Top 20 Best College Party Themes and Ideas

People often say that years spent in college were the best years of their life. If that is true, than it certainly isn’t because of the exams and courses they took, but most probably because of the parties they attended.

 

College parties are a must, even if you are not that much into them. Organising one, however, can be quite challenging, since you have to come up with something that will amuse most of the guests. Check out the following list of 10 best college party themes and find something for you.

1. Karaoke Party

It doesn’t include costumes and you don’t even need a karaoke machine since you can find one online. What you do need is enough alcohol and at least 2 or 3 tone deaf friends. The party will definitely be the one to remember.

2. Stoplight Party

This one is always a good choice, especially if you have lot of singe friends. The guests show their relationship status by wearing a red, yellow or green outfit. Red means that the person is taken, green that he/she is single and yellow shows that the relationship status is “complicated”.

3. Black and White Party

Colour parties are a hit among celebrities, so why wouldn’t you throw one? Ask your guests to dress in either black or white from head to toes, decorate your room in both colours and play Michel Jackson’s “Black or white” few times during the night.

4. Mexican Party

Ask your guests to wear sombreros and ponchos. Play some mariachi music. Tequila shots will make it a night to remember or, for some of the guests, a party they can’t remember.

5. Masquerade Party

masquerade party ideas

You definitely can’t go wrong with this one. A countless number of ideas can be drawn out of it and it’s also convenient for the gusts. They can pick whatever they want to be – from a cheerleader to Scarlet O’Hara. Don’t be surprised if, at the end of the evening, an angel ends up with a devil.

6. “The Grease” Theme

Girls dressed as Olivia Newton John (a blond wig and a night gown can to the trick) and guys as John Travolta (black leather jacket is obligatory). Play the movie soundtrack or, even better, sing the theme song together.

7. Foam Party

If you can afford renting a foam machine, then you should definitely organize a foam college party theme. Cover the room in foam and have fun watching the guests dancing on a slippery floor.

8. Toga Party

This is probably one of the oldest college party themes and every student must attend at least one toga party during the time in college. Tie a bed sheet over your shoulder, put sandals on your feet and you are ready. If you want to party like a Greek goddess, serve some ripe grapes and red wine.

9. Beach Party

Beach Party

Is it really necessary to explain this one? If you can’t organise a trip to the beach, bring the beach into your house. Put into boxes and place them all over the room, borrow a few inflatable pools, cool the beer and tell your guests to wear swimming suits.

10. Guess Who Party

Each of the guests dresses as another person you all know (mutual friend, professor, or a character from a movie, literature or TV series) and you have to guess who is who.

11. Four Seasons Party

To make a college party real fun, ask the guests to dress opposite from the season you are in. Boots, winter jackets, woollen hats in summer, or even better, a Hawaiian outfit in January? Pine colada and tropical cocktails will definitely warm you up.

12. Formal Party

Smiling young people with glasses of wine having fun

Make the guests dress as formal as if they are going to the opera or a prom evening. It will be a nice change to see your colleagues dress smartly, with make up and stylish hairstyle. Is there a better way to draw the attention of that quiet guy from the art class, then by looking like a movie star?

13. Science Fiction Party

This is a good idea if you and your friends like science fiction novels and movies. You can find inspiration in “The lord of the Rings”, “Star wars”, UFO-s. Make sugar cookies in the shape of rocket ships, aliens, etc and suggest your guests to wear silver boots, costumes. Meting Princess Leila is a fantasy of many college guys, so you can finally try out her famous “doughnut” hairstyle.

14. Colour Party

Beautiful young woman holding disco ball

Pick one colour as a party theme and make invitations, decorations, food and drinks in that particular colour. It goes without saying that the attendees should be dressed in the same colour.

15. Celebrity Parody Party

Isn’t this a simple, but yet funny and creative idea for a college party? Feel free to exaggerate and overemphasise everything the Celebes are famous for; Angelina has full lips – make them even bigger, JLO has big bottom, enlarge it more – just don’t be spoiled like Paris Hilton, if you don’t want to be kicked out.

16. Disney Cartoons Party

A Snow-white, Red Riding Hood, Mickey Mouse – let the guests pick one of the Disney characters and dress like them. Or, to narrow your choice, choose one story from children’s literature and stick to it.

17. Parallel – The Movie or a TV Series

To make this party a huge success, play the movie soundtrack, and create the ambient that reassembles the movie. If, for instance you want to stick to the movie classics such as “The Godfather” get some Cuban cigarettes, serve pizzas and pastas and ask the gays to wear suits. You can do the same with a trendy movie e.g. “The Twilight”.

18. Decades Party

Pick a favourite decade in history – it can be the 20’s, 60’s, 70’s, and ask the guests to dress according to the particular period’s mainstream- e.g. hippy dresses and music from the 60’s or shiny, tight pants and shirts for guys, and long earrings and afro hairstyle for girls if the theme is the 70’s.

19. Around the Globe Party

To make your party one of the best ever, put in some effort – arrange the dorm rooms as a different part of the world (e.g. one can be China, the other Cuba, the third one Japan), and ask the guests to dress according to one of the places, and serve drinks and play music that is specific for that place.

20. Arabian Party

Beautiful exotic belly dancer woman

A few “magic carpets” in the middle of the room, discreet lightning, girls dressed as belly dancers and guys as Aladdin – voile. A memorable Arabian theme party is set; all you have to do now, is meet a mysterious stranger.

If you can’t decide which college party theme to choose, why don’t you try all of them – one theme per semester? After all, you’re only a student once.

About the author

Barbara

I am a devoted hedonist who enjoys nice things – food, wine, fine arts, spending time with friends and family. Teaching mandarin Chinese is my life vocation, but my dream is to open a small restaurant and a patisserie. My life's motto: "Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

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  • I ended up throwing an ABC party recently and it worked out just perfect! If I were you though, make sure you have enough alcohol to last the night.. We ran out way too fast!

    I ended up using dormhigh.com/college/party-themes/ and this website to help me make such fun party!

    If anyone is debating about throwing one, go do it. Not like you can live for ever.