Nothing attracts attendees like killer party themes. 

Need an innovative way to market a venue? Use a party theme. 

Want to attract new audiences to your VIP nightclub event? You guessed it — party theme. 

In 2024, attendees are on the hunt for the weird and wonderful. Don’t believe us? Our TRNDS 2024 report indicated that 55% of eventgoers lean toward their sense of adventure. 

So say the following statement after us: ‘I (speak your name) shall never, ever choose a boring party theme, or so help me, event gods.’ 

Lacking inspiration and need some creative juice? Don’t worry; we’ve got the goods. 

In this article, we’ll reveal 200+ party themes straight from the minds of our experts. 

Find the most fun party themes 

Party themes for adults (only)

Quick, easy, and fun party theme ideas

Classic party ideas

Creative theme party ideas

Costume party themes

Wild and memorable event party themes

Unique and unusual themes for parties

Themes based on a party venue

Party themes for music events

Food and drink party themes

None of these party ideas catch your eye? Don’t worry; we’ve got a downloadable guide with more party themes. 

List of event ideas for party themes

Party themes for adults (only)  

In 2024, ‘adulting’ is hard, so it’s time for some ‘adult play.’ Give your fellow humans a break from reality by choosing party theme ideas strictly for adults only.  

cowboy riding bull
Jackson Pro Rodeo / Revenge Roughstock Company / Jackson, OH 

1. ‘Just south of the Wild West’ party theme 

Effort: 🏋️ 🏋️ 🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳 🥳

Giddy up, cowboy; for your next event, you’re going ‘full Western.’ We can picture it now: A wild bull-riding show in an old warehouse with all-American beer on tap and tumbleweed covering the dancefloor. 

2. ‘Get boozy, and shake ya’ booty’ beach party theme 

Effort: 🏋️ 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳 

Line up umbrellas and sun lounges on a secluded beach with giant beach balls and flamingos for a good ol’ fashioned beach party. Offer bright pink cocktails, and hire a ‘floating water stage’ as a dancefloor. The event should give ‘Barbie’s Gone Wild’ vibes.  

3. ‘Piña colada and pajama’ party theme 

Effort: 🏋️ 
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳 

If you like Piña Colada and getting caught in the rain wearing your PJs, this party theme is for you. Invite attendees to head downtown in their best PJ set, and crank up the fun by hiring a rain machine and conducting a ‘Step Up’ dance battle. 

💡Pro tip: To boost revenue, offer VIP tickets, including one free Piña Colada and fast-tracked entry. 

people at party playing jenga
Acme’s Feed + Seed / Acme’s 4th of July Rooftop Party Downtown Nashville / Nashville, TN 

4. John Hughes hijacks casino night

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️ 
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳

Create a casino night with poker tables, cigar smoke, and whiskey, and give it the full ‘John Hughes prom’ treatment. Hang a disco ball, invite a local band to perform with spikey hair and shoulder pads, and have attendees dress like Andie and Duckie from Pretty in Pink. 

Quick, easy, and fun party theme ideas 

Sure, an epic party theme is cool, but with 67,531 bars and nightclubs in the US as of 2023, is it enough to put your event brand on the map? 

The answer is yes, but only if you’re consistent. Any nightclub can host one standout party, but can they do it month after month? 

The trick is to choose fun party themes that are quick to set up and easy to market. 

5. ‘Candy Crushin’ it ’ party theme  

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳

The world is having a moment with all things sweet and colorful.

Immersive exhibitions like The Museum of Ice Cream are insanely popular, and everyone wants to fill their Instagram feeds with pops of candy color. Tap into this trend for your party by styling it with bright and colorful things, complete with a dessert table filled with sweet treats.

TikTok video of event organizer
Image source

6. ‘Inner child, be free’ party theme 

What better way to let your hair down than with childlike fun? 

Consider grown-up versions of classic childhood activities — an adult-sized ball pit, a bouncy castle, a slide, confetti, bubbles, and sweet snacks to bring this party theme to life.

7. ‘Harry Potter vs Lord Voldermort’ party theme 

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳

Update your party ideas with a rooftop bar like All Royal Events does with Cafe Circa, and ask attendees to dress in their ‘team colors’ (Slytherin or Gryffindor.) Create a mini Hogwarts with broomstick chairs, golden-snitch iceblocks, and a screen featuring Harry and Voldy’s most iconic battles. 

