Whether a personal celebration or a festive occasion, throwing a themed party can elevate your usual get-togethers to another level of fun!

While themed parties might take a little bit more planning than a casual pot-luck, a themed gathering with your favourite people has the potential to be that party that you end up talking about for months or even years to come!

For party planning enthusiasts of all levels, here’s a checklist to jostle your creativity and get your party bones tingling!

Dresscode

Whether you and your friends decide to go full out by renting or shopping for costumes beforehand, or whether you decide on the simpler option to just rummage through your own closets and stylise clothing you already own (with perhaps an accessory or two), getting dressed up can play an essential role in building anticipation before the party has even started!  

A black-tie dress code for example, can be pretty versatile, suitable for a glam, or retro movie theme. There’s also a reason why ‘white parties’ are so popular all over the world; solid colours make for easy dress codes to dress up for!

Best of all, a dress code everyone can get on board with will ensure some instagrammable #SquadGoals group shots! 

Entertainment

With a bit of creativity, common party games can be easily adapted to any party theme.

Playing Charades, or Party Pictionary? Change all your clues to be relevant to your theme; for example if your party is a general “movie” theme, then make all your clues movie titles.

Playing Chinese Whispers for a travel-themed party? Make up your pass-phrases in foreign languages.

Having a 1920s era-, or spy-themed party? Get all your friends to put on their best vintage ensembles, and surprise them with a murder mystery game!

Ambience

Effective sensory prompts can instantly secure a desired atmosphere.

Decorations can be both aesthetically pleasing and functional; add on a soundtrack and a few finishing touches, and you will have teleported your guests to a different time or place!

Here are some examples of easy-to-do ideas for implementing an overall party theme:

• Bollywood-themed party
  Décor: Hang some saree material and create a photo corner.
  Music: Have a soundtrack of your favourite Bollywood songs playing in the background, especially the ones that make you want to dance!
  Extras: Re-enact iconic scenes for photos, and bonus points if you can recreate a dance sequence!
• Movie-themed, such as Casino Royale
  Décor: Set out game tables, and give your guests playing cards and fake chips.
  Music: Create a tracklist of every James Bond theme song, and press play.
  Extras: Have the movie playing on your living room flatscreen, and serve shaken (not stirred!) martinis as your party cocktail of the night!

• Back-to-school-themed party (perfect for a get-together with childhood friends!):
  Décor: Set up a writing board as the focal point of the room, and use it for games.
  Music: Curate a nostalgia-hitting playlist of all the hits from when you were in school.
  Extras: Surprise your friends by using a projector to play a slideshow of past pictures, and reminisce the days from your youth together!

Or if a single theme is not your thing, go with a ‘Mistmatched’ or ‘Bad-Taste’ party theme, then decorate your space at random, and let your friends surprise you with their own interpretation of the invite!

Food

Travel or location-based themes are the easiest to cater to; simply serve regional or local cuisine of your theme’s location, and your menu is done.

Throwing a Halloween party? Then get creative with your spooky servings like ‘severed-fingers sausages’, and ‘eyeball berry punch’.

Festive occasions included!

Always wanted to host an iconic ugly Christmas sweater party? Then complete your gathering with a Secret Santa gift exchange, and get your favourite Christmas carols playing on a loop. Max out on that festive joy by making it the most fun possible for your family and loved ones.

Cultural or religious occasions are the ultimate no-brainer themed-parties, and because you know you’ll be seeing loved ones for the holidays anyway, you won’t need to worry about sending invites and RSVPs!

Planning the perfect themed party? From menu to decorations, check out the Gemspot app for our list of food vendors including meat and wine delivery, as well as florists and other services.