The Kentucky derby is not just a horse race, it’s a party!  You can throw a derby party, just as exciting and fun as the race itself.  The actually Kentucky Derby is held the first Saturday in May, but you can have a derby party any time.

A derby party should follow the traditions of the real derby after all those traditions have been going on since 1875.  So what are the traditions?

A Mint Julep drink (iced bourbon, sugar syrup and mint ) is one of the traditions. So, be sure to include that as one of your cocktails.

Ladies, get out your favorite hats and wear them in high-style as this is a huge tradition.

Good food is the best tradition. However, it isn't stringent as to the kind of food. An easy way to feed your derby party guests is with finger foods: such as, shrimp cocktail, bacon wrapped prosciutto, finger sandwiches and crudities.

Since the derby is know as the running of the roses, you must have roses! Use a few real or paper derby hats (these are felt hats that men wear) lined with water proof paper or another container and fill with water and  roses as decorations.  Not good at arranging flowers? Have your florist create a rose centerpiece for your food table or a few arrangements with roses that you can use for decorations.  Don't forget to decorate your tables. You can use white, black or pastel green colors for your table linens and napkins. if you’re having the party on the day of the derby, pastel green colors are great. It gives everyone a feeling of the green grass area around the race track.

Every party needs a little fun.  For entertainment, you can place "bets" on who will win the real race and use party favors as the prizes.  On non-race days create your own Kentucky Derby race. Make the track from brown felt and include horses that you have cut out from some horse theme party decorations. Place numbers on the cut-outs and have guests make up horse names.  Give guests a scorecard with each horse name and odds.  Then have them place "bets".  Use dice to move the horses around the track.  Roll the dice and see who wins.

The Kentucky Derby is a fantastic event to watch.  Having a party that revolves around the race is even better. So if you are looking for a reason to host a party, have a Kentucky Derby party.

Remember you can have a Kentucky Derby anytime.  It makes a great theme for birthday parties, anniversary parties and even retirement parties.

Celebrating A Life Changing Event not the 4th of July

Puzzled by the invitation I received inviting me to an independence day party, I call the host. “This is April aren’t you a little early for an Independence Day party?” The host (my cousin KJ) replies, "No, it is perfect timing." He explains the party is a way to celebrate a life changing event. In fact, it was the perfect way to celebrate his new found independence (his divorce is now final). Knowing my cousin as I do this isn’t strange at all; he is a true huckster, always joking and having fun. He takes the good and the bad in stride and believes you should make the most out of every situation. I tell him, "yes I’ll be there."

It's the night of the party and I'm not exactly sure what to expect. After all, it’s a celebration for something that I’m sure has not been easy for him. As I walk into the house, a room full of colorful balloons and crepe paper streamers greet me. It reminds me of a high school prom. Over-the-top yes, but also festive and fun.

KJ hands me a drink, it looks like cherry kool-aid, but as I sip it I can taste the rum. KJ calls this drink 1776 punch. I asked why? Laughingly KJ tells me, that is what his lawyer cost him. As I move in to the kitchen area, I find a massive spread of finger foods. Tiny sandwiches with peanut butter and jelly (KJ likes bp&j), sweet and sour meatballs, chips, dips and an array of other finger foods. In the middle of the food table is a huge party cake that says “Till Death Do Us Part” written in black with a judge and gavel on it. Kind of looked like the grim reaper with out the scythe.

I hear loud singing going on in the back yard. So, I make my way outside only to find a group of adults getting their rock star on with a karaoke machine. KJ rented the ultimate karaoke experience complete with a stage, lights, and a fog machine.

This type of party may seem a bit odd; however it covers the basic aspects of any party; fun, entertainment, food, and drinks. Whilst a divorce is a huge life changing event, it is good to recognize that one can still have fun, even in a moment of sadness, as their life enters a new phase. An Independence Day party is a fantastic theme for any life-changing experience from a divorce to the end of chemotherapy treatments; from retirement to your last child leaving for college. The main objective is to have fun and celebrate those life changing events.

After prom parties are popular for many reasons, mainly because many teens aren't ready to call it a night with their friends.  By hosting an after prom breakfast, you provide a safe place for the teens to hang out after prom.

First thing to do is to set guidelines with your teen. Discuss what is acceptable at the party and what is not acceptable.  Some parties go on all night. While others have a cut off time for everyone to leave and go home.  Take time to talk this over with your teen and if possible get a few other parents involved.  Make the time period and guidelines for the party known well in advance of the event.  This can be done with the party invitations you send.

