Party Themes: Top 100

1. Mexican Party (Fiesta Party)

Gather your 'amigos' for a fiesta they'll never forget! Keep the margaritas and tequila flowing, pass out the sombreros, ponchos and guacamole but don't forget the pinata or everyone will go loco!

2. Princess Party

This is possibly THE most popular party theme for little girls! Choose one Disney Princess like Ariel with her dinglehoppers, Cinderella with her glass slippers, Anna and Elsa with Olaf the Snowman and Sven the reindeer or perhaps a general princess theme! Princes and princesses, princesses and dragons, the options are endless...and sparkly!

3. Pirate Party

Argh me hearties! While this is a more traditional kid's birthday party theme, it can be great for adult parties as well - and there are some fantastic pirate party decorations available! So batten down the hatches, there's party a' brewin'.

4. Bollywood Party:

Bright colours, glittering gold and glowing lanterns will transform an ordinary room into a Bollywood extravaganza. Tissue paper pom poms, paper confetti and brightly coloured tissue paper flowers make the ideal table and party decorations. Use body paint or glittery face paint to recreate 'henna' tattoos that will wash off after the party.

5. Black and White Party:

Black and White parties can be one of the easiest themes to decorate. Play with patterns make up for the lack of other colours - stripes, chevrons and polka dots will help create depth to the colour scheme. Alternatively, choose one colour to 'splash' about as an accent.

6. 80's party, Neon, Glow or Graffiti Party:

All are variations of the awesome 80s party theme. Try mixing zebra print with bright neon colours or simply mix black with fluoro colours and then turn on the black lights for a totally radical party.

7. Owl Party:

What a hoot! Great for baby showers or little girls birthdays, owls, pretty colours and blossoms mix in well with this cute theme... whooo wouldn't love it?!

8. Damask Party:

This theme is both elegant and simple. Great for adult birthdays, engagements or weddings, you can create stunning effects with minimal effort.

9. Bumble Bee Party: 

Black, yellow and white are the ideal colours for this theme. Have some fun with the patterns for the decorations here - polka dots, black and white gingham as well as yellow and white stripes all combine to create a buzzing good party. Serve honeycomb, honey jumbles, black and yellow coloured jelly beans... and honey sandwiches of course!

10. On the Farm Party:

Fresh fruit and veggies, wide open spaces (or your backyard), red gingham... and don't forget farm animals like pigs, horses, cows, goats and chickens. Decorate with all of their favourite animals cutouts, cow print balloons, red gingham table covers and some hay and you'll have a farmin' good party on your hands!

11. Great Gatsby/1920s Party/Roaring 20s Party: 

Make sure you know your onions when you celebrate the Roaring 20's. Pass out the cigars, feather boas and tiaras for a bash they'll never forget!

12. Magic Party:

Abracadabra! Black top hats, magician wands, playing cards and white rabbits are a must for any magic party. Invite a magician to wow your guests with his or her skills and don't forget to hand your guests their magic kits as they try out tricks for themselves.

13. Hippie/1960s Party:

Chill out with a fabulous flower filled 60s party. Flowers and peace signs are a must for a totally turbulent time dude!

14. Fabulous 50s/Rock n Roll Party:

Bop till you drop! The 50s was all about great music, poodle skirts, Grease (of course!) and soda shops. Recreate the good ol' times with vinyl records, soda shop type food served in hotdogs in trays, and root beer floats for a trip down Memory Lane!

15. Car Racing Party:

Start your engines for the fastest party in town! Serve refreshments in the pit stop with pretzel 'dipsticks', chocolate doughnut 'spare tyres', and 'stop sign' brownies (use smarties for the coloured lights). Make sure there are plenty of racing activities for the speedsters!

16. Moustache Party:

I must-ache you a question - why are moustaches so popular?! I don't know but there are some fabulous opportunities for celebrating any occasion including any males' birthday, a little boys' first birthday, a boys' baby shower or even Movember! Moustaches on straws, paper moustache garlands and balloons make it so easy to decorate - make sure to hand out fake moustaches for some hilarious photo opportunities with your guests!

