punch & prom dresses
Robots
Rollback: everyone dress from your birth year, include retro food & music
Shipwrecked: at the beach, everyone wear zombie-type apparel, drink out of coconut shells, eat “scrounged” themed food. (Everyone else at the beach will wish they were at your party, too.)
Spy with My Little Eye: have everyone dress as their favorite spy and give them a quest.
Tinsel, glitter, sequins & confetti
Trolls: Wild hair, who will fart glitter?
Tux & Tiaras: princess party for adults.
Ugly sweater: go to the restaurant for this one! lol
Wigs: This is a fun and easy costume party to have for those who are shy about costumes. Everyone wears a wig of their choosing. Have the party ideas revolve around hair.
Wizard of Oz: need a yellow brick road, watch movie (old, new or both?)
World Traveler: have a series of parties, each night features a different country. Everyone dresses up from the country and have a dinner party with music and traditions from that country. Fiesta, Italian wine & dine, Asian, German lederhosen, etc. Each person in your friend crew can take a turn hosting.
Zombie Version of Famous Dead People: eat brains, decorate with distressed apocalyptic versions. Guests guess who everyone is supposed to be.

Eras

Joan of Arc: girls knight out.
Toga: permission to wear a bedsheet in public, drink from chalices, and lounge like the ancient Romans.
Medieval Times
Disco: ABBA music, Saturday Night Fever dancing, disco balls
Day in Paris in the 1800s: long gowns or can-can girls, French music, guys posing as famous artists & authors
90s Rap
80s Rockstar
80s Exercise
70s Hippies at Woodstock (which actually happened in ’69)
70s Tie Dye: have everyone bring a white t-shirt to tie dye together.
60s Grease Lightning
50s Sock hop
20s Flappers & Gangsters
Speakeasy: Brew your own beer, everyone dressed like the 20s gangsters
Time Travel: divide party room in sections and assign people to a different time period. They are required to dress, decorate and supply food for that era. Or, it’s a costume party where they can dress from any era they like the best. (How many of your guests will come as they are because it’s easier, or today really is their best era? lol )
Time Machine: great family party! Watch home movies throughout the years. Decorate with photos from different years all around the room chronologically.

Sports & Hobbies

Book exchange: party for avid readers. Bring your all-time favorite book gift wrapped. Wine and dine, then number stickers on all books. Guests pick a number from a hat and take that book home.
Bob Ross Night: get the supplies ready, a glass of wine, and watch a Bob Ross video on Prime or Netflix and everyone try their hand at painting a masterpiece
Yoga class & smoothies bar
Tailgate party while watching the big game
Gamer party: rent the local theater during the day and play games on the big screen!
Poetry Jam: everyone write a poem and reads it at the party. They they feast!
LAN party for gamers
Touch football
Scrub baseball
Quilting squares
Ping pong competition
Ax throwing – at a facility (divorce party: bring your wedding dress to throw axes at!)
Craft project together
Ski Chalet: dress in sweaters, knitted headbands, enjoy a fondue, drink by the fireplace – but not skis required.
LEGO night: challenge everyone to make a version of the same thing (bridge, moonscape)

Just for fun

Glow in the Dark night
Daily holiday or national day of that day
Camp in the backyard or rec room – tents required
Camp in the wild or a State Park
Go Glamping – have the best of both worlds
Road Trip! Pack your besties in the car & go wherever you want with places to stop along the way & a road trip playlist
Bucket List Outing: Go skydiving – or something else on your bucketlist
Board games
Spa Day at home with pedicures & manicures
Magic Day
Reality TV group: pick your favorite reality TV show and watch it together with awesome snacks
Stay in a fancy hotel with your besties & use their facilities/eat in their dining room with breakfast served to eat in bed
TV Show Reviewer: choose your favorite TV show and binge watch with themed food.
Outdoor movie night. Set up a sheet for a big screen.
Go to a theme park: all wear the same shirts, birthday person usually gets special treatment at the park
Color run of your own.
Flamingo pool party
Alphabet game: in a mall or a flea market divide guests into groups. Give each group the same amount of money and a set amount of time to buy one thing for each letter of the alphabet.
Go to a concert together: wear matching shirts & hats
Unicorn & rainbows
Party games party: charades, pictionary, pin the tail on …
Bonfire & S’mores
Ice Skating with hot chocolate bar party during (if outside) or afterwards (if at arena)
Comedy Improv
Backwards Day
Trivia Night: the secret is to make the questions from all different areas so teams/players have a chance to get some right or it’s not fun.
Cooking class & then dine together
Minute to Win It challenges
Escape room: the room goes with a certain theme (Egyptian, nautical, space)
Jurassic Park: party room in a jungle with dinosaurs
Fort Night: make epic forts throughout the building – need lots of tarps, blankets, pillows, clothes pins, etc.
Llamas
Nerf gun battle indoors or outdoors
Emojis
Teddy Bear Picnic
Trampoline Party
Truth or Dare
Funeral for Your Childhood/Youth: Photos from the past, coffins, graveyard, ghosts
Is it a milestone birthday? Have a bachelorette-style “saying goodbye” last hurrah party for the girls
Professional Photo Shoot – get a photo taken like you did every year in school and remember this birthday with a great portrait on your wall