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406 UNIQUE PARTY THEMES FOR ADULTS
Here is a gigantic list of the best 406 party themes that are perfect for birthday parties, costume parties and celebrations in 2023.
Yep, move over, kids. It’s time for the grown-ups to have some theme party fun! If you have spent so long planning kids’ parties that you’ve run out of creativity for coming up with a party for you and your own friends, look no further.
There are 406 unique party theme ideas for you to choose from ahead of inviting all your favourite family and friends to join you for the mother of all parties.
Use this big list to get creative with your next anniversary or birthday party theme or even a Christmas get-together party.
Whether you hire a party planner or make the party yourself, just because you’re grown-up doesn’t mean you can’t play dress-up!
I’ve created a huge list of all the party themes in alphabetical order. If you scroll past this list, you will also find the themes split up into the following theme genres:
- Movie inspired ideas
- TV show-inspired ideas
- Christmas theme ideas
- Sport inspired ideas
- Halloween theme ideas
- Funny party themes – for serious amounts of comedy
Right, are you ready to dive in?
THE BIGGEST LIST OF PARTY THEMES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Want to know what the really good party themes are for adults? The coolest themes, the quirkiest, the most fun? Read on…

I’ve literally added every single conceivable idea for a party theme to this list. Some of the themes are food-inspired, and some are distinctly retro or nostalgic. There are plenty of ideas for dress-up and costume parties, but also plenty of ideas for simply having a party decor and party food theme.
- 1920s – Flapper
- 1920s – Gangster
- 1950s – Rock n roll
- 1960s – Swinging 60s London
- 1970s – Hippie
- 1970s British punk
- 1970s Disco Party
- 1980s Movie stars
- 1980s Pop stars
- 1990s Pop stars
- 2000 Pop stars
- 80s Club night
- 90s Club night
- Abigail’s Party
- Alice in Wonderland
- All American
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream
- Ancient Rome
- Andy Warhol The Factory
- Angels and Devils
- Animal Kingdom
- Anime
- Anything but Black
- Arabian Nights
- Around the world
- Astrology
- Austin Powers
- Avengers
- Awards after-show party
- Back to Prom
- Back to school
- Back to the Future
- Back to the Future
- Back to the noughties dance party
- Backyard BBQ
- Bad hair day
- Bad Santa
- Bad Taste Party
- Barbie (The movie)
- Barbie and Ken
- Baseball Greats
- Basketball / NBA party
- Basketball Heroes
- Baywatch
- Beach party
- Better Call Saul
- Big Bang Theory
- Billie Eilish – neon green and black party
- Black, gold, silver theme
- Black & White Movies
- Black and white colour theme
- Black tie
- Bluey
- Board game night
- Bob Ross painting party
- Bogan Bash Party
- Boho
- Bollywood
- Brazilian Carnival
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s
- Breaking Bad
- Bridgerton
- Britain’s Got Talent / TV talent show
- British royal family through the ages
- Brunch party
- Buffy The Vampire Slayer
- Bugsy Malone
- Burlesque
- Camping party
- Candy theme
- Carnival
- Casino – the movie
- Casino night
- Characters from 80s movies
- Characters from 90s movies
- Characters from stage musicals
- Characters from noughties movies
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Cheerleaders
- Chinese New Year
- Chocolate fountain party
- Christmas in July
- Christmas sweater party
- Chronicles of Narnia
- Cinco de Mayo
- Circus
- City Slickers
- Class Disney character
- Classic 80’s (think Ferris Buller, Pretty in Pink)
- Clueless
- Coachella festival at home
- Cocktail party
- Cocomelon
- Comedy show characters
- Comic books
- Cook-off or bake-off theme
- Country Bumpkin
- Country music
- Craft party
- Crazy hair
- Cricket afternoon tea
- Dance battle
- Dancing With The Stars/Strictly Come Dancing
- David Bowie
- Dead zombie pop stars
- Dead zombie movie stars
- Death to my youth party
- Denim and diamonds
- Dessert bar
- Dia De Muertos/Day of the Dead
- Die Hard – everyone dresses as John McClane
- Dinner party
- Dirty Dancing
- Disco
- Doctor Who
- Downton Abbey
- Dr. Seuss
- Dress as the thing you most fear
- Dress as your favourite celebrity
- Dress for the decade you were born
- Dress up as your favourite character from a TV show or film!