17. Horror/Halloween Party:

Why wait until Halloween to scare your guests silly? Throw a horror themed party that will scare the socks off your friends! Serve themed food like jelly worms, vampire gingerbread men, bloody brain cocktails, witches finger cookies, and red velvet 'devil' cakes for a truly horrifying celebration. (Check out our Pinterest page for some fabulous Halloween party ideas!)

18. Angry Birds Party: 

Set up a cardboard box tower, add some green pig balloons, and have your guests slingshot angry birds (painted balls to look like angry birds) across the room... they'll love it!

19. Circus Party:

Roll up, roll up for the greatest circus party on earth! Think candy apples, red and white stripes, lemonade stands, games of ring toss, clown noses, fairy floss, and face painting. The circus is in town and everyone is running away to join!

20. Slumber Party: 

Set up mini tents with fairy lights and glow sticks for your guests to slumber the night away. Collect white pillowcases, fabric paint, and fabric pens as party favours for the girls to take home and decorate.

21. Cowboy Party/Western Party:

Leave your six-shooters with the bartender - the rodeo is in town and you're invited! Throw some wooden-look plastic tablecloths over the tables, pass around the bandannas and cowboy hats, serve up some cactus cupcakes and sheriff badge cookies, and have your rodeo ridin' guests pan for gold for a rootin' tootin' good time. 

22. Soccer Party: 

It's game time! Set the table with a green grass table cover, soccer ball plates and napkins...throw a few soccer ball whistles on the table for the most fun to be had before halftime! Fill a soccer ball pinata with goodies and have the guests kick the ball around until it breaks.

23. Army/Camo Party:  

Gather the troops for a camouflage party they'll struggle to find! Shades of green, brown, and cream are perfect colour choices for decorations. Serve cake pops as bombs, sherbert straws as gunpowder, and liquorice strings as rescue ropes. Supply your SWAT team with nerf guns... and then get out of the way!

24. Cupcake Party:  

This is the sweetest party theme ever! Set your guests up to decorate their own cupcakes, deck out the area with cupcake wrapper garlands, cupcake themed tableware, and polka dot decorations complemented by pretty stripes. Oh and one of those gorgeous giant cupcake cakes is a must!

25. Hot Air Balloon Party:  

This whimsical theme is ideal for little ones who are growing up, up, up so fast! Set up a photo booth area with a basket to sit in and a blue sky, a few clouds, and balloons tied above. For table decorations, place a balloon on a stick into a basket, tie ribbons around the 'hot air balloon' to secure it and fill with favours or stuffed toys.

26. Super Hero Party:  

Holy Smokes Batman - did you say party?! This theme is great for kids of all ages from 6-60! Encourage your guests to dress as their favourite superhero or better yet have them dress as a made up superhero - The Incredible Prism, The Luna Mistress or even something silly like The Super Incredible Spoon Man! There are superhero name generators online to help you with ideas and decorating will be a breeze. Decorate the lair with licenced party decorations from Batman, Superman, Spiderman, The Hulk - find old comic books to create fantastic bunting flags and create "Bam!" and "Kapow!" signs for a fantastic photo booth.

27. Monster Truck Party:

Set up an arena where your guests can have car crushing sessions using remote control monster trucks. Use monster truck toys with brown paint on their wheels and drive them all over a white table cover to create custom-made tablecloths for the little crushers to sit at while they eat.

28. Dr Seuss Party: 

Choose a Dr Seuss book or use them all to create a wacky party theme for your next event. Make Truffula trees with pool noodles and tissue paper pom poms, serve Goose Juice and Moose Juice, hop on popcorn, cheese trees and noodles for poodles...and green eggs with ham, naturally!

29. Ocean/Beach/Hawaiian/Luau Party:  

This theme speaks for itself and is one of the most popular party ideas around. Try a Vintage Luau or an After Dark Beach Party.

30. Candy Party:

This theme is great for anybody with a sweet tooth! Attach a 'tail' to either end of paper fans for giant sized wrapper candies, paint a swirl onto the back of coloured plates, wrap them in cellophane, and attach them to a striped stick for lollipops, wrap cellophane around filled latex balloons to resemble candy, or spray paint wadding and put them onto a stick for giant sized fairy floss that is sure to amaze your guests!  A candy table is a must and there are some fantastic single coloured lollies now available along with jars and scoops for a fantastic custom-filled loot bag for your guests.