💡Pro tip: Host mini tournaments to find ‘the chosen one,’ like ‘guess the spell,’ and offer free tickets to your next event as prizes. 

couple hugging in mosh pit
Duck Club / PINK FUZZ + Floating Witch’s Head + MÔS / Boise, ID 

8. ‘Tonight, it’s everyone’s birthday’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳

Turn the excitement of birthday parties into a creative event theme. Get inspired by 1920s parties and go extra with your venue decorating, like Marilyn-Monroe-coming-out-of-the-cake extra. 

Fill the room with banners, balloons, party hats, and jelly shooters to make your attendees’ day special. 

9. ‘Who’s your favorite character’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳

For your next event, host a character party with a cheeky twist. Encourage attendees to dress as their favorite Halloween character — in January. Or base the event on a specific TV show, like Friends. We can picture it now: 10 Rosses in a room of Rachels. 

Girl on man's shoulder in crowd
Stay Silent / Day Trill / Providence, RI 

10. ‘Welcome to party city’ party theme 

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳🥳

Create your version of Sin City by turning a gritty venue, like The Orpheum, into a mega block party

For party theme ideas that are inventive, ask food vendors to dress in black trench coats and hire spotlights to illuminate the ‘city streets.’ 

Market the event as a summer party like no other, with the tagline, ‘On hot sticky nights, you’ll find alcoholic delights and trouble in Party City.’ 

💡Pro tip: When planning your party, contact micro-influencers and offer them VIP tickets to create and share a promotional video with their followers.

Classic party ideas

It’s time to break up with classic party ideas. Sure, you’ve had some good times, but were any of them ever great? Don’t take the safe option and settle, but put a spin on traditional party ideas.

11. ‘Heroes and villains’ party theme 

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳 

Starting strong with an oldie, but a goodie, is a ‘heroes vs villains’ party. With the nonstop release of superhero movies, comic books are always on-trend and provide great costume choices for themed parties and events. 

Just remember to time your party around a movie release for extra relevancy. 

people in dark with fire
Nightfall Greenwood Cemetry / Florian Koenigsberg / Brooklyn, NY

12. ‘Enchanted forest’ party theme 

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳 

Thanks to ‘BookTok,’ sexy fairies are in. Capitalize on this trend, like Tesni Yoga Events did with their ‘enchanted forest’ yoga session. 

Place fairy lights in trees, and set up firepits where attendees can dance barefoot while sipping wine from golden goblets. 

13. ‘Black and white’ party theme 

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳 

Do you know what’s even cooler than a black-and-white party? Black and white films. 

Deck out a ballroom to resemble ‘Metropolis’ with ‘robot’ waiters, a steam train, and a giant grandfather clock. When midnight strikes, bring attendees freaky food, like eyeballs (jelly and licorice).

💡Pro tip: For an event this epic, you need an equally impressive event management software. Eventbrite helps you at every stage of your event, from creating targeted social media ads to conducting A/B testing and writing AI-generated emails.

Promote your party like a pro

An image of crowds in Nashville, TN

14. ‘Party like it’s graduation’ party theme 

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳 

Get the creative juices flowing by turning a memorable event, like a high school graduation, into a ‘rage fest.’ It’ll be like ‘Spring Break 2.0’ or like The Vanguard’s event with an off-the-wall celebration where attendees ‘go crazy.’ 

group of people line dancing
The Contour Group / Country Dance Party / Nashville, TN 

15. ‘Outback country music’ party theme 

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳 

Embrace your cowboy era just like Beyoncé, and let’s face it, Beyoncé can do no wrong. For party themes ideas that are unforgettable, invite city slickers to try line dancing, country karaoke, and beer-drinking competitions. Play everyone’s favorite country tunes because, despite what Beyoncé told you, this is Texas

Creative theme party ideas 

Fabulous party ideas usually include two main ingredients: a top-notch event-planning team and modern technology. So, to make your next event ‘god tier,’ use virtual and augmented reality to create a sense of awe. 

16. ‘Welcome to the zombie apocalypse’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 

If you’ve found a warehouse venue or a little creepy location, like Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetry, play up to the mood with an end-of-day themed event. Then, ‘futurify’ the party using augmented reality software like Adobe Aero to create a zombie quest where attendees can slaughter ‘real’ zombies. 