- Dr Who
- Egyptian Theme
- Elvis through the decades party
- Enchanted forest
- English High Tea
- Escape room
- Fairy Tales
- Famous couples
- Famous Dead People
- Famous Sports People
- Fancy Dress (anything goes)
- Fantastic Beasts
- Favourite popstar
- Favourite things party
- Fire and ice
- Fondue
- Footballers and Wives (or husbands)
- Footballing heroes
- Fresh Prince of Bel Air
- Friends (the TV show)
- Game of Thrones
- Gameshow
- Gaming
- Gaming party
- Gangsters and Flappers
- Garden party
- Geeks and tech bros
- Ghostbusters
- Ghosts and ghouls
- Girls night in
- Glamping
- Glam Rock
- Glam squad
- Glastonbury at home
- Glee
- Glitter and sparkles
- Glow in the dark
- Golf
- Goth
- Grammys party
- Grease
- Great Leaders from History
- Great Wall of China
- Grill and chill
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Halloween
- Hamptons at home
- Happy Days
- Harry Potter
- Harry Styles
- Havana Nights
- Hawaiian Luau
- Heavy metal
- Heroes vs villains
- High tea
- Hip Hop
- Holographic
- Horror film classics
- Hot Tub Time Machine
- House of the Dragon
- Ibiza Chillout
- Ibiza Rocks
- Ice cream bar
- Iconic footballing heroes
- International food
- James Bond
- Jane Austen novels
- Jane Fonda 80s workout party
- Jelly and ice-cream
- John Hughes 80s party
- John Hughes movies
- Karaoke party
- Keeping up with the Kardashians
- Kids show characters
- Kings and Queens party
- La Dolce Vita
- Las Vegas
- Lego
- Line dancing
- Lord of the Rings
- Love & romance
- Mad Hatter’s Tea Party
- Mad Max
- Mad Men
- Madonna through the decades
- Magic Mike
- Magic show
- Magnum PI
- Makeover
- Mama Mia
- Mustache Party
- Mardi Gras
- Martin Scorsese movies
- Marvel Characters
- Masks and Mimosas
- Masquerade ball
- Mediaeval
- Memory lane
- Mermaids and mermen
- Mexican fiesta
- Miami Vice
- Milkshake bar
- Minute To Win It
- Mission Impossible
- Moulin Rouge
- Movie marathon
- Movie stars of the 80s
- Movie stars of the 90s
- Movie stars of the noughties
- Murder mystery
- Music festival in your yard/back garden
- Music video party
- Neighbours (TV show)
- Neon UV party
- New York New York
- Nightmare Before Christmas
- North Pole
- Notorious figures from history
- Oktoberfest
- Olympians/Olympics
- Olympic heroes
- Onesie party
- Only Murders In The Building
- Oscars party
- Outer space
- Painting party
- Pantone Colour of the Year
- Parisienne nights
- Pastel colours
- Peace and love
- Peaky Blinders characters
- Pierrot
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Pizza
- Plant and sip gardening party
- Poker party
- Pool party
- Pop art
- Pop culture
- Popstar
- Pot luck party
- Pretty in Pink
- Pretty Woman
- Primary Colours Only
- Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
- Project Runway
- Pulp Fiction
- Pyjama Party
- Quentin Tarantino movie characters
- Race day
- Rainbow party
- Real Housewives
- Reality TV Stars
- Red, blue and white
- Red carpet
- Redneck/Hillbilly party
- Reggae
- Retro
- Retro board games
- Retro rave
- Retro video games
- Revisiting your school prom
- Rio Carnival
- Rockabilly
- Rock n Roll
- Rockstar
- Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Roller disco
- Safari
- Salsa
- Sandra Dee sleepover party
- Saturday Night Fever
- Scavenger hunt
- Science fiction
- Scooby Doo mystery party
- Selfie party
- Seven deadly sins
- Shakespearean characters
- Signs of the zodiac
- Silent disco
- Silver soirée
- Slumber party
- Smores and hotdogs campfire
- SNL
- Social media influencer party
- Spaghetti Western
- Spa pamper party
- Speakeasy
- Speed dating/matchmaking party
- Spiderman
- Spielberg movie characters
- Sports Day
- A Question of Sport – plan your own sports quiz
- Spice Girls
- Springtime in Paris
- Squid Game
- St. Patrick’s Day
- Star Trek
- Star Wars
- Stranger Things
- Strictly Come Dancing / Dancing With The Stars
- Studio 54
- Succession – will you be Shiv, Kendal, Roman or Logan?!
