Whether you’re evoking The Great Gatsby with its jazz music and classy attire, channeling Back to the Future with futuristic toys and 80s music, or creating a murder mystery dinner party, themed parties are fun and festive. But throwing a themed party is about much more than just deciding on a theme and telling everyone to come dressed like their favorite character. The best-themed parties are truly immersive. And for a party to be truly immersive, you need to get a few things just right.
Choose the Right Venue
Your venue is the first piece of the puzzle in setting the tone for a truly immersive experience. Imagine throwing a party based on your favorite rom-com movie in a dilapidated warehouse or putting a horror-themed party in a brightly lit ballroom. It just doesn’t set the right tone. But you swap those two around, and you get a venue that plays up all the best parts of your theme and makes the party feel like you’re really living out the movie.
Add Props
After you get the venue figured out, the next piece of the puzzle is the props. Props include any physical thing that helps set the tone or theme of the party. Of course, these are more than just a few decorations here and there. Props can include things like table settings, games, pictures, smoke machines, statues, and even the food you serve. All of these things together help make the setting feel more realistic to your guests.
Music
Music helps set the mood in films and plays, so it can certainly help set the mood at your theme party. You can hire a band or a dj near me to play music or you can handle it yourself by hooking up your playlist. Just make sure that all the music matches the theme. For example, if you’re hosting a 70s-themed party, play the music that was popular during the 70s, like the Bee Gees or Elton John. If you’re hosting a horror-themed party, put on some horror vinyl collections to help make the evening more exciting and suspenseful.
Use Lighting
Like your venue and your props, your lighting is another area that will help your guests really get into the experience of your theme. Lighting can be used to set any mood from creepy and spooky to romantic and elegant. Think carefully about your lighting. For example, the horror party in the old warehouse would benefit from dim lighting that leaves lots of shadows for imaginations to run wild. But some black lights would also help set the scare factor higher. If you’re hosting a murder mystery dinner or an escape room activity, lighting can help guests find and solve clues. Consider blending a few lighting options to really make the theme pop.
Themed parties take some work to pull off successfully. However, when you pull it off, that work produces a truly immersive experience that your guests will love and talk about for weeks, if not longer. Let your imagination run wild and offer a themed party they won’t soon forget—and remember to take the time to enjoy it yourself.