17. ‘Must be musical magic’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳

Celebrate the rich history of the silver screen with a musical-themed event, encouraging guests to dress as their favorite characters from the musicals of your chosen screening. Make sing-along subtitles or post-movie karaoke a must.

young people at pool party
CVLTRE Magazine Presents / Tropico Disco Pool Party / Los Angeles, CA

18. ‘Havana, oh-na-na’ party theme 

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳

Take your guests to Cuba with a timeless Havana Nights theme. Think rum cocktails, Latin dance music, outlandish tropical prints, and vintage resort wear. 

💡Pro tip: Host a pool party at night, like Jazzy Jeff did with its Late Night Dip event, and use hologram projections of ‘sea creatures’ in the water, like mermaids and turtles.

19. ‘This is going to break’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳

Organize a death metal music party where attendees can smash furniture, kitchenware, and drywall while enjoying a live show. Just ensure attendees have enough room to ‘Hulk Smash’ safely. 

couple dancing at music festival
Sidney Myer Music Bowl & Kings Domain / Ultra Australia / Melbourne, AUS 

20. ‘Mad Max is back’ party theme 

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳 

Party theme ideas where the Mad Max apocalypse has taken over? Sure! 

Attendees now live in a world where musicians perform on death trucks, ‘armed’ bartenders have painted faces, and ‘jails’ are filled with burlesque prisoners wearing terrifying masks. Oh, and did we mention that everything is on fire?  

Take a look at Wasteland Weekend’s fully immersive five-day music festival — it’s an event organizer’s dream.

End of world party
Image source

21. ‘My favorite movie that never existed’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳 

Dressing up as your favorite movie character is a killer party theme, especially for Gen Z and millennials — but it’s a bit overused. So give this theme a modern twist by encouraging attendees to dress in ironic versions of legendary movie characters.  

💡Pro tip: For one of the best party ideas attendees might ever see, create a social media campaign with ‘alternative’ movie posters for each day of the week, such as Jane Bond instead of James Bond.  

22. ‘Chocolate fountain mountain’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳 

Your attendees might not be hikers, but who wouldn’t climb a mountain with a chocolate fountain on the other side? So make everyone’s dreams come true, and create ‘chocolate land.’ 

The San Francisco Chocolate Festival 2024 by TasteTV is a great example of how to cater to chocolate aficionados with tasting and demonstration sessions as well as chocolate-themed merchandise. 

Costume party themes 

Costumes aren’t just for kids. Let’s say that again. Costume party themes should not be reserved for children’s parties!

Our 2024 TRNDS report found that 41% of 21–35-year-olds enjoyed wearing themed outfits to events. So start capitalizing on the crazy-dress trend. 

23. ‘Victorian-era gothic’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳 

If you want to throw an elegant and spooky party, look no further than a Victorian-era style gothic theme. 

Think candles, candelabras, skulls, taxidermy, black flowers, old frames and furniture. You can even ask your guests to dress up as Victorian ghosts and have staff dressed as Victorian maids and butlers.

💡Pro tip: To add more spice to the event’s playlist, use Run The City LLC’s idea and pin Victorian music against a completely different genre, like Reggae. 

crowd coated in blue and pink lights
Find Your People / Lindsey Best 

24. ‘Trash TV bash’ costume party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳  

Who doesn’t love the guilty pleasure of reality TV? With so many shows on offer, there’s plenty to choose from when hosting a viewing party for a big reality show finale or premiere. 

The show for your upcoming party theme ideas should complement your decor and food. Bachelor/bachelorette lovers, get ready to call up your favorite florist and reserve all their roses. 

25. ‘Ready, player one?’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳 

To pull off a video-game-inspired party theme, invite guests to dress as their favorite game characters. Book a space that hosts retro arcade games or virtual reality headsets for gameplay entertainment.

26. ‘Shh, I’m a creative’ theme

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳

Fully exploit the stereotypes surrounding ‘creatives’ by encouraging attendees to dress in outfits only an ‘artist’ could get away with. Think Lady Gaga’s meat dress or Doja Cat demon costume. 

💡Pro tip: Fully ‘commit to bit’ and play experimental ‘art films’ on projector screens. Hire artists to perform weird stunts, like screaming on the dance floor — all in the name of art, of course.

