Are you planning a work party, graduation party, high school reunion, birthday party, or simply want to plan a party for the sake of it? Giving your party a theme will make the planning process SO much easier and is a great way to get your guests excited! Here are 200+ party themes for adults to help you pick the perfect one for your event, plus a free party planning printable!
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I am a BIG fan of parties! They are something to look forward to, to dress up for, and to get giddy about! As adults we need to throw more parties to help breakup the daily humdrum of life we sometimes get caught in.
Incorporating a theme for your party makes it ten times better!
Why Choose a Theme for a Party?
There may be a misconception that a party with a set theme automatically means that it is over the top. That isn’t true! A theme simply sets the overall feel of the party. It gives you direction in way of decorations, invites, food, activities, favors, apparel, venue, so basically everything (which makes your life as the host easier)! It can be as low key or as upscale as you wish. Once you decide on your theme everything else just falls into place!
When you relay your theme via invitation, it helps the guests know what type of party they will be attending so they can be mentally prepared and get excited. – it always puts people at ease to know what they are getting involved in, even if its just for a few hours.
The excitement for the party can reach new heights if guests are encouraged to dress up to fit the theme. Those that do are more committed to the party because they, like you, have been preparing in advance by way of their apparel and accessories for the event, instead of merely showing up. The anticipation grows and that’s half of the fun isn’t it? Sadly not everyone is a fan of such parties (that’s okay!), but many are and their presence adds SO much to the party atmosphere!
What is the BEST Adult Party Theme?
So what is the absolute best party theme? The answer…
it depends!
One party theme may be perfect for one event but fail miserably at another. There are a few factors that come into play when choosing the best party theme, namely occasion, audience, season, and location.
How to Pick a Party Theme for Adults?
There are a few questions to consider when choosing a sensational theme for your event.
What are you planning a party for?
Is it for a birthday party, high school reunion, bridal shower, anniversary, graduation party, or just for fun? If it is for a specific person or persons, what are their favorite colors, music genre, hobbies, food, and interests? Take all these things in account when planning your party.
I was planning on throwing my friend a bear themed baby shower, but then I found out about her husband’s passion for baseball. When discussing themes, I asked her whether she would enjoy a bear or baseball baby shower. She quickly replied that she definitely would love a baseball baby shower!
Who is invited?
Is it for coworkers, an all girls affair, a mixture of family and friends? You’ll want to take in account your audience and their personalities.
I have a friend that loves big gatherings of people but absolutely despises dressing up in any form of costume. You want people to have a great time, so don’t force a theme on people that you know will feel awkward at!
When will the party take place?
It’s best to take an account the season/month you are scheduling the event. Aside from your coworkers thinking it odd that you want to throw a Christmas themed party in May, choosing the appropriate season makes it that much easier to find decor and other needed items for the party. A garden party in January would be lovely but unless you live someplace warm year round, forget about doing it outside! Not to mention the flowers would cost quite a pretty penny more than if you waited until the spring or early summer.
Also keep in mind how much time you have until the party takes place. You want to give ample time to guests if you are planning on any sort of costume party.
Mix and match party themes
Don’t be afraid to mix and match party themes for one fabulous party! Many themes compliment each other well and using both may help
ADULT PARTY THEME IDEAS
There is an infinite amount of possible party themes for adults out there because you can literally pick anything as a focal point to base a party around. To help get your creative party juices rolling, I’ve compiled a list of fabulous adult party themes that could be the perfect fit for your upcoming event! They are grouped into the following categories:
Feel free to read through the post or jump to a specific party category and let me know which theme you go with and/or if I missed any essential ones!
Classic Adult Themed Parties
There are a few party themes out there that are party staples / classics. People are usually more familiar with them and so are the stores which makes them a little bit easier to find decorations for.
- Circus / Carnival
- Country Western
- Heroes vs. Villains
- Hollywood / Red Carpet
- Masquerade Ball
- Pajama Party
- Pirate
- Roaring 20’s
- Superheros
Time Period Party Themes for Adults
Make history come alive! Pick a favorite time period you have a fetish with and plan a party around it. Create a playlist of that genres popular music, encourage guests to dress the part, and try to recreate the era in decor and food as best you can.