31. Lego Party: 

Cover the front door with a yellow table cover and stick on yellow plates so that it resembles a large piece of lego. Use lego bricks to build containers for the cutlery and napkins. Serve brownies or cookies with smarties to resemble edible lego pieces.

32. Mad Hatter Tea Party:  

Let your creative side out with this theme! Have your guests wear a crazy hat, serve tea in random teacups and cut shapes into cucumber sandwiches. Place signs with "This Way" and "Down the Rabbit Hole" labels for a quirky party like no other!

34. Casino Party: 

Use a cardboard box spray painted white with black cardboard circles stuck on the sides to look like giant dice. Use playing cards with holes punched in the corners to string up as a party garland, serve poker chip cookies with dollar bill napkins.

35. Masquerade Party: 

Use bead necklaces, feathers, and masks to create a fabulous table centrepiece. Use the traditional pink, green, purple, and gold for your colour theme... or choose your own unique colour combination.

36. Construction Party:

Your little ones and their 'crewmates' will dig this theme when they arrive at the party site! Ask them to report to the site manager before donning their hard hats and tool belts. Can we party? Yes, we can! And so will they with fun decoration and themed food like 'measuring tapes' (bubblegum tape), 'wrecking balls' (cheese and bacon balls) and 'tyres (chocolate covered doughnuts).

37. Wonderland Party:  

Alice has come to Wonderland! Use a crazy mix of top hats, teacups, feathers and rabbit ears for your centrepieces and decorations. For an adult spin on this theme, host a mad hatter cocktail party - serve cocktails in teacups and cucumber sandwiches on fine dining plates.

38. Dragon Party:

Who doesn't love fire-breathing dragons?! Think How to Train Your Dragon, Princesses and Dragons, Puff the Magic Dragon, and Medieval Dragons.

39. Fairy Party:  

Lots of tulle and ribbons for this party theme. Serve toadstool cupcakes, morning dew drinks, and fairy floss. Ensure every little fairy enjoys herself when decorating their own wands to take home. A must? Glitter... lots and lots of glitter!

40. Space Party:

Use different sized painted styrofoam balls and string them together as a party garland, draw alien eyes on green balloons to hang around the party area, and use black plastic table covers with cardboard stars to create an out of this world party zone.

41. Rainbow Party:

This whimsical theme is just perfect for a little girl's party... or a big girl's get together! Make fluffy clouds with paper mache and wadding, use crepe paper streamers to create a rainbow of colour, set the bubble machine up, and serve multi-coloured fruit with cupcakes for a truly colourful party.

42. Jungle Party:  

Hand out safari helmets and binoculars to keep them on the lookout for treasures that can be found in the jungle. Use green crepe paper streamers along with brown and cream coloured table covers to create a jungle atmosphere. Wind toy snakes around poles and place small plastic jungle animals along the table, around the food, and in take-home party bags.

43. Lady Bug Party:  

Black and red polka dots are a must for this theme with a splash of green to brighten it all up. Present your guests with a set of ladybug head-boppers to wear and a pair of cute ladybug wings.

44. Book/Nerd Party:

Find old books to make party bunting, table place cards, and centrepieces. Serve 'bookworms' (gummy worms), packets of Nerds, apple slices, and worm cookies. Present your guests with a pair of nerd glasses and bow tie for the 'ultimate' geeky book party.

45. Cocktail Party:  

Serve canapes and cocktails for this adults-only party. Find unique ways to serve the cocktails - in mason jars, baby food jars, teacups or make up large quantities of cocktails and create a self-serve bar with punch ladles. Go one step further and set up a cocktail tasting station for those who like to try a bit of everything.

46. Princess and the Pea Party:  

Set up a long trestle table to look like a bed with many mattresses using different layers of fabric, use green tissue paper pom poms and lanterns, serve sweet pea cupcakes and if the season is right, tie bundles of sweet pea flowers together in a jar for the table centrepieces.