You can go all out with your decorations or you can be very minimalistic. Either way, you will need to decide whether to go with the prom theme or in a different direction all together. If you want to change it up, try a pajama party theme.  All the teens can come to the party location and change from their prom wear into pj's (you might want some guidelines for acceptable attire).

Deciding which type of food to serve is simple.  Any Breakfast food will do: eggs, bacon, bagels, fruit. Buffet style works best for these types of food and hungry teens. You may want to have several carafes of flavored coffees available or other drinks such as orange juice, milk and soda. To add pizzaz include a chocolate fountain. If your hosting a party for a huge crowd of prom goers, you'll need to rent warming dishes and other tableware.  Of course, the most convenient way to serve the food is to hire a caterer.

An after breakfast prom party is a wonderful way to extend the prom in a fun and safe way.  It is also a way for them to create memories that will last a lifetime.

Medieval themed parties are great for adult birthdays and children parties.  However, I attend the most awesome medieval themed bachelorette party.  A friend of mine wanted the bachelorette party she was hosting to be fun and unique.  By throwing a renaissance party, complete with minstrels and castle motif, she came up with a fantastic way to celebrate the bride's impending marriage to her price charming.  I didn't realize how much fun you could have at a bachelorette party.

How To Host A Medieval Bachelorette Party

Begin with renting event facilities that have themed rooms, this is a good way to go medieval without to much trouble.  Then hire caterers, rent costumes and hire musicians to play Renaissance music during the party. This type of bachelorette party can go to the extreme and be a full blown medieval experience or you can just do a bit by using castle cutouts and decorating with medieval themed items. The party I attend was full blown medieval, right down to the names we all had to call the bride "Lady Kathrine".

Mail out party invitations with a medieval design that say this party is for Lady {insert the brides name}.  Be sure to tell guests that it will have a medieval themed and where costumes can be rented, along with the usual invitation information (time and place).  If your doing this as the bachelorette party (which tend to be smaller groups), you can for-go the formal invitations.  Instead call the party guests and tell them what time the limousine will pick them up to go to the costume shop.  This way everyone can go to the costume shop together right before the party to pick out their outfits.  That is what our party of six did and it was just as much fun as the party itself!

Getting Your Medieval Bachelorette Party Started

I enjoyed the full blown medieval festivities and it's defiantly not as hard as you think.  Just start by finding a costumes shops that will have the the appropriate attire for all party guests or at least the host and bachelorette.  Food is easy when you have the caterer prepare turkey legs, crusty breads, fruits  and cheeses along with other medieval table fare.  Of course you will need drinks wine and ale are a must. You stop there or really go all out with the theme. It is really up to you.  I loved the really elaborate party I attended but even a simple medieval bacherolette party would be fun.

Every bachelorette should have a medieval party. After all,  she has her prince charming why not a party fit for a princess.   In fact, I think everyone should go medieval and have a renaissance party, even if it just a kids party with toy swords and kids playing knight of the round table.

Everyone knows that a party is more fun if there is a theme involved. That’s why whenever hosting a party, I  try to have some kind of central idea to focus around whether it be Hawaiian themed, Mexican themed, or holiday themed. Here lately, I have been in a rut with my party theme ideas. I really needed some fresh ideas.  So, I started exploring possibilities outside of my norm. I considered weird wacky themes, outlandish themes and even considered recycling some old themes.  Then in the midst of my brainstorming, I thought of a new and exciting idea for any kind of party: Decade Themes.

With a decade as a theme, you can incorporate many aspects of entertainment into your party planning including: popular foods, clothes, games, and music. To make sure the theme really takes off, be sure and send out party theme invitations ahead of time incorporating elements of the decade. Let guests know that decade attire is required for the party. Guests decked out in decade party attire will add to another element to your party decorations, not to mention some good laughs. Think of how much fun guests will have putting together outfits for the event. You can even have a contest for the best decade outfit.

Choosing what to serve at your party is completely up to the host. Regular party food is always fine. However if you want to get creative, find or make some foods that were popular during that time. Entertainment is a must. Games are optional of course, but games such as Twister and Super Nintendo sure do bring some laughs to a room full of MC Hammer pants. Of course pumping it up with a little music, is probably the best way to immerse your guests in the decade, as well as, entertain them.  To add that special musical ambiance to the party hire a band that plays a variety of songs from the decade. If you can’t find the right live entertainment for your party, a good decade music list from your Ipod will work just fine.