- Summer camp
- Sumo party
- Super Bowl
- Superheroes
- Superstar DJs
- Surf’s Up
- Surprise party
- Survivor
- Sushi train
- Taco bar
- Tacky Prom Party
- Talent Show
- Tantrums and tiaras
- Tartan & Scotch
- Taylor Swift stans
- Tech Bros – (Elon, Mark, Jeff…)
- Tech Nerd Party
- The Bachelor / Bachelorette
- The beautiful and the damned
- The Bear (TV Show)
- The Breakfast Club
- The Crown
- The Future
- The Godfather
- The Goonies
- The Greatest Showman
- The Great Gatsby
- The Grinch
- The Inbetweeners
- The Kardashians
- The Mandalorian
- The Muppets
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- The Queen’s Gambit chess party
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- The Simpsons
- The Sopranos
- The Wizard of Oz
- Things starting with a certain letter
- Things That Fly
- Thrift Shop Finds (set a budget)
- Tiger King
- Time Travellers
- Titanic
- Toga party
- Top Gun/Top Gun: Maverick
- Toy Story
- Transformers
- Trashy/tacky dress-up party
- Travel themed
- Tropical
- Truth or dare games
- Tux and Tiaras
- TV show characters
- Ugly bridesmaid dress theme
- Ugly sweater
- UK prime ministers through the decades
- Under the Sea/ Nautical
- Underwater/ocean
- Unicorn
- US presidents through the decades
- Venice Beach muscle party
- Video Killed the Radio Star
- Vintage Funfair Themed Party
- Vintage garden party
- Vintage Hollywood
- VIP party
- Viva Las Vegas
- Walk Like An Egyptian
- Westside Story
- White partyBlack party
- Wig party
- Wild west
- Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory
- Wimbledon whites
- Wine and cheese
- Winter Wonderland
- Wizard of Oz
- Woodstock
- Woody Allen movies
- Zen
- Zombie Apocalypse Party
Related: 463 Costume party ideas – even more costume inspiration!
TV SHOW-INSPIRED PARTY THEMES
TV shows make really fun party themes. They are particularly brilliant if there is an iconic character or characters, such as Ross and Rachel for a little nostalgia or Jon Snow and Daenerys for an epic fantasy-style party.
Reality TV shows also make a great basis for creating a party theme for a party for adults. Keeping Up With The Kardashians provides endless opportunities for creative dressing up fun, as does the Real Housewives.
Favourite and super popular TV shows from across the decades make great party themes. Here is a list of TV shows that would make great party themes, either because they have iconic characters or iconic storylines or just because they offer up the chance to have lots of fun.
- Bay Watch
- Better Call Saul
- Breaking Bad
- Bridgerton
- Doctor Who
- Downton Abbey
- Favourite TV comedy show
- Favourite TV detective show
- Favourite TV quiz show
- Friends
- Fresh Prince of Bel Air
- Game of Thrones
- Happy Days
- House of the Dragon
- Keeping up with the Kardashians
- Mad Men
- Magnum PI
- Miami Vice
- Neighbours
- Only Murders In The Building
- Peaky Blinders
- Project Runway
- Real Housewives
- Succession – the ultimate power party theme!
- SNL
- Squid Game
- Star Trek
- Stranger Things
- Strictly Come Dancing / Dancing With The Stars
- The Bear – though, be careful not to actually recreate the epic party scene in season 2!
- The Crown
- The Inbetweeners
- The Muppets
- The Simpsons
- The Sopranos
- The Walking Dead
MOVIE-INSPIRED PARTY THEMES
Movie-inspired party themes to make for really big, fancy parties. Think of milestone parties, like 30th, 40th, 50th etc. You can pick a film that was huge in the birthday person’s birth year.
Go for parties with iconic characters, such as James Bond, Cher from Clueless or Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Or think about how the movie could inspire the party venue – or the party venue could inspire the party theme!
