Are you tired of the same old party themes? Why not try something different and host a color party? A color party is a unique and fun way to celebrate any occasion. Whether it’s a birthday, graduation, or just a fun get-together, a color party is sure to be a hit.
So, what exactly is a color party? It’s a party where everything from the decorations to the food is centered around a specific color or color palette. Guests are encouraged to wear clothing in the chosen color(s) and even bring food and drinks that match the theme.
Color parties are kids and family friendly, a blast for all ages! The result is a fun and festive atmosphere that is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Table of Contents
- What is a Color Party?
- How a Color Party works
- Start with the color party invitation
- Decorations for a color party
- Foods for a Color Party
- Color Party basket ideas
- Color board party
- Color Party with alcohol
- Color Party outfits
- Color Party game ideas
- The gift wrap-up
If you would like to explore specific color party themes, click on the links below (complete with food lists):
What is a Color Party?
A color party is a unique and exciting party theme where everything, from decorations to food, is centered around color. The party can be centered around one specific color or a color palette. The color party theme isn’t limited to just decorations. The food, drinks, and even the guests’ outfits often tie into the theme as well.
Back in the ’80s, my friend threw an orange-themed color party – best fun I ever had! I have no idea why it didn’t catch on more. My friend was super-creative, maybe she was just ahead of her time!
Current trend of color parties
Color parties are becoming increasingly popular, especially on social media platforms like TikTok. The latest craze is pretty simple: people throw a party with a color theme. Everyone picks a color, dresses in that specific color clothes, and people also bring snacks and/or drinks matching the color too.
A look at Google Trends for the search term “color party” reveals a sharp spike in the search term in July of 2021. This date coincides with 1 1/2 years after the beginning of the world pandemic, Covid-19.
The use of color has always been an integral part of cultural celebrations and religions. Color is a form of expression, expecially for life events. It appears that humankind’s response to coming out of a worldwide quarantine was to have one big color party.
Color parties have always been around, though not widespread. I attended a color party back in the 80s! Mine was an orange-themed color party.
The Pourhouse, a Prohibition-themed bar in Minneapolis, Minnesota, points out that color is the key to an unforgettable event: “playing party games is more fun when you’re in an exciting environment. No one wants to play Candy Land in a room that’s filled with a dull atmosphere. …Not only do these parties produce aesthetically pleasing pictures to post on social media, but they also make the air in the room more lively and fun.”
In summary, a color party is a celebration that involves the use of vibrant colors, colorful dress codes, and color-inspired decor to create an immersive and joyful experience. It’s a theme that everyone can enjoy and promotes laughter and inclusiveness.
The use of color has always been an integral part of cultural celebrations and religions. Color is a form of expression, expecially for life events. It appears that humankind’s response to coming out of a worldwide quarantine was to have one big color party.
-Renee Cavvy, GiftGivingSucks.com
How a Color Party works
Color party is a fun and exciting way to celebrate any occasion with friends and family. If you are planning to throw a color party, here is how it works:
Natalie, from the blog “At Home with Natalie” shares the details of her color party. There are no hard and fast rules – it’s a good idea to borrow other people’s color party ideas.
For Natalie’s party, each guest was assigned a color and brought as many color-themed food ideas for their color. Guests were also encouraged to get wild and zany with their color-themed outfits, which really makes the party fun!
You can follow Natalie’s idea for her unique color party of different colors. Or choose one color and promote that as the focus of the party. I actually like the idea of one color only, because guests only have to think of one orange food to bring instead of the pressure of a whole basket of theme-colored food.
Color Party Rules
- Choose a color theme: The first step in organizing a color party is to choose a color theme. You can choose any color you like, but some popular color themes include pink, blue, yellow, orange or green. Make sure you let your guests know about the color theme in advance, so they can dress accordingly.
- Dress in the color theme: On the day of the party, make sure you dress in the color theme as well. You can wear a shirt, dress, or any other clothing item in the chosen color. You can also ask your guests to bring snacks or drinks that match the color theme.
- Set up the party area: You can use colorful balloons, streamers, and other decorations to create a festive atmosphere.
- Have fun: Once your guests arrive, it’s time to start the party. You can play some music, dance, and play color-themed games.
A color party is a simple yet fun way to celebrate any occasion. With these simple rules, you can organize a memorable color party that your guests will love.
Color Party prizes
Since this is such a unique party, consider giving out prizes for the most creative color party food basket and color party outfit. This will add an additional element of fun for your competitive friends.
Of course, the prizes should be unique and colorful!
Start with the color party invitation
Details matter when it comes to color parties! If you really want to stand-out, send out color party invitations. It will be near impossible to locate a true color-theme party invite, but most colorful party invite options should work.
If you’re creative, use an online image platform, like Canva, to create your own color party invitation, like this:
Color theme party invitation wording
You will want to be clear on the important details of the party, like when and where. More importantly, you need to share with your friends how a color party works. Getting the wording right for the color theme party invitation is vital.
Here’s an example:
YOU’RE INVITED TO A COLOR PARTY!
Where: Tasha’s house (805 West Elm), Riverside Creek, Oregon
When: Saturday, June 20 from 7 until party end.
Why: Just because!
Details: Each guest is asked to come dressed up in the color assigned to them. Making your outfit bright, colorful, loud, and outlandish is the fun of the party! Please bring a basket of foods that follow the theme of your color. For example, an orange-themed basket could have Doritoes, orange pop, orange candy, etc.
