Orange Themed Parties are Great Fun!

Never been to an “Orange Party?” Boy, are you in for FUN!

Orange color parties are good, clean fun for any age group. They work especially great for kids and teens that can be hard to impress. It’s an easy ask to involve them – you can even have kids take charge of the party.

An orange party consists of guests wearing orange clothing, partaking in orange-colored food, with orange-colored party decorations in the background. The novelty of it all is where the fun is.

I’VE GOT LISTS, LOTS OF LISTS! From the best orange foods and snacks. to orange themes, to orange party decorations, you’ve got it all right here! Come along with me and find out everything you need to throw a wildly successful Orange-themed Color Party.

MUST READ: The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Color Party

Where did the idea of orange theme parties come from?

I go deeper into the whole Tic-Toc color party trend in “The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Color Party.” Color parties have taken a recent upswing, with my theory tied to Covid-19.

Lately, there has been a trend in cruise ship orange parties. The Holland America cruise ship line connects the on-board celebration as part of King’s Day. “King’s Day is known for being a celebration of the color orange in Holland in honor of the House of Orange-Nassau.”

Why orange? “The color has a long tradition as the symbol of the royal family: King Willem-Alexander and his mother Beatrix are descendants of the reigning house Orange-Nassau. Therefore the slogan of the day, that is sung loud and happily is: Oranje boven, oranje boven, leve de koning. – Oetker Group

Side note: you may see this huge celebration also referenced as “Queen’s Day.” According to Holland.com, “When Queen Beatrix was still head of state, Queen’s Day was celebrated on 30 April. This changed in 2014 when Willem-Alexander ascended the throne. We have called it King’s Day ever since and everyone in the Netherlands, including the royal family, celebrates King’s Day on 27 April.”

World-wide Orange Parties

The similarity between the King’s Day and Orange Parties in the United States and the rest of the world, are that everyone gets dressed up in wacky orange outfits or costumes and enjoys fun parties, including orange party decorations like garlands, flags, and banners.

The King’s Day celebrations are very public and out in the streets, though no doubt there are private home parties during this time. Orange Parties in the rest of the world are usually in-home parties.

According to the Oetker Group, the cuisine focus on orange-colored foods is popular, too. “Traditionally, Dutch people eat cakes, donuts and muffins glazed in orange icing, topped with orange or red, white and blue sprinkles, inspired by the national flag.”

Dr. Oetker is a family-owned business based in Germany. They specialize in producing a baking line of products, so promoting King’s Day is to their economic advantage.

Whether you have an orange color party because it’s your color party of choice, or you want to join in on King’s Day celebrations, you are sure to have a good time.

Orange Party invitation

I am coming back with photos for this section, I think I still have the invite from my high school Orange Party.

Basically, tell your guests that they are invited to an Orange Party, and that each guest needs to bring Orange Food. If they need more explanation on what a color party is, direct them to “The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Color Party.”

Orange party decorations

Decorating for your Orange Party is one of the most important parts of your Color Party! Orange themed decorations pull the whole visual picture together – your guests will love it when they walk in the door!

Go to any party store to locate orange party theme decorations, or shop online for that and other orange party supplies.

• Orange balloons
  (9 inch orange balloons are a popular size)
• Orange streamers
• Orange Halloween decorations
• Orange cups and plates
• Orange tablecloths
• Orange table decorations
• Orange party favors
• Dried orange decorations
• Orange fruit party decorations
• Orange paper decorations
• Orange xmas decorations (yeah, it’s a thing now!)

Are orange party decorations annoying? Well, some of them might be (maybe that is the look you are going for).

Orange party supplies

Don’t forget that the dishes are part of the atmosphere, too! Feel free to hunt down some retro and vintage orange Tupperware and retro 1970s dinneware.

If you can’t locate any from Ebay or your local thrift store, buy online. There are trendy orange dinnerware sets that you will use, long after the party. Otherwise, make clean-up easy with orange disposable plates.

Don’t forget other details, such as orange cake decorations (another opportunity to add more orange to the party!).