- Abigail’s Party
- Austin Powers
- Avengers
- Back to the Future
- Barbie (So many Barbies and Kens to choose from)
- Breakfast at Tiffany’s
- Casino
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- Classic 80’s (think Ferris Buller, Pretty in Pink)
- Clueless
- Die Hard – everyone dresses as John McClane
- Dirty Dancing
- Fantastic Beasts
- Ghostbusters
- Grease
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Harry Potter
- Hot Tub Time Machine
- Iconic horror movie characters
- James Bond
- John Hughes movies
- Lord of the Rings
- Mad Max
- Magic Mike
- Mama Mia
- Martin Scorsese movies
- Moulin Rouge
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
- Pulp Fiction
- Quentin Tarantino movies
- Saturday Night Fever
- Spaghetti Western-inspired
- Spiderman
- Star Wars
- The Breakfast Club
- The Godfather
- The Goonies
- The Greatest Showman
- The Great Gatsby
- The Mandalorian
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- The Oscars – Academy Awards
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show
- The Wizard of Oz
- Titanic
- Top Gun/Top Gun: Maverick
- Vintage Hollywood movie stars
- Woody Allen movies
MUSIC-INSPIRED PARTY THEMES
Music-inspired party themes. Well, the sky is the limit. Pick from a favourite band or artist, or pick a music genre or music from a certain decade.
Music-inspired parties are great for invoking a sense of nostalgia, especially as they lend themselves to you getting really creative with the music playlist.
- 1950s – Rock n roll
- 1970s British punk
- 1970s Disco Party
- 1980s pop stars
- 1990s pop stars
- 2000 pop stars
- 80s Club night
- 90s Club night
- Back to the noughties dance party
- Billie Eilish – neon green and black party
- Characters from Musicals (stage or film)
- Coachella festival at home
- Country music
- Dance battle
- David Bowie
- Disco
- Elvis through the decades party
- Favourite popstar
- Glam Rock
- Glastonbury at home
- Glee
- Harry Styles
- Hip Hop
- Ibiza Chillout
- Ibiza Rocks
- Karaoke party
- Line dancing
- Madonna, through the decades
- Music festival in your yard/back garden
- Music video party
- Reggae
- Retro rave
- Rockabilly
- Rock n Roll
- Rockstar
- Roller disco
- Saturday Night Fever
- Spice Girls
- Studio 54
- Grammys winners
- Taylor Swift stans
SPORTS-INSPIRED PARTY THEMES
Sports party themes don’t necessarily mean having to play the actual sport. Get everyone to dress up as a sporting hero from the world of football or basketball.
- Baseball heroes
- Basketball / NBA party
- Basketball Heroes
- Cheerleaders
- Cricket afternoon tea
- Footballing heroes
- Iconic footballing heroes
- Olympic heroes
- Sports Day
- Superbowl
FUNNY PARTY THEMES
If you are looking for a way to add some humour to your next party, I’ve put together a list of ideas from bad hair days to tech bro cringeworthiness. Here are 14 funny party themes for adults that will have you and your guests laughing all night.
- Bad hair day
- Bogan Bash party
- Tacky tourist
- Unlikely celebrity look-alike
- Ugly sweater/Christmas sweater
- Mismatched party (wear clothes that don’t match)
- Crazy hat party
- Tech bro party – from Elon to Mark, party on, bro!
- Tech nerd party
- Redneck party
- Bad taste party
- Crazy sock party
- Halloween in April
- Awkward family photos
- Tacky prom night
- Celebrity Impersonators
- Trailer park bash
- 80s workout video
- Tacky prom party
- Moustache party
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PARTY THEMES
Give your party a fun theme if you want to really make sure your Christmas party stands out as THE party of the holiday season. There is so much pressure to have fun at Christmas that sometimes a theme is the best way of getting the party started.
Think Christmas movies or simply think glamour and luxury. Christmas number ones is a particularly fun idea, where everyone can choose their favourite Christmas number on and dress up as the music artist.
- 12 Days of Christmas
- A Christmas Carol
- A winter wonderland
- Bad Elf on the Shelf
- Bad Santa
- Black and gold
- Candy canes
- Christmas crackers comedy
- Christmas Elvis
- Christmas games night
- Christmas HoeDown
- Christmas in Vegas, baby!
- Christmas masquerade ball
- Christmas movie marathon
- Christmas number ones
- Christmas on the beach
- Die Hard – everyone comes as John Maclane
- Dress as a Christmas bauble
- Funny Christmas hats
- Gingerbread house building
- Ornament making party
- Snow and ice
- Tartan and Scotch
- The Grinch
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- The Nutcracker
- Ugly Christmas sweaters
- Wreath making party
HALLOWEEN PARTY THEME IDEAS
If you want to take your Halloween party to the next level, it is well worth giving it a theme. It’s also a great way of getting everyone to dress up because a general theme of ‘Halloween’ can sometimes be overwhelming.
