How to Plan a Themed Birthday Party

Choosing a theme for your party

A successful themed party requires careful preparation. What's on the menu, the decoration of the venue and the guests' costumes all help to create the party atmosphere. Before you decide on your theme, think carefully about the practical ramifications of each option. For instance, if you choose a '60s or '70s theme, charity shops are a wonderful source of flares and tank-tops for costumes... and old "op-art" style furnishings and ornaments... all of which will create an authentic feel without breaking the bank.

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Live music is a wonderful scene-setter. Music of a particular style has an almost magical ability to evoke a time or place. When you're choosing your theme, do consider whether there is a "musical hook" to hang the party on.

The "world" experience as a party theme

If you opt for a country or a city as your theme, the right music gets you most of the way there. As soon as a West Indian steel band strikes up, the Caribbean comes to life before your eyes. American Bluegrass and Country and Western music gives you the feel of that great throbbing continent. Throw in a few cowboy hats and some bangers and beans and you're well on your way to a great night! If you're looking for a gritty, American city feel, the moment a Bluesman strides out with a real hot wailing riff, it's as if you're boogying in downtown Chicago.

If the carnival in Rio de Janeiro is the inspiration for your party, then Latin rhythm is on the agenda. The Bossa Nova and the Samba are imbued with the spirit of the place. The energy and excitement of the music reflects the seething undercurrents of that great metropolis. Light and lilting French Cafe Jazz gives you the atmosphere of Paris in Springtime... Laid-back mainstream Jazz takes you straight to sophisticated New York.

Africa... India... Ireland... Scotland... each continent and country has its own distinctive sound. The list is endless!

Making your party a "period piece"

Use the music of the time to create the authentic atmosphere of your chosen period. Each decade of the 20th century has its own distinctive sound. Looking for Edwardian opulence? A Palm Court piano trio sets the scene. Throw in some songs from the Music Hall of the period and you're back in the early 1900's. What about the Hollywood glamour of the 1930s? A Swing Jazz band, Sinatra-style, takes you back to the age of Al Capone. The sheer jumpin' and jivin' exuberance of the 1950s is there for all to see in the great Rock 'n' Roll classics of that decade. Listen to the music of The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Rolling Stones and you're right back in the 1960s... the era of Twiggy and Mary Quant.

If you want to take a journey further back, the elegance of Mozart or Strauss brings the glittering ballrooms of 18th and 19th century Europe into view, while a Bransle played on a lute or crumhorn takes you back to banquets held in great timbered halls in Medieval times. Whatever period you choose, there's a style of music that is particularly identified with it.

How to Plan a Themed Birthday Party

Jennie Evans runs Hop Till You Drop, a company that provides music of all styles and types for weddings, birthday parties and corporate events in the UK. To find out more about all aspects of wedding music planning and to get up-to-date info on live music for weddings in the UK, why don't you check out Wedding Music Services?

Jennie also runs Wedding Music Secret. It's the most comprehensive online resource for advice about wedding music and sourcing wedding bands in the UK.