6 Classic Kids’ Birthday Party Themes

Setting themes for kids’ parties can make picking decorations, entertainment and food easier since you have a template to work with. But what theme should you choose? Try one of these classic party themes to guarantee a fun, memorable experience for everyone.

1. Circus party

If your child loves laughs and thrills, then you can’t go wrong with a circus party. And don’t worry about hiring a big top, all you need are red and white streamers or sheets. Drape them from a central point to give the effect of a big top for a fraction of the cost. Plus, you can do this trick in any space.

Once your big top is ready, it’s time to decide on the show. You can hire a professional magician or clown — just make sure no guests suffer from coulrophobia. Clowns aren’t as universally loved as they once were.

Or for an option that’s just as fun but low cost, get the kids to put on their own circus show! Kids will love getting to show off their skills and receive plenty of applause. Have some dress-up clothes and props for kids to choose from to make their act extra special.

And don’t forget to serve circus fare. Popcorn, hot dogs and fairy floss are a must.

2. Wizard and witches party

To add a little magic to your kid’s birthday party, try a wizard and witches party. Decorating is easy — all you need to do is grab some Halloween decorations and you’re done. Make sure there’s plenty of black cats, witches’ hats, castles and cauldrons with bubbling potions.

Complement the decorations with some spooky and magical food. Serve food and drink that look like potions or potion ingredients. For example, make chocolate crackle spiders and offer kids a drink that changes colour (the secret is in the flavoured ice cubes).

Finally, let kids see magic in action by hiring a magician to entertain them.

3. Outer space party

For kids that love to wonder about what’s beyond the stars, you can’t go wrong with an outer space party. Hold it at night or at your local planetarium so kids can stargaze.

Make sure your decorations are out of this world with plenty of stars, planets, spaceships and alien friends. You can get creative with some paint, cardboard and ingenuity and make these yourself, or purchase them.

Serve traditional fare with a space flare. Let kids snack on cheese straight from the moon. This can simply be swiss cheese with holes, or you can serve cheese cubes with mini flags or astronauts atop them. For something more substantial, try fruit skewers with a little careful shaping to make them look like rockets or sandwiches cut into star shapes.

4. Undersea party

Take your child on an underwater trip for their birthday this year with a sea-themed party.

Start by setting the atmosphere. Hang up blue sheets and streamers to make an ocean background. Add a net to make it easy to hang decorations from. Choose favourite sea friends like fish, dolphins and octopuses. Make sure there’s some coral and seaweed for them to swim about too.

With the decorations done, it’s time to start on the food. Create clam shell cookies with two circular biscuits, a little icing and a candy pearl. And to fill hungry stomachs, serve fish and chips as a main.

Finally, depending on your child’s tastes, hire a mermaid or pirate performer to keep the party going. Kids will love getting to learn about magical underwater kingdoms or how to sing a sea shanty.

5. Wild west party

Put on your cowboy hat and bandana, this wild west party theme is an all-time classic.

Set the scene with plenty of cow print and make some wanted posters featuring everyone invited. Don’t forget to hang a lasso and have some hay bales handy for any hungry horses. If you’re a keen gardener, use sugar cane mulch bales — once the party is over, you can use them to mulch your garden to keep weeds at bay and your plants healthy.

Keep everyone well fed with barbecued corn on the cob, mini hamburgers and savoury muffins. Serve with plenty of ginger ale or sarsaparilla to quench the thirst of any cowboys and cowgirls.

Finally, no wild west adventure is complete without a trusty steed. Hire a pony or two for kids to ride.

6. Princess party

If your child is a fairy tale fan, they’ll love a princess party. Turn your home into a palace with some pink tulle and white and gold decorations. You can even make a fun coat of arms for your family to hang on the wall.

Ask guests to wear their best royal clothes and supply crowns and tiaras. You can then hold a high tea for all your royal guests. Have finger sandwiches and small sweet treats to snack on.

And every princess party needs a real princess to attend. Hire a princess entertainer to regale children with stories about royal life.

All these classic birthday party themes can be done on a budget and are easy to pull off. Which theme do you think your child would love for their next birthday?