Creative Party Ideas for All Ages

Whilst everyone loves having a party, planning one can sometimes be a headache!

Parties for Kids

Here are a few of our favorite party themes for Kids:-

PreSchool Pajama Party Ideas

When kids are really young, its so much fun to organise a party for them. You could choose to do a princess theme pajama party, where every girl must come with a pretty dress and a tiara. You can offer them any food that is pink and sparkly, or has stars on. And for entertainment you could watch any number of princess films, The Princess Diaries or Enchanted.

All birthdays are a celebration of achievements of the past year, as well as a thanksgiving for life-achievements. But, its very important to make the party age appropriate, so here are a few pointers.

Some birthday party ideas for 9 year old girl might be a High School Musical theme, or perhaps a Color Party where every guest must come dressed in that color and decorations should be inspired by it also.

Birthday Themes

Party Ideas for Teenagers

This is an age where an altogether different type of celebration starts to take place.   Your teen is in charge of what they want and you may just be required to pay for food and whatever else is needed!

16 year old birthday party ideas could be Hollywood Glamour or a Pamper Party, where everyone must come ready to have their nails, makeup and hair done by each other. Other sweet 16 party ideas could be hiring a limo for an hour to drive to a special destination, or a Candy theme.

• great party games for teenagers
• talent show ideas
• home party games

Adult Party Themes & Party Ideas

Throwing a successful party for adults requires planning, preparation and a real sense of fun. Check out our ultimate party planning guide at the bottom of the page to help you with planning your next party extravaganza!

1950s Party Ideas

This is such a fun party theme, and you can do lots of fun things for it. Firstly, send out 1950s themed invites, letting all your guests know that they have to come in costume; pop a picture of 1950s men and women on the invitation to give them a sneak preview.

You could organise the party around a drive-in theme. Watch a 50s flick whilst drinking root beer floats and milkshakes. Then pop on some fabulous fifties music and get a dance instructor to show everyone the moves to The Jitterbug and The Twist. Then stop for some cheeseburgers and fries, and a retro bottle of Coke.

1960s Party Ideas

For 1960s party ideas, do The Monkey and The Mashed Potato on the dance floor instead, and tuck into a cheese fondue.

Black and White Party Ideas

Chic and contemporary, and always on trend, black and white parties are a great way to celebrate any occasion.

Start by sending out the chicest decorations, white lettering on black card, in a white envelope with black lettering, or vice versa.

Decorate the room with black and white balloons, black and white tablecloths and black and white roses. You could even do a black and white balloon drop after the welcome address.

Candles and silver ornaments are allowed at this themed party, as it will make it all look stunning.

James Bond Party Ideas

You could start by hiring an Aston Martin for the event, to pick up any special guests and transport them to the entrance way.

Make sure that all the bar waiters ask if the drink needs to be shaken or stirred. Decorate with as many movie posters as you can find, and make sure that guests come in character costume or black tie.

Nuts and canapés should be the food of the evening, and the music should be soundtrack only.

If you can afford to pick a grand location, then do, if not then really stylise everything you can in your own home. Have a casino table, roulette wheel and chips corner, with someone decked up to dish out the cards.

Have lots of gold and jewels around as decorations, and if your budget allows why not have different rooms as different bond movie themes?

Christmas , Holiday & New Year Party Ideas

At this special time of year, why not invite your friends round for a Christmas Eve party. Serve a cooked ham, together with a buffet, including a selection of meats, cheeses and salads. Don’t forget to buy a few drinks too!

How about throwing a New Years Eve Party, where people can really enjoy themselves, play silly games and really see the old year out with a bang.

Milestone Birthdays

Various 20th birthday party ideas could be a murder mystery party, or a Red Carpet themed party. Go all out for nostalgic themes and embarrassing memory retellings.

50 birthday party ideas should be classic and special. How about taking the special person on holiday for the weekend to somewhere they have always wanted to go? Or go all out to organise a special themed party, to introduce something that they have never done, such as an Arabian Nights theme could give them a belly-dancing lesson.

• 70's party ideas
• 1950's party ideas
• last minute costume ideas
• Class ReUnion Party Ideas

Girlfriend Party Ideas

How about starting with an awesome gift idea…make her a book of things that you love about her, and give it to her the morning of her birthday to properly set the mood.

This is not like a valentine party however, you should invite her friends and family (the one’s you know she wants there). Avoid having a theme that will make her feel older or younger than she really is. Classy cocktail parties are awesome if you can arrange it, and make sure that any music that is played is contemporary.

Don’t stick to her like glue the entire evening, impress her with your organisation by checking that everything is going OK behind scenes.

The Ultimate Party Checklist

1. Clarify the reason for the party. Is it a high school reunion, a professional gathering for people to network, a party for family and friends, or the traditional office party. The bigger the event the more planning time will be needed. Decide if there is going to be a theme, and will there be a need for any contributors like a DJ, caterers, or special performers.
2. Decide on a budget. If you are clear on how much you have to spend your decisions will be that much easier.
3. Make the guest list. Choose the number of guests that will fit comfortably in the venue, whether it is your home, hotel conference room, or local community facility. You should expect approximately 75% of RSVP's to be positive.
4. Hire staff or volunteers. If your budget allows, hire people to help you serve food and drinks, or to clean up afterwards. Not in the budget? no problem, recruit some friends to help you with some of these tasks. Be clear on what is expected of them on the night of the party.
5. Decide on the menu. If you are hosting a cocktail party or want to serve some appetizers before the main meal, choose a mix of things that can be purchased or prepared ahead of time and frozen. Keep in mind food preferences of your guests such as food allergies, vegetarians, nutritious options for health conscious eaters etc. Dessert options might be laid out at the end of the evening for a sweet treat that is served with coffee or tea.
6. Select wines. Choose the wines that will go best with your menu choices.
7. Choose decorations. If this is a Christmas party start with the decorations you already have stored in your cupboard. Decide if you need to purchase something new and add perishable decorations closer to the date. If this is a themed party you will probably have to start from scratch. Head to the local party store or dollar store to check out your options.
8. Select music. If you are going to provide music at the party your playlist should include a variety of music to create the mood. Are your guests going to dance, or do you want to play music quietly in the background while your guests mingle and network with one another.
9. Send out invitations. Although email invitations are an acceptable format in these digital times nothing says elegance like a printed or hand written invitation. Make your guests feel special by sending invitations by mail about three weeks prior to the event. Everyone likes receiving mail by post that is not a bill!
10. Visit the liquor store. Get this job out of the way. No need to leave it to the last minute. Choose a wine to compliment your menu, or liquor if you want to serve a fancy cocktail drink
11. Start a grocery list. This will be a work in progress. You will need to add things as you go along. Don't forget cleaning supplies if you are holding the party in your home. Any food that you can make ahead of time and freeze will lighten your load as you get closer to the date.

More party ideas for specific celebrations can be found under the individual category names listed on the left. Click on the type of celebration and you will find many more party ideas. For example, if you are planning a baby shower for your best friend click on "baby showers" in the left hand margin and it will take you to many more ideas for arranging a baby shower.

Thanks for visiting Special Moments, I hope you found some ideas to make your party or celebration go with a bang!

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