47. Super Mario Brothers Party:  

Super for kids young and old, you can get really creative with this theme! Serve drinks with moustache straws, jaffas as red-hot fireballs, chocolate gold coins to collect, and yellow star candy pops give you 'star power'. There are plenty of free printable images available online - who could go past Mario and Luigi's hats as favours?!

48. Dinosaur Party:  

Serve white chocolate covered pretzels as dinosaur bones, large M & M's as dinosaur eggs, and Maltesers as dinosaur droppings. Cut triangles from cardboard and stick to balloons for decorations along with orange, yellow and green paper fans.

49. Sports Party:

Serve sports ball cake pops, shaped cookies, popcorn in red and white striped popcorn boxes, pretzels, chips in small chip cups, and hot dogs in trays. A recently found creative serving suggestion known as 'Walking Tacos' involves small bags of corn chips with a spork - give it a try! Guests fill their bags at the taco bar of taco fillings and are then able to eat their treat wherever they are.

50. 7 Deadly Sins Party:

Have your guests dress as one of the sins: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride. Choose colours that symbolise these sins and decorate different areas to suit the different sins. Set up smaller tables of food to suit each of these different sins - serve chocolate coins (greed), giant lollipops (gluttony), and hot salsa with chips (wrath).

51. Wine or Beer Tasting Party:  

Find different ways to serve drinks like little shot glasses and mason jars. Serve soft pretzels, a variety of cheeses, mini burger sliders. chips... maybe even a beer cheese fondue! An excellent party theme for adult males.

52. International/Countries of the World Party:  

An easy theme to decorate with the large variety of international decorations and foods available. Turn this into a travel-inspired theme and have your guests bring a plate of food from a country they would like to go to or have been to.

53. Luck o' the Irish Party:  

Not just for St Patrick's Day, this theme is an obvious one to decorate. All you need is green, white, and orange

54. Animal Print Party:

This has become a very popular theme for adults and children alike. Zebra, leopard and giraffe printed plates, napkins and lanterns set the scene easily, perhaps with a splash of green for that jungle feel.

55. Minnie/Mickey Mouse Party:  

Either separate or together, Mickey and Minnie are the cutest mice around! Hand out black ears and white gloves to your guests (Minnie ears with a bow, naturally) for a mouse-tacular party!

56. Chocolate Party:  

Need I say more?! Purple, gold and chocolate brown are ideal colours for this party theme. Chocolate fondue is also a must. Use dessert shell moulds to create edible chocolate bowls and serve a variety of desserts and snacks... it will look like a scene straight out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

57. Pretty in Pink Party:

This theme allows for ultimate freedom and creativity. Choosing shades of pink and layering them with a splash of white or cream, this theme will quickly become a favourite amongst the girls. 

58. Disney/Pixar Party:

An easy one to decorate as there are so many fabulous movies both new and old. 

59. Hollywood Party:

Roll out the red carpet for the main event of the year. Red, black, silver, and gold are the colours of choice for a Hollywood party. Best of all, your guests will dress to impress for the big night! Paint mannequins gold to reflect Oscar statues, hang gold tinsel chandeliers from the ceiling, provide your guests with VIP badges and keep the cocktails coming on entry for a night they'll never forget!

60. Monster Party:

Serve green cookies with massive eyes, green chocolate coated marshmallows with teeth, and little green jelly cups with googly eyes attached. 

61. Winter Wonderland Party:

Great for Christmas time, Christmas in July or any winter month, this cool theme has become very popular due to the Disney movie 'Frozen'. Shades of blue, white, and silver are obvious colour choices along with lots of glitter! Serve blue jelly cubes for 'Kristoff's ice cubes', bottles of water for 'Melted Olaf' (because some people are worth melting for!), pretzel sticks as 'Sven's antlers', and white chocolate strawberries as 'Anna's frozen hearts'. It will be 'snow' much fun!

62. Cherry Party:  

For the more creative host or hostess, red, black, and green are crucial colour combinations for this theme. Add a splash of sky blue to help break up the colours. Serve up cherry shaped cookies, glazed cherry cupcakes, cherry shaped sandwiches, and burn cherry blossom candles for a cherry flavoured atmosphere.