- Historical Figures
- Ancient Egypt / Toga Party
- Ancient Rome
- Greek Mythology
- Medieval Party Theme
- Revolutionary War
- American Civil War
- Victorian Era
- Wild, Wild West
- 1920s Art Deco – think Great Gatsby, gold and black color scheme
- 1920s Speakeasy – gangsters and flappers
- 1930s Golden Age of Hollywood – think Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Humphrey Bogart
- 1940s Big Band Era – think swing dancing with Glenn Miller, Bing Crosby, The Andrew Sisters
- 1950s Sock Hop – poodle skirts, classic diner, cat-eye glasses, vinyl records
- 1960s Flower Child – beads, long hair, peace symbols, daisies, the Beatles, Rolling Stones
- 1970s Disco – bell bottoms, afro’s, platform shoes, funky patterns, disco ball, ABBA, Bee Gees
- 1970s Punk Rock
- 1980s Retro – Jane Fonda workout videos, bright neon colors, big hair, shoulder pads, fanny packs, roller rinks, arcades, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boy
- 1980s Prom Theme party – keep with the retro add the element of Prom into the mix
- 1990s – baggy jeans, scrunchies, chokers, combat boots, denim, sport a backwards baseball cap
Holiday Inspired Party Themes
Holiday parties are sometimes the easiest parties to throw because a lot of the decorating is already taken care of! This list could definitely warrant it’s own blog post, but here are a few!
- Favorite Holiday – encourage guests to come dressed up as their favorite holiday
- New Year’s Eve
- Chinese New Year
- Mardi Gras
- Galentine’s Day Party
- Valentine’s Couples Party
- St. Patrick’s Day – have all the food green!
- Mother’s Day Tea Party
- Father’s Day
- July 4th Celebration
- Harvest Party
- Halloween
- Friendsgiving
- Hanukkah
- Christmas Party
- Caroling Party
- Ugly Sweater Party – who in the world ever started this?
- Winter Wonderland
Unique Party Theme Ideas
Did you know every day is a holiday of sorts? When we were planning our 9 parties in 9 weeks and trying to come up with party themes, I discovered that January is national soup month and January 15th is National Hat Day. So, for a unique party theme, I combined the two to make a Hat and Soup party with a French Bistro Twist! Everyone was encouraged to wear a hat of their choosing and brought a crockpot of soup to share. Everyone voted on the best soup and hat and we gave prizes away for each winner.
So if you are ever wanting an excuse to throw a party, just check out what random holiday it is and you will get LOTS of party theme ideas! Below are a few of my favorites.
RANDOM HOLIDAY INSPIRED PARTIES
- Alfred Hitchcock Day (March 12th) – bring out some classic suspense movies!
- Astronomy Day (April 29th)
- Be a Millionaire Day (May 20th) – everyone dress ritzy!
- Book Lovers Day (August 9th) – everyone comes dressed as their favorite writer or fictional character
- Chocolate Fondue Day (February 5th) – need I say more? Have a chocolate fountain or something of that sort and ask everyone to bring something to dip in it to share
- Comic Book Day (September 25th) – make it a comic book theme in decor and apparel!
- Eat What you want Day (May 11th) – make it a potluck and have everyone bring their favorite food
- Ice-cream Day (July 16th)
- International Picnic Day (June 18th)
- Make up your own holiday day (March 26th) – make mix all the holidays together!
- National Donut Day (June 2nd)
- Old Stuff Day (March 2nd) – maybe make a version of white elephant where everyone brings stuff they don’t want
- Pi Day (March 14th) – make lots and lots of pies!
- Public Sleeping Day (February 28th) – great time to throw a sleepover themed party!
- Scavenger Hunt Day (May 24th)
- Star Wars Day (May 4th)
- Taco Day (October 8th) – perfect day to throw together that Taco Bar!
- Thrift Shop Day (August 17) – set a budge and have everyone find articles of clothing to wear or presents to exchange
- Ugly Sweater Day (December 15th) – can you believe they made a holiday out of it?!
You get the gist! There are lots of interesting holidays (to say the least) that people came up with, and one might be your perfect adult party theme!
TV Show / Movie Party Theme Ideas
The possible adult party themes stemmed from movies is never ending! Plan a party around a classic film, the current year’s blockbuster, or with one of your personal favorites. Invite guests to dress up in costume or just plan the activities and decor around the film or show. Whatever you fancy! Below are some popular tv show and movie party themes for adults to choose from which would be great for a birthday or just a fun get together.