Color Party: Orange color food

The fun idea with the Orange Party menu is that it is not a clear menu. Let your guests know that they should bring some type of foods that are orange to the party. All you have to do is sit back and snap some pictures of your orange-theme food party.

There is a chance with such an unrelated menu, that people could feel a little queasy combining foods. Make sure you have some type of sandwich so its not all candy and sweets. Orange appetizers are as easy as putting a slice of meat and cheese on a cracker.

Here are some main meals to serve at your color party, just to balance out the sweets.

• Sloppy joes/maidrite sandwiches
• Cheddar cheese / cheese tray
• Orange chicken stir-fry
• Carrot soup
• Butternut squash risotto
• Sweet potato fries
• Pumpkin ravioli
• Fish and mango tacos
• Orange rice

Don’t forget, orange food coloring and orange food gel are your friends for an orange-themed food party!

Orange Party baskets, boards, and trays

I can’t let you leave this page without understanding the concept of color party baskets, boards, and trays. Just and FYI, that color-themed parties sometimes include the element of guests bringing an assigned color of food to the party.

This results in the more widely known “color basket” filled with fun, color-themed foods. It’s your party, and you can decide to suggest to guests to come bearing a food basket. It’s a much easier ask to have guests bring a single food, instead.

For more details on this, visit “The Ultimate Guide to Hosting a Color Party.”

Orange snacks for color party

Healthy orange snacks is more of a taller order to fill. At least try to balance out the orange sweets and treats with orange fruits and vegetables. It’s easy to come up super unhealthy orange food snacks, so beware!

The thing is that the host doesn’t know what to expect either for food. It’s a roaring good time to see how creative your guests can be with food choices! Don’t forget that Candy in orange wrappers and orange packaged candy will still add orange color to the party table.

Seriously, I could go on all day here… I think you have the picture.

Orange vegetables

Good for you serving healthy food at your Orange Color Party! Here are some ideas to help you food your orange food tray:

Orange fruit for Color Party

Lucky for you, there is an appealing variety of orange-color fruit. Don’t forget dried fruit, that counts, too!

Orange color clothes

An Orange Party is not complete without proper orange attire. Dig into your closet or head over to any thrift store to find the most loud and obnoxious orange theme party outfit you can! Note: bonus points for orange striped pants or orange suit coat.

Don’t forget accessories like orange life jackets, bold orange scarfs, big orange dangly earrings/bangles/necklaces, orange socks, orange shoes, and orange handbags.

Orange hair spray or a funny orange hat can be the perfect finish to your orange outfit.

Note: overall, the clothing for an orange party is casual and fun. Some party invites may encourage guests to go crazy with their orange outfits to add to the fun. It’s also casual on the cruise ships – it looks like orange t-shirts are handed out.

One YouTuber had two orange evening dresses she was trying to decide to wear to the cruise ship orange party. I assume more traveled cruise ship goers might pack a special outfit for the Orange Night.

Orange music for your Orange Party

Basically, everyone just hangs out and has fun. You could have prizes for best outfit and best food. Play some tunes or favorite party games. You could always Google some songs with the words “Orange” in like:

• Something in the Orange by Zach Bryan
• Orange Blossom Special by Johnny Cash
• Orange Juice Blues, Bob Dylan
• Evolution Orange, Earth, Wind, & Fire
• Orange Colored Sky, Nat King Cole
• Orange Trees, Marina
• Prince Buster Shaking Up Orange Street, Louis Bertrand

Of course, there is a whole slew of kids songs on the color orange. Bask in the goofiness and enjoy!

Orange party games

Feel free to include any of the usual fun party games, including karaoke. You might want to try a popular “cake bite” game played annually in the Netherlands when celebrating King’s Day.

According to the Oetker Group, “games are played, such as “koekhappen”, which literally is translated as “cake bites”, where pieces of a cake hang on a string while you try to eat them without using your hands.” Sounds fun!

Feeling the fun yet?

I look back on fond memories to the goofy Orange Party I attended in high school. There is so much opportunity here. Orange isn’t your thing? How about purple, green, red, or pink? 

Personally, I would go with the color with the best food options!

Have a blast at your orange party!