63. Tea Party:  

Dainty hats, feather boas, gloves, lace doilies, teacups, and saucers help to create a pretty, whimsical tea party theme. Set the scene outside with flowers and party bunting for a wonderful garden tea party complete with cucumber sandwiches.

64. Science Experiment Party:

Serve coloured jelly in small flat 'petri' dishes and don't forget to add a worm or two! Gumballs in test tubes become 'atoms', using a chocolate mould serve chocolate 'brains' (eew!), or how about a green coloured white chocolate fountain aka 'Nuclear Slime'?! The Internet is a great place to find tonnes of kid-friendly science experiments to keep the little mad scientists occupied for hours!

65. Initials Party:  

Use the birthday persons' first initial to set the theme of the party. Have your guests dress up in anything starting with that letter and find anything you can to decorate the party area that begins with that letter.

66. Barbie Party:

Use pink, black, white, stripes, polka dots, and damask patterns with a splash of silver for a glamorously chic barbie party.

67. French Soiree Party:

Poodles in Paris, ooh la la! Make sure to pass around the berets, french moustaches, and macarons.

68. Glitz and Glam Party:

Anything shiny and sparkly, silver or gold is ideal for this theme. Tinsel curtains and chandeliers make great decorations along with sequin fabric table covers and glitter... lots and lots of glitter!

69. Thrift Shop Party:

Have your friends dress in clothes from a thrift shop for a party of laughter and fun. Have a competition to see who can wear the most outrageous outfit... or how about who can wear the most thrift shop clothes at one time? Look for some odd finds from the Salvation Army (or look around your house!) to recreate a thrift shop scene for your next party!

70. Music Party:

Use music note cutouts, instruments, and records to decorate this party theme. Find musical note paper and cut it into strips to make a musical paper chain.

71. Airplane Party:  

An easy theme to decorate with mini toy planes, blue sky backdrops, and fluffy white clouds which can be made from balloons or pillow stuffing.

72. Snow White Party:

Perfect for young girls and easily made glam for the ladies. Serve red candy apples, 'poison apple' drinks, and mirror shaped cookies. For a grown-up party, use snow 'white' and gold table decorations, serve 'poison' green cocktails.

73. Gold Rush/Gold Party:  

Get the Midas touch with a glittering gold party. You can even buy edible gold spray paint for cupcakes and cakes for the ultimate sweet treat!

74. Art Party:

Put the 'art' in party with the most creative and colourful theme around. Provide canvases for the guests to create masterpieces, place an undecorated cupcake onto a clean painters palette and fill the paint sections with all sorts of cupcake decorating supplies.

75. Rubik's Cube Party:  

Stick to the colours of the Rubik's cube when decorating this fun party theme. Have your guests arrive in brightly coloured clothing: yellow, red, orange, white, blue, and green! During the party, they can to swap clothing with other guests until they're only wearing one colour... the first one to do this wins!

76. Nautical/Sailors Party:

Ahoy there! A nautical theme party is just the thing to help all those landlubbers get their sea legs back. Red, blue, and white are the ideal colours along with stripes and anchors to decorate. Don't forget to hand out sailor hats for your guests to wear.

77. Winnie The Pooh Party:  

Got a rumbly in your tummy?! Then this is just the theme for you! Add some bumblebee party decorations to the venue and serve honey themed food - honey jumbles, 'hunny' baked ham, honey mustard chicken... or how about Piglets in blankets?!

78. ABC - Anything But Clothes Party:  

A little harder to decorate but the idea of this theme is to have your guests come wearing... you've got it, anything but clothes! Some guests may choose to wear a garbage bag, others - who knows?

79. Watermelon Party:

This cute theme is perfect for the little lady in your life. Pink, green, black, and white are perfect colours for decorations with a splash of red. Serve watermelon slices and watermelon shaped lollies as well as red, black, and green jelly beans.

80. Picnic Party:  

Red gingham table covers and portable food will help make this party theme a hit. Think mini burger sliders, little salad boxes, sliced veggies, and picnic basket shaped cookies.

81. Cooking/Food Party:

Anything related to good food and cooking will make this party a hit! Hang tealights inside whisks for a unique lighting decoration and don the aprons... a feast is about to be prepared!

