Is it time to organise your next party? From photo booths to marquee hire, let’s explore some fresh and exciting ideas for your next event this season.
Is it time to organise your next party? I always find that towards the end of the year, you start to get involved in all sorts of celebrations – from school celebrations, work gatherings, holiday get-togethers, and birthdays, the next few months always have a range of exciting social events on the calendar.
With so many events to schedule, though, how can you set up your party so that it’s the memorable moment that your friends and family speak about? Fortunately, in recent years there have been a bunch of amazing ideas that have suddenly become affordable and accessible, even for simple parties. Let’s explore some of the different party ideas that you should consider, that’ll guarantee you’re the life of the next party.
Inspiration For Your Next Event
No matter whether you’re into flowers, dancing, animals, or video, there’s always a party idea that you can fit into your next event.
Fortunately, events don’t have to be massively complicated – even a simple hire or two can make a big impact on the quality and feel of an event. After all, an overly congested and complicated party experience is never fun for those involved.
When planning out your next party, jot down a few ideas of things you’d like to use. Use that time to prepare – does that particular party feature make sense? Will it get used? Is it something that you can hire, or will have to purchase it outright? These questions will often give you a steer of how planning is going – it can help sense-check what you are looking to implement, as well as provide valuable focus group knowledge if you’re discussing your ideas with friends and family.
Party Ideas for Active Kids
Kids always want exciting parties. Ask them what they want, and it’ll be something along the lines of the pop culture phenomenon of the day – whether it’s Bluey, Paw Patrol, Roblox, or the Wiggles, there’s a range of different themes for your next children’s party.
Fortunately, you can get a range of themed party props – either for hire or purchase from your local party store. This can be a great and affordable way of getting the kids excited, and if you can get a family member to dress up like your child’s favourite cartoon character, even better! Just remember, make sure you send your party invites well in advance, otherwise, you risk your guests not showing up to see your party-making efforts.
Going further, why not turn the cartoon animals into their real-life equivalents? If you’ve got particularly active kids, you may want to organise some features that allow them to have an exciting time, while running themselves silly. Most party stores offer jumping castle hire, and if your kids love animals, you can even hire a petting zoo to come and play at your party! Just remember to have a spot with adequate shelter for bad weather days.
These sorts of exciting experiences can present a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for young minds to get excited and engaged with all sorts of different things. Whether you choose to do a themed party or something more active, your kids will love you for it.
Taking The House Party To The Streets
So you’re looking to set up a party, to invite your friends, your family, and maybe the neighbours. Most of the time, you’d hire out a venue and hold your event there, but if you’re looking to do something a little different, why not host a street party?
Many local councils support street parties – typically with some limitations in place. For example, you’ll need to get approval from 75% of the homeowners on the street, and most events are time-limited to a maximum of four hours. However, if you’re looking to go down the path of hosting your street party, it can be a fantastic way of making lasting memories with your neighbours. Some councils even provide neighbourhood grants, to help cover some of the expenses of street parties.
Some ideas that complement street parties include:
- Hiring some sound equipment, so a band or musical performer can be heard up and down the street.
- Portable toilets, particularly if your event is a little larger – after all, you don’t want everybody going inside to use their toilets.
- If you’re looking to get the kids excited, consider a bubble machine. Kids love bubbles, and you can be assured that a single bubble machine can over many hours of exciting playtime.
Taking the house party to the streets is a next-level party idea – just remember, stick by the rules, and pay close attention to council guidelines, particularly on food preparation. After all, you don’t want to get in trouble!
The Surprise Wedding
In recent years, the engagement party that’s a wedding has become quite popular – with many lifestyle pages covering the journeys of couples that pull the surprise on their friends and family at the last minute. It’s a feel-good story that can help ease the cost pressures that are present with large and extravagant weddings – did you know that the average cost of a wedding in Australia is now more than $35,000?
The best part about it is that if you’re looking to pull a surprise wedding, the costs don’t have to be too excessive. Simply adapting over the top of what you’re planning for an engagement can be a great way to reduce costs – after all, do you need two catering teams if you’ve only got one event on?
You can even set up a few subtle props to surprise your guests on the reveal – after all, a plinth and pedestal may seem perfectly ordinary on the side as an engagement, but having a reveal as a guest book for your wedding guests to sign can be an incredibly cool reveal.
Some other party elements you may want to consider as part of a surprise wedding include:
- Hiring a photo booth allows your friends and family to get photos that can get placed in an impromptu wedding album, with all their well-wishes.
- If you’re outdoors, marquee hire can be a great way to get some cover from poor weather. This can be particularly helpful if you’re caught in extreme weather on your wedding day – which can happen from time to time.
- Alternatively, if you’re indoors for an evening event, consider a heater if it gets cold – this can be comforting for family members who may have trouble regulating temperature.
- Hiring a video screen can be a great way of showcasing happy snaps to celebrate your relationship before the wedding.
- Don’t forget to hire a dancefloor – after all, you don’t want to leave your party guests doing the Nutbush outside!
The Themed Party
Even if you’re looking to just celebrate a sporting final or an entertainment event, there are a range of different things that you can do to set up a themed party. After all, video screens and backdrops have come a long way from even ten years ago, with many being able to be customised with a design that meets your particular party’s needs.
With themed party props and custom lighting effects, you can create a party experience that is unique and one-of-a-kind, perfect for those guests who are a little party fatigued and want to try something new.
Consider these themes for your next theme party:
If you’re into entertainment, why not a Hollywood Party? With illuminated furniture, a video screen, and even carpet and bollard hire, you can take your red carpet experience with your guests to the next level. Consider this, your guests arrive, and make their way up a red carpet with photographers looking to grab a happy shot against a Hollywood backdrop. Inside is a photo booth to create happy memories, and a hired bartender, making all sorts of exciting creations behind the bar.
If you’re a foodie, there’s no doubt that you’ll love the outdoor food festival party – inspired by experiences such as Welcome to Thornbury, you can experience a world of food trucks and fine outdoor dining from the comfort of your local park (just remember to get appropriate council permits). Hiring a couple of food trucks, setting up some outdoor furniture, and having an unforgettable community gathering can be a wonderful experience for you and your loved ones – after all, there’s no better way to enjoy outdoor dining.
No Matter What Your Event Is – Have Fun!
What’s important is that no matter whether you’re organizing a small party or a major festival, at the end of the day, you should be having fun too. Parties can be a stressful and frustrating experience, particularly if things don’t go to plan. Just remember – you’re doing your best with the resources you have, and it’s OK if things aren’t perfect.
At the end of the party, make sure that you’ve had fun. It’s important to celebrate life events with others, but looking after each other is just as important too. Good luck with your party – I have no doubt it’ll be an exciting time.