- YOUR favorite movie
- Austin Powers
- Avengers
- Back to the Future
- Cartoons – dress up as your favorite Saturday morning cartoon character!
- Classic Hollywood
- Comic Books
- Disney – go with a general Disney theme or choose a specific Disney movie or narrow the theme down to Disney villains or just the princesse
- Downton Abbey
- Favorite Movie Stars
- Friends
- Game of Thrones
- Grease
- Hocus Pocus
- Indiana Jones
- James Bond
- Labyrinth
- Mamma Mia
- Marvel
- Moulin Rouge
- Nightmare Before Christmas
- Once Upon a Time
- Oscars Party
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Star Trek
- Star Wars – May 4th is actually known as “Star Wars Day” so that would be a perfect day to host this one!
- The Greatest Showman
- The Office
- Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – a candy buffet with lots and lots of sweets!
- Wizard of Oz / Emerald City
Book inspired Party Themes for Adults
Do you have a passion for literature? Why not throw a book themed party! A bookish theme is super flexible. You could base it off of books in general or be more specific with a special genre, author, or series, or narrow it down to a specific book. Your avid reader friends will love it!
- Book (pick your favorite)
- Bring your own book – ask guest to bring something or dress up as a character from their favorite book
- Alice in Wonderland / Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
- Atlantis
- Chronicles of Narnia
- Dr. Seuss – a fun theme for a baby shower!
- Fairytales
- Genre (pick your favorite) – action & adventure, fantasy, mystery, romance, sci-fi, thriller
- Great Gatsby
- Harry Potter
- Jane Austen Novels
- Lord of the Rings / Hobbit
- Nursery Rhymes
- Romeo and Juliet
- Sci-Fi Party
- Shakespeare
- Sherlock Holmes
- Stephen King Novels
- Winnie the Pooh – super sweet theme for a baby shower!
- Wizard of Oz
Adult Party Themes inspired by Color
A color-themed party is a party that focuses on a specific color(s). Guests can show up wearing that designated color and/or all the food, decor, and even activities can be sporting the VIP color.
A specific color theme can also be very complimentary to other themes if you need more specific direction. For example, at our Speakeasy birthday party we incorporated black and white into our decorations.
- Black and White – always a classic!
- Bright and Bold
- Color Theme Party – pick your color of choice to be the focal color of the party by way of decor, food, and apparel!
- Glow in the Dark
- Gold – the perfect color to celebrate a golden birthday or 50th birthday
- Neon Colors – this color scheme screams a retro 80’s party!
- Rainbow Party
Sports & Hobby Party Themes for Adults
Think about what hobby/sport you (or the guest of honor) enjoy and choose a party theme to match!
- Baseball / World Series
- Basketball / NBA
- Bowling
- Fishing
- Football / Super Bowl
- Golf
- Hunting
- Kentucky Derby
- NASCAR
- Olympics
- Painting
- Ping Pong
- Pottery
- Sewing
- Soccer
- Specific Sports Team
- Sports – choose them all!
- Tailgate Party
- Video Games
- World Cup Party
- etc, etc, etc! 🙂
Activity/Game Part Themes
Planning an activity, or two, at your party is a great way to get your guests to mix and mingle! You could even plan your entire theme off of that game/activity or combine it with another theme.
BOARD GAMES
- Bang – awesome western themed game
- Candyland
- Chess – black and white color scheme for sure!
- Classic Board Games – bring out all the classics to play including, Sorry, Scrabble, and Life as well as use them for inspiration in decor and food.
- Clue – this would be a super fabulous party grouped with a Murder Mystery night!
- Monopoly
- Ticket to Ride – make it a travel theme
ACTIVITIES THAT ARE EASILY COMBINED WITH OTHER THEMES
- Bingo
- Code Names – they have several themed versions of this game including Harry Potter, Marvel, and Disney. You could easily use one of those themes and have Code Names as the activity.
- Escape Room
- Game Night
- Game Show
- Karaoke
- Murder Mystery
- Scavenger Hunt
- Spa Party
- Trivia Night
- Truth or Dare
- White Elephant Bingo – switch up White Elephant with a twist of Bingo and throw it in January!