82. Dora/Diego Party:

An easily decorated party theme, Dora is so popular that there are tonnes of great party decorations ready to go!

83. Tangled Party:  

Decorate with purple and yellow for this party theme. Use yellow crepe paper for the guests to play the tangled game - the first team to get themselves tangled in yellow 'hair' wins!

Drive-in Movie Party:  

Great for little car enthusiasts. Have your guests design their cars from cardboard boxes and ply them with drive-in tickets and snacks to watch a movie.

84. Murder Mystery Party:  

The mystery unfolds as your guests find more clues. A great adult themed party, there are some fantastic murder mystery kits available online if you don't have the time to DIY.

85. Sweet and Sour Sixteenth Party:  

Obviously, this one is reserved for sweet 16th birthday parties - a creative twist on the traditional theme.

86. Movie Night Party:  

Bust out the popcorn and bean bags for this party. Host a movie marathon of your favourite movies.

87. Harry Potter Party:

The most famous wizard of all time, let your magic loose with a Harry Potter themed party. Use LED tealights, fishing line and some rolled up white paper to create floating candles, have your guests make their own wands, serve every flavour jelly beans and butterbeer... and maybe have a game or two of Quidditch.

88. Cartoon Characters Gone Wrong Party: 

Have your guests dress as their favourite childhood cartoon character but with a twist. Ideas include Aggressive Ariel, Depressed Bugs Bunny, Crazy Cinderella... name tags are a must!

89. Butterfly Party: 

So many ways to decorate this popular girls' theme.

90. Gone Fishing Party: 

Time for some 'reel' fun for all those fishing enthusiasts! Use pretzels, thin red liquorice strips and gummy fish or worms to create some tasty fishing rods, serve peanut butter and jellyfish sandwiches, blue sea jelly and play fishing games like 'go fish'.

91. Incognito Party/Spy Party: 

Have your guests dress incognito - the best costume wins! Decorate the area with spy paraphernalia like magnifying glasses, fake moustaches, 'bombs' and red laser beams (red thread taped across the walls).

92. Golf Party: 

It's time to par-tee! Blue, green and white are ideal colours for a golf party. Serve Iced 'tee', 'par'-faits, chip shots and golf club sandwiches. A game of putt-putt will be in order.

93. Robot Party: 

Have your guests build their own robot with cardboard boxes, slinkies and pipe cleaners. For an edible version, make your own robot using marshmallows and small pretzel sticks.

94. Peacock Glam:  

Peacock feathers are so beautiful - so why not create a party theme around them?! Choose brilliant blues, pretty purples and gorgeous greens with a sparkling splash of gold for a beautifully elegant party theme.

95. Medieval Party: 

Have your guests design their own shields with stickers, textas and scraps of paper before they head into battle or set up a jousting station with pool noodles and stick horses.

96. Shabby Chic:  

Pretty florals, spots and stripes along with tissue paper pom poms, flowers, paper fans, lanterns and lacey doilies all combine beautifully for a cute shabby chic party theme.

97. Trains Party: 

Nearly every little boy loves trains so a train themed party is a definite whistleblower! Use black electrical tape to mark out a track so your guests know where to go and don't forget to hand out train driver caps to all your guests. Get creative at the 'Refuelling Station' - serve chocolate rocks as 'gravel', chocolate covered marshmallows on sticks as 'Coal Pops', and their sandwiches out using a train shaped cookie cutter.

98. Vintage Dude Party: 

This is a theme of party plates and cups available from Shindigs and is perfect for the male in your life. Designed to look like an aged bottle of spirits the ages range from 40-60 as well as a generic Happy Birthday range.

99. Tiffany's Party:  

Robin's egg blue, black and white are the must-have colours for this theme. Great for Kitchen teas and girls-who-love-bling birthdays. Decorate with silver glitter, 'diamantes' and 'pearls', incorporate Audrey Hepburn images and her iconic black glasses for the ultimate glam party.

100. Unicorn Party:

The most magical party theme of all! Decorate the room with glitter, rainbow crepe paper streamers and a unicorn pinata to make all your dreams come true.