27. ‘Savannah Soiree’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳

To style your safari-inspired party, look to on-trend animal prints and lots of greenery. You could also use this theme as inspiration to create an animal lover’s twist on a masquerade ball with animal-inspired masks.

28. ‘Dress like you did in college’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳 

Let’s take a minute to remember how we all dressed in college.

For party ideas that are a blast from the past, allow attendees to relive their not-so-fashionable college days by hosting a traditional American ‘frat party’ nightclub event. Think beer-pong, kegs, and totally rockin’ 90s tunes. 

girls dressed in sea shells
Wes Chiller / Dead Man’s Luau / Los Angeles, CA

29. ‘Under the sea’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳

This theme may bring up memories of school dances past, but with a few modern upgrades, you can make it a hit. 

The Pantone 2024 Color of the Year is ‘Peach Fuzz,’ which means this soft hue will appear everywhere in 2024, from fashion to tableware. Use touches of this color in your decorations to make your ‘Under the Sea’ party modern and creative. 

💡Pro tip: Keep your party decorations away from anything that screams ‘prom.’ That means no glitter, sequins, or anything hard to recycle, like plastic straws. Instead of wasteful streamers, have live performances inspired by the sea or auction off ocean-inspired art to benefit a relevant charity. 

30. ‘I’m wearing birthday party decorations’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳  

Invite attendees to dress as birthday decorations at your birthday-themed nightclub event. Yes, you read that right. Don’t just hang balloons; encourage attendees to stick them to their shirts or arrive in a birthday cake dress with a candle as a hat.

Drag queen in photo shoot
Powerblouse / Juanita MORE! / San Francisco, CA

31. ‘Only if you’re wearing a platform shoe…’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳  

Embrace the allure of burlesque at your next party. Encourage attendees to arrive fully dolled up for entry — we’re talking bright wigs, red lipstick, and (most importantly) platform shoes.

💡Pro tip: Tie the event to a music genre or band. For example, GBH creates parties based on the aesthetic and music of one artist, such as their Lust For Life Lana-Del-Rey-inspired event. 

Wild and memorable event party themes 

Memorable events are intoxicating because the hype around them spreads like wildfire

Need proof? Look at ‘Fred Again’s’ last-minute event that sold over 100,000 tickets in a few hours. Fans didn’t mind waiting in a virtual line of one million people because of the atmosphere Fred creates. 

Capture that same energy with a wild and memorable party theme.

32. ‘Future Fête’ event theme

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳 

For a party theme with a hint of mystery and magic, enlist tarot card readers, clairvoyants, or vintage-style fortune-telling machines to tell the rich futures of your party guests. 

Adopt the ‘Magic Market approach,’ and invite different types of ‘magic’ vendors to your party. For example, set up a ‘haunted house’ silent disco with a ‘fortune-telling witch’ inside. 

33. ‘Welcome to the circus’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳 

This is one of our favorite party ideas! 

Encourage guests to dress in their finest attire to attend your high-class circus, complete with live performances and audience improv actors to up the mysticism. 

Pass out special performance tickets or fortunes, perform skits, and offer face painting on site. Make sure to lean into the traditional circus stripe theme — no worries if you can’t find a tent. 

Girl dancing at rave party
Nonsense ATL / Heyday 80s Dance Party Pride Edition / Atlanta, GA

34. ‘Dead zombies eat 1990s pop stars’ event idea

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳  

We know what you’re thinking: Wow, a 90s music event, how original. 

Okay, but what if we told you this idea involves attendees dressing up as zombies and eating 1990s pop stars? 

First, hire a cramped venue, like an EDM house. Then, get your bar staff to dress up as famous 90s musicians and offer attendees their ‘flesh and blood’ in drink form, such as a ‘Bit-knee b*tch martini.’ 

💡Pro tip: Incorporate a 90s slasher movie element around Halloween by dropping fake blood on the crowd and asking security guards to wear the ‘Scream’ mask. 

35. ‘Starry-nights and casino signs’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳

Create a casino event that’s also a ‘midnight beach party.’ Set up ‘casino game stations’ along the shore and host a massive bonfire with a live DJ, a sand dancefloor, and a fireworks show.  

