People who tend to run in the geeky or nerdy crowd love themes for parties. New themes for parties include LAN parties with an old-school theme, or anime themes. Many birthday parties for teenagers now include a large amount of games that deal with their favorite anime shows, their favorite books, or even favorite comic book heroes. A great comic book party theme is often accompanied by costume contests, or trading card games. Geek-themed parties can be challenging to put together, but always are rewarding. It’s not uncommon for geek-themed parties to be talked about for years after they have been thrown.

Traditional party themes are excellent for just about any crowd. Who doesn’t love attending a luau on a hot summer day? Cinco de Mayo parties are also major crowd-pleasers, and are especially popular with college crowds who enjoy Tex-Mex food and drinks. For younger crowds, princess-themed parties are almost a right of passage for young girls. Almost every girl I have known has attended tea parties or dressed up as a princess when they were younger. Going with a traditional party theme is often a safe bet, and easy to plan. Recipes are easy to find, as well as advice on how to make the theme really work well for any age group.

The trendier crowds will often have very imaginative party themes which can be hard to replicate. One trendy theme which has become de rigeur has been the “blackout” theme. Lights are shut off, leaving only UV lamps to light everything, and everyone is encouraged to wear white and neon clothing. UV reactive cups and hair accessories are also encouraged. Another recent trend has been to use a party theme called “Stitch and Bitch”. Women who are looking to improve their sewing skills, fashion design skills, and even beading skills, will throw a “Stitch and Bitch,” so that they can talk to people while they make trendy clothing.

With so many themes for parties out there, it’s hard to know where to start. The best idea on figuring out what party theme to use is to ask yourself the following questions:

• Do I enjoy this theme?
• Will my friends be able to relate to it?
• If it’s a party that is based on games, will they like the games?
• Is it age-appropriate?
• How many people do I want to invite? Is this theme good for large/small parties?
• Can I afford to do this theme on my budget?
• How casual should this party be?

When picking out themes for your parties, it’s important to know what you want to do with the party. Remember to come up with delicious snacks and drinks that match the theme for your party. Decorations are another thing to consider, as are activities. A well-coordinated party theme will create great memories.

Image by VectorLady.com

Since the drinking age in the United States is 21, many new 21-year-olds naturally like to do something involving alcohol. Just going out and getting drunk would be a little boring, though, even if now legal. A much more interesting way to do it would be to hold some kind of tasting, such as a wine or beer tasting, where the birthday boy or girl can actually get a good taste of the drinks they’ve been missing out on. It could also be done with spirits, assuming you choose those with an interesting flavor.

The other thing that many new 21-year-olds would like to do is gamble. In many places, the official gambling age is technically lower than 21, but the majority of casinos out there won’t let those under 21 gamble. This makes a casino a great place for a 21st birthday celebration. Just make sure that you’re prepared for however it goes, and will enjoy yourself even if you don’t win in the end.

Now, many 21-year-olds have friends who are still under age, so going to an actual casino might not be viable. In this case, a casino themed party would also be a good idea. You can set up the whole area to look like a casino, serve casino-themed foods, play games and so on. Blackjack is especially appropriate game play on this particular birthday. Having a themed party gives all the fun of an actual casino, but without any of the actual risk.

Any of these three 21st birthday ideas would give you a great party, but you shouldn’t discount any of your own favorite party themes, either. In the end it all comes down to what the birthday boy or girl would like best.