Food Bar Inspired Party Themes
Food. It is usually a big part of any social gathering and can even be the sole focal point. If you are in need of party inspiration, a food bar may be just the thing to get your creative juices going! Because who doesn’t like eating good food?! A food bar can easily be combined with another theme and is a great option for large events but can be scaled down for smaller ones as well.
- Bagel Bar – this was a great crowd pleaser at my son’s baptism
- Baked Potato Bar
- Cereal Bar – combine this with a pajama themed party!
- Chocolate Bar
- Cookie bar
- Dessert Bar
- Donut Bar
- Hot Cocoa Bar – we like to put one together for our annual caroling party
- Nacho Bar – perfect for a fiesta party
- Popcorn Bar – combine with a movie night
- Pretzels Bar
- Salad Bar
- Sundae Bar
- Taco Bar
- Waffle Bar – my sister and I set one up for her friend’s bridal shower
- Yogurt Parfait Bar
Travel Inspired Party Theme Ideas
So maybe you can’t fly all your friends to New York City for your big birthday bash, but you could definitely bring it to them by throwing a NYC inspired party! Or anywhere for that matter! Quickly transport them to your destination of choice by setting the scene (decorations), creating the mood (music) and giving them a taste of the place (food). This is a great time to bust out the travel photos and maps if you have them!
- African Safari
- Around the World
- Arabian Nights
- Beach Party
- Bollywood
- Greece
- Hawaiian Luau
- Irish Fete
- Italian Bistro
- Las Vegas / Casino Night
- Mexican Fiesta
- Nautical
- NYC
- Oktoberfest
- Out of this World
- Paris
- Rainforest
- Transport – airplanes, trains, hot air balloon, cruise ship
- Tropical – think palm leaves and bright colors
- Tacky Tourist
- Under the Sea
- Vintage Travel
Trendy Party Themes for Adults
- Anything But a Cup Party – guests are not allowed to drink out of a cup, this is low key but very inventive!
- Barbie Themed Party
- Boho Inspired Party
- Dress as Another Guest Party – Give your guests the guest list and have them pick someone else to come dressed up as
- First Letter of your Name – come dressed as something that starts with the same letter as your name. Maybe make it a potluck and see if they can bring a food that also begins with the same letter as name.
- Taylor Swift Party – if you or your friend is a swiftie… a girl’s Taylor Swift party would be a perfect for a birthday or bachelorette party.
- White Lies Party – the concept is everyone wears a white shirt with a little white lie written on it
Even MORE Party Themes for Adults
Like I said, there are SOOO many different party theme options, perfect for birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers, milestone birthdays, and friend gatherings or whatever! Here are a few more to add to the list!
- Astrology
- Backyard BQQ
- Backyard Bonfire theme
- Camping Party
- Costume Party
- County Fair
- Choose a Letter Party – pick a letter from the alphabet and base everything off of it!
- Dance Party
- Dress as you were – recreate your days of youth by dressing up
- Enchanted Forest – think fantasy with dragons, unicorns, fairies, and such
- Favorite Things Party
- Garden Party
- High School Stereotypes
- Onesie Party – sport an adult onesie of your choosing for this party!
- Movie Night – theme it like a movie theatre or outdoor drive-through and serve popcorn and movie box candy
- Redneck Themed Party
- Service Party
- Tea Party
Throw an Epic Party with these Party Themes for Adults
Hope you enjoyed this mega list of party theme ideas! There definitely isn’t a shortage of party themes for adults so hopefully you found one to spark your creativity for your upcoming event. Are there any party themes for adults that you would add to the list?
As you can tell I love parties so if you would ever like to brainstorm or just need a sounding board let me know in the comments.
BONUS: Free Party Planning Printable
Now that you have decided on a party theme, it’s time to start planning! I’ve designed a party planning worksheet that will help you begin brainstorming your party details. Just click on the link to download, then head on over to your downloads folder. Double click on the file to unzip it, print, and then start planning! ENJOY!
< download the Party Planning Printable here >
All designs are for PERSONAL USE ONLY. You may not forward, share, sell or re-distribute the file. Ownership and copyright over all designs & graphics contained in the files are property of AspenJay.
Did you find this post helpful? Then be sure to save THIS PIN to your party ideas board!
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