A decade theme party is a fun and unique way to throw a fabloulous shin-dig.  So pick a decade and let the good times rock and roll.

A great party idea for a teen party or a kids party is to make it a "favorite things" party. This idea works whether they’re 12 or 18, boy or girl. Although, this idea might be best for a 13^th, 16^th or 18^th birthday party.

Have the event on their favorite day of the week, choose invitations in their favorite color, decorate with their favorite team colors or theme. For example, if they really love a particular baseball team, decorate with those colors and set up the site to look like a stadium. Serve their favorite baseball foods, beverages and dessert. For activities, choose their favorite games and movies, along with their favorite movie snacks.

Another party idea is to have your guests dress in accordance with the theme. You can also do this if the birthday boy or girl is really into a particular hobby or if they love a certain vacation destination, like music or the beach.

The important thing with this teen party idea is knowing your guest of honor. So if it is a surprise, enlist the help of his or her friends. This way you can really tailor the party tho their favorite things. Including their interests will make this an unforgettable birthday party that truly reflects their unique personality and style. What would be an ordinary party will become a fabulous celebration.

If you have a relative celebrating their 60^th birthday this year, consider throwing a Party with a "Sock Hop" theme. Those born in 1949 will remember the 50’s and will appreciate a nostalgic trip down memory lane.

What You Need For A "Sock Hop" 60th Birthday Party

1) A Classic Car. Have the honoree picked up and driven to the party site in a classic car from that era. This will set the stage for what’s to come.

2) Sounds From The 50's. Don't forget the music which was a huge part of the 50’s. Hire a DJ to spin 50's tunes or turn in to the fifties channel on your stereo.

3) A 50's Atmosphere. Decorate your walls with pictures of the honoree from the 50’s that have been enlarged. Decorate with retro items. Create a 50's atmosphere by setting up a "Malt Shop" bar with 50's memorabilia including glasses containing hand-dipped milkshakes and malts.

4) The Taste of the 50's. If you’re serving a meal, consider classics like meatloaf and mashed potatoes or drive-in favorites like burgers and fries.

5) Party like they did back when. Hula hoops came of age in the 50’s, so why not have a hula hoop contest?

6) A trip down memory lane. Most of all, give the guests an opportunity to pay tribute to the guest of honor. A 60^th birthday is a special milestone and it’s a great time to tell humorous stories and anecdotes about the honoree. With a trip down memory lane the stories should be abundant and a great way to share how important the guests and birthday boy/girl are to each other.

So stroll down to the party store and pick up some 50’s theme party supplies and in no time your 60 year old birthday boy/girl will be rocking and rolling their way to fabulous birthday.

I’m always looking for an excuse to throw a party. For 2009, I decided that the Golden Globe Awards was a great adult party theme to kick off the New Year. I’ve put together some great ideas to make your Golden Globes Party fun and creative without breaking the bank.

First, you can’t have a Golden Globes party without a red carpet. Run down to you’re local store in search for an inexpensive red carpet. If you can’t find one there, you can certainly make your own. A few yards of inexpensive red fabric will do the trick.

Games are always a great idea for any kind of party. Before guests arrive, prepare a list of the Golden Globe nominations on elegant paper in a fancy font. The guests can use this list to select who they think will win each category. Before the awards ceremony starts have everyone turn in their ballot and who ever has the most correct after the show receives their very own golden globe. You can pick up a fake Golden Globe at a local party supplies store or order online. If your budget allows, you could send everyone home with a mini Golden Globe as party favors.

Planning a dinner?

There's nothing quite as festive and entertaining during the Christmas season as entertaining friends and family with a fun party. Sometimes the trick to great hosting is having the unique party theme that stands out from the others. Well you have that this year thanks to a great gingerbread house decorating party!

Grab your friends together or invite your children's friends over to make a gingerbread house using delicious gingerbread cookies, colorful icing, candy buttons and other sweet treats. You might end up covered in icing and cookie dough crumbles, but it'll create a multitude of fun and photo-worthy stories.

So what goes into this party theme? Well, lots of Read the rest of Throwing A Fun Gingerbread House Decorating Party »

Jungle themed parties are, in my opinion, one of the best theme ideas for kid’s birthday’s or celebrations. Appropriate for all school age children, both boys and girls, jungle themed parties are exciting, creative and actually easier to plan than you think.

Party decorations would be the main focal point of the "jungle themed" party venue, so decorations need to be the first priority. You can do this several different ways, depending on the Read the rest of Jungle Theme Parties–Creative Kid's Celebrations Made Easy! »