💡Pro tip: Consider your venue when contemplating party theme ideas, like how Montessori Schoolhouse of Cheshire County is hosting a murder mystery in a casino. 

Woman in purple waving in crowd
230 Fifth Rooftop / New Year’s Eve 2023 / NY, NYC 

36. ‘My life is a music video’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳 🥳

We all imagine we’re in a 2000s music video every time we hit the dancefloor with our friends at a club — right? 

For your next event, legitimize that feeling by turning it into your party theme. Think dancing girls, fake money flying from the ceiling, and champagne showers. MVEMNT’s R&B parties are exactly what we mean. 

37. ‘The bridal shower from hell’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳 

For your next party, host a bridal shower with a hellish twist. 

Decorate your venue as a wedding at the gates of hell. Think black rose petals, red horns, blood-curdling screams, and kiss marks on drink glasses with the message, ‘Love you to hell and back.’ 

💡Pro tip: Offer on-site merchandise sales for ‘My Night with the Devil’ t-shirts. 

Unique and unusual themes for parties 

People remember weird and wild events. Why? Because ‘regular events’ fade into our memories, never to be found again. 

But life-changing experiences that open our minds to new ideas and possibilities? Those stick with you forever. Check out these party ideas that are unexpected but oh-so-wonderful.

People participating in paint jam
Art Battle International / Art Battle SF / Great Northern, SF

38. ‘This art attack’ party theme idea

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳  

Create a giant interactive canvas wall to involve your guests in an art project at your next party. 

Invite guests to write, draw, or graffiti your wall live at the party, and give participants fun projects like ‘write a poem in under one minute’ or ‘draw a selfie.’ You can do this with large poster paper or the walls themselves. 

39. ‘Goldilocks and the 3 drunken bears’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳 🥳 

Divide your venue into three zones: the ‘one that’s too peaceful’ (a silent disco), the ‘one that’s too loud’ (a live performance with a mosh pit), and the ‘one that’s just right’ (a cocktail bar with an open dancefloor.) 

💡Pro tip: Choose a venue with a ‘secret entry,’ and release different ‘passwords for entry’ each hour on your social media platforms. 

40. ‘The time traveler’s ball’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳  

This event theme is the ultimate fancy dress party: Instead of limiting costumes to a single decade for your party theme ideas, your ‘time traveling’ guests can take inspiration from a historical figure from any year, past or present. 

Ancient Egyptian pharaohs, famous historical figures, pop icons… the possibilities are endless.

Crowd dancing at nightclub
Color Nightclub / Shouse – MMW Party / Melbourne, AUS

41. ‘Bubbles and bow ties’ party theme idea

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 🥳

Try ‘bubbles and bow ties’ for a modern take on a sophisticated black-tie soiree. Ask guests to dress in formal wear for a champagne-filled party. Mix it up with trendy varietals, like Prosecco and natural sparkling wine, Pétillant-naturel.

42. ‘Downtown Abbey gets freaky’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳 

Find a heritage building, like the Old Alcohol Plant Inn, and throw a raunchy party that’d make the Crawley family gasp. Tell attendees to ‘sex-ify’ their fave Downtown Abbey character, put a ‘Dirty Dancing’ spin on ballroom dancing, and serve cocktails in tea cups with miniature scone chasers. 

43. ‘There’s a dragon in the dungeon’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳 

Set up your venue as a battlefield with a standing viewing area for attendees to dance, drink, and cheer on the battle. Have actors dress in metal armor and ‘fight to the death’ against a ‘fire-breathing dragon.’ 

💡Pro tip: Use Eventbrite to include add-ons, such as fake swords, armor, and magic potions that attendees can use at your event.

Nightclub with purple lighting
Audio SF / Viceroy / San Francisco, CA

44. ‘Enter the void’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳 

Reinvent your party ideas by basing your next theme on Gasper Noe’s mind-bending film, ‘Enter The Void.’ Like Audio SF’s EDM events, create an out-of-this-world experience using laser beams, strobe lights, and 3D video projections. 

Once you enter the void, there’s no turning back. 

Themes based on a party venue 

If you already have a venue in mind, you’re in a great position. All you have to do now is cherry-pick a list of party theme ideas to complement your venue’s unique value. 