Need ideas? Visit giftgivingsucks.com/color-party/
Decorations for a color party
Consider using colorful balloons, party streamers, and colored tablecloths to create a festive atmosphere for your color party. If you are going with a single-theme color, then theme-colored decorations are almost a must!
To really bring the color theme together, add in some bright-colored paper plates, brightly colored serving trays, and bright-colored dinnerware.
Another fun idea for a color party is to set up a photo booth. You could create a simple backdrop using colorful streamers or balloons, and provide photo booth props like silly hats, sunglasses, and feather boas. This will give you and your partner plenty of opportunities to capture some fun and colorful memories.
Foods for a Color Party
Throwing a color party is a fun and exciting way to celebrate a special occasion with friends and family. One of the best things about a color party is the opportunity to get creative with your food and drinks.
Food coloring can be your best friend. Think of colored frosting for your party cake.
Don’t forget to include plenty of colorful snacks and drinks, like fruit skewers, rainbow cupcakes, and colorful cocktails, appetizers, and beverages. Here are food ideas that can fit your color theme:
- colored beverages
- colored fruits and vegetables
- colored cake and other desserts
- candy, or color-wrapped candy
- colored snacks
Fair warning, color parties tend to end up with a lot of unhealthy food, like candy. Make sure there is a healthy balance so no one goes home with tummy aches.
Let’s just hope that whoever has the color blue comes with a fresh-baked blueberry pie!
Color Party basket ideas
A color party with baskets actually means each guest coming to the color party with a basket filled with color-themed food for the color they have been assigned. Realistically, your “basket” can be a box, laundry basket, plastic tote, tray, or bag. Any large container will do.
It’s quite a sight when your friends come to the party decked out in their assigned color, with a basket of colorful foods to match.
Of course, this is a bit different if it’s a single-color color party. No doubt, you will come up with your own original ideas to make your color party details unique!
Color board party
Color boards (or colour boards) are, as far as I can tell, are what our English friends across the pond call a tray. The idea is exactly the same as using a basket for a color party. Watch the video for a great visual of exactly how to implement a color board party.
Color Party with alcohol
If you’re planning on serving alcohol at your color party, consider making colorful cocktails. Here are some ideas:
- Rainbow Sangria: Mix together a variety of fruits such as strawberries, oranges, and grapes with white wine and club soda. Add a few drops of food coloring to each glass for a colorful and refreshing drink.
- Colorful Margaritas: Mix up a variety of margaritas in different colors such as blue, green, and pink. Garnish each glass with a slice of lime and serve on a tray.
- Rainbow Shots: Mix up a variety of colorful shots such as blue curacao, grenadine, and melon liqueur. Serve them in shot glasses arranged in a rainbow pattern.
- Punch with color of your choice. Many color parties choose a one-color theme only.
With these colorful food and drink ideas, your color party is sure to be a hit.
Color Party outfits
Don’t forget about the dress code. Encourage your guests to wear clothes that match the color scheme, or even dress up in colorful costumes. This will pump up the party vibes and make your color party even more memorable.
Sources for color party outfits:
- thrift store
- costume store
- your kid’s closet
- borrow clothes from a friend
- your stash of colorful halloween outfits or
black Halloween outfits for a black color party - Cosplay outfits
- holiday costumes (like St. Patrick’s Day)
- Mardi Gras costumes
- colorful cultural outfits
Look for colorful accessories to add to your outfit. There may or may not be a “best dressed” prize, but it’s all in fun! Colored party wigs, colored party boas, and colorful party hats, even spray to color hair can complete your color party outfit.
Don’t forget to dress your pets up, too! If you feel comfortable with it, invite your friends to bring their colorful pets along.
Color Party game ideas
No color party is complete without some fun and exciting games to play. Your color party doesn’t have to have color-themed games, it’s just an option. Karaoke or including a photo booth would be great fun – so don’t stress over it.
If you would want to include some color-themed game ideas, try these:
1. Crazy Musical Color Race
Scatter different colored pieces of construction paper along with theme color papers on the floor. Play some music and tell everyone to dance. As the music stops, everyone has to step on the theme color paper. Players who are not able to step on the theme color paper are out of the game.
2. Color Toss
Fill balloons with different colored powders and tie them to a string. Hang the string between two trees or poles. Then, have your guests take turns tossing the balloons at the string to try and pop them. The guest who pops the most balloons wins the game.
3. Color Tag
The idea of a color party is different than a color powder party. But there is nothing stopping you adding from adding a color powder game. Choose one person to be “it” and give them a different color powder. The other players must avoid being tagged by “it” while also trying to tag other players with their own color powder. The last person standing wins the game.
4. Pin the Color on the Rainbow
Draw a large rainbow on a piece of poster board and cut out different colored shapes to represent the colors of the rainbow. Blindfold each player and have them try to pin their color on the correct spot on the rainbow. The player who gets closest to the correct spot wins the game.
These game ideas are just the beginning of the fun you can have at your color party. Check out colorful game ideas for visually exciting game choices. Get creative and come up with your own unique games to add to the excitement!
The gift wrap-up
Color parties are SO MUCH FUN! I’m speaking from first hand experience. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to pull this party off. Grab some fun items from the thrift store, or go all in with expensive outfits. Everyone attending is sure to have a great time!
