list of party themes

Party Themes The Ultimate List – 150 of the best Party Theme ideas

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A fun party theme is one of the best ways to bring your party alive. A party theme helps tie in all of the aspects of a good party, the food, drinks, outfits, venue and activities. Plus it really gets your guests involved and in the party spirit. There are so many good party themes to choose from, the list is endless. So we have put together our best themes for a party to help you plan the best themed party ever.

Classic party themes

There are some party themes that are just classic. And no matter how many times we throw them or attend them, we always want to come back for more! Here are our favorite classic party themes that are guaranteed to be winners.

Best Party themes inspired by Movies

party theme ideas for birthday

Another great collection of party themes are those inspired by movies. Go for popular classics that your guests will know and love for a fun filled party theme. Movies that have a good range of characters are best, so your guests get some choice and variety in their costumes.

Party themes inspired by TV shows

We all love a good TV show. So what better way to celebrate than with our favorite TV show as a party theme. Here are our top party themes that are inspired by TV shows.

  • Favourite TV Detective
  • Favourite Children’s Show
  • Friends
  • Game of Thrones
  • Dancing With The Stars
  • Baywatch
  • Buffy The Vampire Slayer
  • Favourite Comedy Show Character
  • Star Trek
  • Dr Who
  • The Kardashians
  • Reality TV Stars
  • X Factor
  • Downton Abbey
  • Mad Men
  • Big Bang Theory
  • Bridgerton
  • Bling Empire
  • The Bachelor / Bachelorette
  • Survivor
  • The Queen’s Gambit
  • The Crown
  • Tiger King
  • Stranger Things

Party themes inspired by places

If you love travel, then one of these country themed party themes is a great option. In addition, you can create a themed menu to tie in with the party theme and enjoy a variety of foods from around the world.

  • City Slickers
  • Country Bumpkin
  • North Pole
  • Taco Party
  • Around the World
  • Mexican Fiesta
  • Parisienne Themed Party
  • Multi-cultural Party
  • British Punk
  • Australiana
  • Japanese
  • Bollywood
  • All American
  • Miami Nights
  • The British Royal Family
  • Winter Wonderland
  • Hawaiian Luau
  • Tartan & Scotch
  • Havana Nights
  • Great Wall of China
  • Italian Theme
  • Brazilian Carnival
  • Oktoberfest
  • Arabian Nights
  • Egyptian Theme
  • Turkish Tea Party
  • Tropical Themed Party
  • English High Tea
  • Barn Dance

Party themes inspired by Sports

If you and your friends are the sporty kind, then a sports themed party is great fun. It’s likely you will have most of the dress up gear as well, which is an added bonus!

  • Surf’s Up
  • Footballers and Wives
  • Famous Sports People
  • Olympians
  • Basketball Heroes
  • Sumo Party
  • Gym Bunnies / Jane Fonda
  • Yogis
  • American Footballers and Cheerleaders
  • Golf Themed Party
  • Wimbledon Whites
  • Baseball Greats

Party themes perfect for big events

party theme ideas

If you are throwing a big event, then you can really go big with the costume party theme. These themes work really well with large numbers at larger venues, so check out these birthday party themes if you are hosting a big bash!

Party themes inspired by history

Historical party themes are great fun as they give your guests a clear guideline of the theme but flexibility within it to be creative. Plus it gives the history buffs a change to show off. And of course makes a great photo opportunity with all of the themed, historic costumes.

Party themes inspired by books

harry potter party theme
Photo credit Photo credit @mymagicalmemoirs

If you and your friends are book lovers, then a book themed party is a great choice. Choose something with plenty of character scope like one of the following:

  • Harry Potter
  • Characters from your favourite children’s book
  • Lord of the Rings
  • Literature Greats
  • Dr Seuss
  • Alice in Wonderland
  • Jane Austen novels
  • Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
  • 101 Dalmatians
  • The Jungle Book
  • Where’s Wally
  • Nursery Rhymes
  • Sherlock Holmes
  • Shakespeare
  • Murder on the Orient Express / Agatha Christie theme
  • The Hobbit
  • Treasure Island
  • Fairy Tales

Party themes inspired by colour

party themes by color

If you want your party photos to really make a wow statement on social media, then a color themed party is the way to go. After all, what’s more eye catching than an entire party in a color co-ordinated theme!

Party themes inspired by times of the year

Oftentimes, these are the most popular party themes as they fall easily into place at certain times of the year. Plus they can become traditional and be hosted year after year, which is really nice.

Party themes inspired by music

If music is your thing, then why not opt for a music themed party. As well as the costume side of things, you have your playlist pretty much sorted when you plan a party theme inspired by music.

  • Rock n Roll
  • Popstars
  • Woodstock
  • MTV Awards
  • Favourite Musician of all time
  • Characters from Musicals
  • Rappers
  • Musical Icons
  • Boy Bands and Girl Bands
  • 80’s Music
  • Grammy’s After Party
  • Country and Western
  • Taylor Swift Party

Party themes inspired by fashion

For the fashionistas out there, these fashion party themes are such fun! Remember to help out guests out on your invites with some costume examples and ideas so they have something to go on.

Activity Based Party Themes

pool party for teenage girls

Usually, an activity based party theme can really give a party a great structure and focus. Plus it makes it easy to plan a schedule as you have a clear idea of the activity and it’s timings. Most of these can be adapted to work for adults and children alike. There are so many activity themed party ideas to choose from, here are our favorites.

Funny Party Themes

party themes funny

Great for college parties or older teens, these funny party themes will certainly bring some laughs to your party.

  • Anything But A Cup Party – bring anything but a cup to drink from
  • Meme Party – dress up as your favorite meme with signage
  • Anything But Clothes Party – make your costume out of anything but clothes
  • “T” Party – dress up as anything beginning with the letter T
  • When I Grow Up Party – dress up in what you wanted to be when you grew up
  • You Are What You Eat Party – food themed dress up
  • Anything But Human – fancy dress as anything but a human
  • White Lie Party – Wear a “white lie” about yourself on your shirt
  • Red Flag Party – Wear your “red flag” on your shirt
  • Rhyme Without Reason

Party themes for children’s parties

circus party ideas
Photo credit From The Heart Events

Without a doubt, kids party themes are so much fun. Children love a themed party, and there is something very special about seeing the wonder in their eyes when they walk into a themed children’s party.

Children’s party theme ideas are endless. But the best themes are the ones that really follow your child’s interest. For example, their favorite book character, activity or topic they are really interested in are sure to be winners. Here are some of our most popular party themes for children.

Best Themes for Party Final Note

To conclude, a themed party is a lot of work but is so worth it! A great party theme really adds to the ambience of your party and is one of the best ways to get your guests in the party mood. Whichever party theme you choose, remember to give your guests clear instruction in their invites about what to wear, what to bring and what to expect of the party.

In addition, you could provide some costume examples or ideas to help get their creativity flowing. But above all, enjoy the planning and excitement that a themed party brings.

About Author

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Jane Sheriff is the founder, creative director, party planner and mom of three. She started Darling Celebrations back in 2012 to share easy and beautiful ideas for celebrating the special events in life.

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Jane Sheriff is the founder, creative director, party planner and mom of three. She started Darling Celebrations back in 2012 to share easy and beautiful ideas for celebrating the special events in life.

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