Dance circle on a boat
VIP Nightlife / Gatsby’s Firework Yacht Party / New York, NY

45. ‘Nautical, but nice’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 

Hosting an event on a boat or by the river but want to avoid a kitschy pirate-themed event? 

Try a more sophisticated nautical theme — styled with crisp whites and deep navy blues. Your event space should look more at home cruising the French Riviera than sailing the high seas.  

46. ‘Palm Springs’ party theme ideas

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳  

If you’re lucky enough to secure a venue with a pool, like Lamar Hip Hop and Reggae events did a pool lounge, stick to a classic Palm Springs-inspired party. Sure, it’s been done before, but it’s a no-brainer and lets the venue shine.

💡Pro tip: Channel vintage summer glam and classic styling from the 50s and 60s.  

47. ‘Salem witches’ revenge’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳   

Invite ladies to take revenge for their fallen Salem sisters. We can picture it now, hundreds of bad-ass ‘witches’ partyin’ it up and playing interactive games like ‘pin the blame on the witch’ for free drinks at the bar. 

It’ll give a whole new definition to ‘girl’s night.’ 

48. ‘The land of LEGO’ party theme idea

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳   

Lego isn’t going anywhere soon. It’s booming in popularity among adults and kids with themed exhibitions, bars, and pop-ups. To create a LEGO-themed party, procure giant LEGO from a party supplier and enlist the help of an expert LEGO builder to create unique party styling.

girls watching a concert
Find Your People / Lindsey Best 

49. ‘Glow in the dark’ color theme party ideas

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳  

Make everything glow-in-the-dark at your next rave party — yes, we mean everything. Have musicians sport glow-in-the-dark vests, offer attendees glow stick bracelets and necklaces, and paint furniture in glow-in-the-dark paint. 

💡Pro tip: To make your event more immersive, follow Framed Events’ lead and create a ‘glow-in-the-dark tunnel’ with laser lights, smoke machines, and ‘glow sticks dancers.’   

Instagram embed of sold out party
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50. ‘2024: A Space Odyssey’ party idea

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳 

Leave Earth behind, and take your attendees on a cosmic journey through space. For party ideas out of this world, transform your venue into a ‘space shuttle’ with illuminated floors, alien props, and an AI-generated bartender mimicking Hal 9000 from 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

Party themes for music events 

In 2024, music events are forecasted to rack up $34.23 billion. Why? Because there’s nothing quite like the thrill of attending a music event — especially one with a fantastic theme.

51. ‘Babe, London’s calling again…’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳 

Pay tribute to British indie rock bands throughout the decades. We’re talking The Smiths, Joy Division, and British India — all in one night. Line your with album covers and dingy-looking signs to give your event the ‘1980s indie music scene’ feel. 

Projector screen and blow up doll
Bizarre Love Triangle / 80s Flashback Dance & Burlesque Party / Pasadena, CA

52. ‘Rock n’ roll’ party theme idea

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳 

Deck out your venue in black and silver, and invite guests to dress in their most hardcore outfits with spikes, mohawks, and biker boots. Memorable party theme ideas should include modern or classic rock hits to keep the dance floor alive. No questions asked. Oh, and offer spray-on hair color and temporary tattoos to increase attendees’ visual appeal. 

53. ‘Smells like cocktails and spirits’ theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳   

Create a head-thrashing, grunge-fest like Vampirefreaks & GBH Events did with its Pop Punk Black Parade party. Lean into the ‘grunge lifestyle’ by encouraging crowd surfing, guitar smashing, and tons of audience interaction. 

People walking around outdoor party
SoulfulofNoise / Soulful Sundays / Hollywood, LA

54. ‘Handshakes in the Hamptons’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳  

A place long associated with summertime chic, New York’s Hamptons region evokes visions of popped collars and Lamborghinis by the beach. To inject some preppy fun into your next event, create a Hamptons-style garden party with turf lawn, tennis whites, sneakers, and pastels — with a jug of Pimms on the side, of course.

55. ‘Nothing compares to good tunes’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳  

Hire a roller rink, buy a disco ball, and bring out the flare pants — it’s time to host a disco party. Take note from ORLOVE’s 70s disco party, and keep attendees high on life throughout the night by blasting fan favorites like Stayin’ Alive and Boogie Wonderland. 

