If you’re looking to plan the ultimate dinner party, choosing a theme for the event is a great starting point. After all, this is something that you can then build your menu, drinks and even decor around, making the planning process much less stressful.
However, with hundreds of themes to choose from, it can be hard to know where to start.
With that in mind, here are some fun themes to liven up your next dinner party!
Back to the ___ Party.
If you’re celebrating a birthday or hosting a reunion with old friends, hosting a party that calls back to the year (or decade) you were born or the time you met is a great way to celebrate.
For example, you could encourage your guests to go all out with their costumes for a “Back to the 80s” party by digging out their leg warmers.
Entertainment: Print off old photographs of guests taken in the year/decade that the party is themed around, and have everyone guess who the picture is of. You should also play classic music from this era!
Decor: Think bright colors and neon lights!
Food: Search for recipes for recipes that will take you straight back to the 80s!
Murder Mystery Party.
If you’re a big fan of the game Clue, you’ll love a murder mystery party, which essentially brings the classic board game to life. At this kind of party, each guest takes on the role of a distinct (and potentially suspicious) character who has recently witnessed a murder. Throughout the night, they must work together to uncover clues and share secrets before identifying the real culprit.
This can be a lot of fun, and there is a wide range of Murder Mystery Dinner Party Themes to choose from, such as a murder taking place at an old folks home or at a Santacon!
Entertainment: It goes without saying that the entertainment factor for this kind of dinner party lies in playing the game itself. However, you should also be sure to amp up the atmosphere by putting together a themed playlist that heightens tension and helps immerse your guests in gameplay!
Decor: You should work to decorate your home based on the specific murder mystery theme you choose. For example, you may be required to turn your home into an eighteenth-century manor or a retirement village, depending on your choices.
Food: Again, the food should be themed around the topic of the gameplay. However, you should try to focus on dishes that you can prepare ahead of time and heat up when necessary. Otherwise, you’ll miss out on the fun by spending too much time in the kitchen.
Game Night Dinner Party.
If you’re looking for a simpler theme, why not host a game night? This way, you don’t have to do a tonne of prep ahead of time, aside from dusting off your favorite games.
Entertainment: Try to get your hands on a diverse range of board games so that your guests can choose what to play without feeling limited. You could even ask them to bring a few games of their own! Be wary of the fact that you’ll need to find games with the same amount of players as guests or put together teams!
Decor: A games night does not necessarily require any decor in order to be fun, as they’ll likely be too immersed in the gameplay to really notice. However, if you’re looking to spruce things up a little, you could always print out vintage posters for the games you are playing (or even the rules to avoid disagreements) and hang them on the walls!
Food: Fortunately, the menu for a board game night does not necessarily need to be all that fancy. In fact, you could probably get away with serving classic finger food, such as Nachos and dip, that you guests can enjoy while playing. However, you could always create some fun, game-themed cocktails (and mocktails for those who do not drink).
In short, there are plenty of steps that you can take to liven up your next dinner party, whether you’re celebrating your birthday or simply want an excuse to bring all of your friends together. While the three examples listed above always go down a treat, don’t be afraid to think outside of the box and come up with a theme of your own either!
No matter what, choose something that you find fun, and make sure that on the night, you allow yourself to enjoy it!