Go for current spooky favourites from the world of TV or film, like Stranger Things or Squid Game or go for movie classics, like Halloween or It, or Freddy Kruger in Nightmare on Elm Street.
- The Last of Us (HBO TV Series)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street
- Beetlejuice
- Black and white
- Dead zombie movie stars
- Dead zombie pop stars
- Dia de los Muertos
- Escape room
- Fortune telling party
- Ghost white party
- Ghouls night in
- Halloween (The movie)
- Hallo-Wine party
- Haunted gingerbread house
- Iconic horror movie characters
- It
- Mad scientist
- Murder mystery
- Neon glow party
- Rocky Horror Picture Show
- Scooby Doo
- Scream (The movie)
- Smores and hotdogs campfire
- Squid Game
- Stranger Things
- Vampire / Dracula
- Zombie prom night
HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST BIRTHDAY PARTY THEME
You know your party guests – and yourself – best. So, gauge just how much effort everyone is likely to put into getting dressed up for a themed party.
If the answer is absolutely zero, then go for a theme that doesn’t involve fancy dress. You can easily theme a party with fun invites, decorations, food and music.
But if you know that everyone is ready, willing and able to go full force with their fancy dress outfits, then the sky’s the limit with the party theme suggestions on this list.
The only other thing to bear in mind before diving into the list of theme ideas is how much time you have ahead of your party.
If you’re going for a full-on party theme, you want to give your guests a good amount of time to plan and get their outfits together. Around a month should do it for most themes.
The same goes for being realistic about how much time you have to prepare for the party. Don’t go for an over-the-top fancy theme that you just don’t have the time to prepare for.
A quick note: Whilst plenty of themes below can be adapted or are suitable for kids’ parties if you are looking specifically for kids’ party themes, I’ve got a separate post with a big list of 99 of the best themes for kids’ parties.
HOW TO BRING YOUR PARTY THEME TO LIFE
Once you’ve chosen your party theme, you need to work out how to bring it to life. Here’s a quick list of ideas for things you can do and include.
- Themed party invitations – include dress-up ideas/instructions.
- Themed decorations
- Party music playlist
- Themed party food
- Themed party food plates and cups
- Themed party drinks – create a special themed cocktail.
- Themed party favours
WHY IT IS WORTH FINDING A UNIQUE PARTY THEME
If you’re debating whether or not to give your party a theme, I thought I’d put down my thoughts on why it is worthwhile spending time coming up with something really unique.
1. IT CREATES BUZZ
Finding a party theme that nobody else you know has done before is a great way to make sure that your party stands out.
Adding details of a theme to your party invitation helps create buzz and excitement in the run-up to the party. It will help ensure that everyone puts plenty of effort into their outfit for the party, especially if it’s. a costume theme party.
It also shows that you really care about making sure that everyone has lots of fun.
2. HELPS YOU FOCUS YOUR PLANNING
A party theme helps make all the different elements of the party come together. From the decorations and food to the activities and what everyone does and wears. It allows you to create an immersive experience for your guests.
3. IT’S MORE FUN!
Let’s face it: modern life is hectic. Many of us don’t have the time to really kick back and have fun, so it is wonderful when someone else takes the time to create a magical experience for us.
A themed party gives all your guests the chance to step away from their everyday lives, kick back and thoroughly enjoy themselves.
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Hello, I’m Luci, founder of Mums Make Lists (Est. 2011). Over the last decade or so, I have combined my experience as a mum, journalist and shopping editor to create useful guides and lists of ideas and inspiration to make it easier for busy parents to plan and host kids’ parties and find great gifts. Read more.
McKenzie Lindgren
Saturday 12th of November 2022
GREAT themes! I’ve been searching for -hours- and I cannot believe the themes you came up with! They're awesome! However, now that I’ve picked out a few great themes from your list I don’t know how to obtain plates, napkins, cups, decorations, etc. to go with the theme. Any ideas? Will it all be DIY? Or spending a bunch of money on Zazzle? 🤷🏼♀️ Please help, advise, guide. 🙏🏻
Luci McQuitty Hindmarsh
Tuesday 15th of November 2022
Glad the ideas have been useful. Without knowing the themes you've gone for it would be hard to advise specifically. But if you want to keep your budget down I'd suggest going for a couple of key items that go with your theme, then picking a colour scheme that works with it. Invitations, pinatas and cakes are a great way of bringing a theme to life, as are party bags. I will be working on content bringing some of the top themes to life over the next few months, but as you can imagine, it's a big job for a team of one! Good luck with your party.