56. ‘TayTay v Kayne’ party idea

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳 

Bring Swifties and Kayn-ians together, and let them squash their beef with the power of dance. Tell attendees they must ‘pick a side’ by dressing up as Tay or Kay.

💡Pro tip: To get the crowd’s blood pumping, exclusively play TayTay and Kayne’s mashups.  

Food and drink party themes

One of the most exciting parts about a food and drink party is that every attendee’s sensory, social, and intellectual experience differs. Arrange party ideas that poke at your attendees’ curiosity and promote social interactions with strangers over a shared love of food and drink. 

57. ‘Wonder-crawl’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳  

Take your party on the road with a ‘one-street, pub-meet.’ Contact four–five local bars along the same strip, and work together to create a pub crawl with an exclusive food and cocktail list — you know, so attendees feel extra special

💡Pro tip: Turn your ‘wonder-crawl’ into a holiday party to increase attendance. For instance, Blue Steel Productions organized a St. Paddy’s Day bar crawl. 

58. ‘Southern BBQ’ party theme ideas

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳 

If you want to bring your outdoor theme closer to home, try an old-school BBQ with Southern classics like cornbread, baked beans, friendly summer games, and state fair classics like Frisbee or Cornhole.

💡Pro tip: Use the Drink Eat Relax Events’ strategy, and offer attendees an ‘all you care to taste’ sampling package with their admission ticket. 

59. ‘French-chic picnic’ party theme idea

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳 

If you’re hosting an event in spring or summer, try a French-themed outdoor picnic. Think red-checkered picnic blankets, baguettes, cheese, and champagne.

60. ‘The diet starts Monday’ party theme ideas

Effort: 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳

We all know the drill: Tomorrow, we diet. But you’re having a party, so tonight, let’s go down in a blaze of glory. This event theme lets guests indulge in all the good stuff with a fun blowout before the ‘treat day’ ends. Catering should include decadent cocktails, donut walls, and fried food galore.

Women laughing while cooking
Get in the Kitchen! / Cooking + Comedy / Chicago, IL

61. ‘Now, that’s a tequila sunrise’ party theme idea

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳 

While it’s always fun to don a sombrero and drink fishbowl margaritas, there’s much more inspiration from down south that can fuel a great fiesta.

For a more modern take, opt for high-end tequila tastings (no lemon or salt required!), refreshing palomas, quality micheladas, and authentic street tacos fit for a night in trendy Tulum.

💡Pro tip: Take the event to the next level by incorporating ‘Xtreme’ Mexican wrestling, like RJNPRODUCTIONS99.

woman holding beer with friends
SPARK Social SF / Avocadocon / San Francisco, CA

62. ‘Locavore luncheon’ party theme idea

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳  

Craft a foodie event focused exclusively on local farmers, chefs, and vendors. For a party theme, look to the local season for clues on what guests can expect, such as ‘Summer Picnic,’ ‘Autumn Harvest,’ ‘Spring Garden Soiree,’ or ‘Winter Warmers.’

63. ‘Mad Hatter’s tea’ party theme idea

Effort: 🏋️🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳 

The whimsical world of Alice in Wonderland will always be one of the classic party ideas of all time and allows you to really bend the rules when it comes to creative styling for a party. Serve trendy iced tea cocktails (or mocktails) in teacups and mini bottles with ‘drink me’ labels.

64. ‘Ice cream Sundays’ party theme

Effort: 🏋️
Cost: 💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳  

An ice cream social is an instant hit and a surefire way to draw a crowd in the summer months.

Offer delicious icy treats, and pair this party theme with crisp whites and playful pops of pastel to evoke nostalgic memories of ice cream vans and summers. Host it on a sunny Sunday afternoon to truly stay on theme.

💡Pro tip: Send an event pitch letter to an ice cream brand asking if they’d become an in-kind sponsor for your event.

List of event ideas for party themes

Let’s make event magic with outstanding party themes

Party themes are like cooking. Sure, you can get away with the same ol’ recipes, but to create a masterpiece, you gotta bring the spice. 

All you have to do to cook up an outstanding event is choose one of our 201+ ideas and turn it into a ‘’Michelin star event.’

At Eventbrite, we’re big supporters of event innovators. We’re also fans of event promotion and, well, pretty much everything else to do with events. 

That’s why event organizers worldwide rely on our event software to help them with their end-to-end event management, from party promotion to payment collection.