8 Trendy Outdoor Birthday Party Themes

Let’s celebrate outside

Birthday parties are back! Or at least smaller, outdoor celebrations. We’ve rounded up eight of the trendiest party themes this year. Have a fiesta with a taco party, clown around with a circus theme, rough it with a camping party, make a splash with a water party or host a DIY pizza or ice cream party. Animal lovers will enjoy a farm theme and tweens and teens will enjoy a relaxing movie night party. Scroll through the arrows above to see details on all the ideas. 

Splash party

Kids love to play in the water on a hot summer day. A splash party with a variety of activities will keep your party guests cool and happy. Don’t forget the bubbles!

Entertainment

For young kids, consider setting up a backyard water park with a variety of sensory activities. Janine of Learning4Kids set up a pool with a kiddy slide, a pool with shaving cream, a playhouse wash station with big sponges and soap, plus a clean-up pool! 

Older kids and teens will love using squirt guns and water balloons. Jill of the Create Craft Love blog threw an amazing splash party for under $20. We really love her pool noodle banner!

For extra fun, check out Party City’s assortment of inflatable toys or our DIY options for water games and toys.

Snacks

For snacks, the blog My Silly Squirts has great ideas such as “Beach Balls” (cheese balls), “Pool Noodles” (Rainbow Twizzlers) and more. Be sure to offer popsicles and plenty of water or hydration drinks.

For an impressive cake, check out the beautiful beach cake from Bey at Blue Eyed Yonder. She uses graham cracker crumbs for sand and Teddy Graham cookies for swimmers. 

Ice cream party

I scream you scream … kids will scream with joy for an ice cream-themed birthday party. Local favorite Molly Moon’s sells 2.5-gallon tubs — just be sure to call ahead to make sure what you need is in stock. Or, be the coolest parent on the block and rent a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream truck or cart for your party.

Of course, you can easily DIY your own ice cream party. Start with fun décor like a tissue paper ice cream sundae for your centerpiece. A party package from Amazon comes with a banner, ice cream cone balloons and regular balloons to deck out your party space.

Snacks

Set out lots of toppings in bowls with spoons for your ice cream buffet. Think about your favorite frozen yogurt shop when you are considering toppings: sprinkles, crushed Oreo cookies, berries, frosted animal crackers, gummy bears and whipped cream. Stick with vanilla ice cream and to make doling it out a bit quicker, consider pre-scooping individual scoops onto a cookie sheet and freezing ahead. Serve up the scoops in colorful disposable ice cream cups with matching spoons.

Entertainment

A pin-the-cherry-on-the-ice-cream game is a great twist on a classic. Find the instructions and printables at the  Thirty Handmade Days blog. For a fun craft activity, Oriental Trading offers five ice cream-inspired crafts.

Outdoor movie party

Roll out the red carpet for your guests by putting a strip of red Kraft paper outside the entrance to the party space. Have each guest pose for a selfie on the red carpet, Hollywood-style.

An instantly downloadable set from the Etsy shop PressPrintParty has it all! It includes invites, cupcake toppers, food and drink labels, a movie night sign and much more. You can edit the text to personalize signs.

Snacks

Elevate regular movie popcorn by offering mix-ins. Set up several sweet and savory items in bowls with spoons for guests to add to their bag of popcorn. Jessica, author of the Happily Hughes blog has tons of great ideas for the ultimate popcorn bar. Use paper lunch bags for the popcorn, or cute red and white striped popcorn boxes.

Entertainment

For an outdoor movie showing, check out this list of DIY movie screen ideas. Spread comfy blankets and pillows on the ground or set up camp chairs and loungers.

Farm party

For an animal- or tractor-loving kiddo, a farm birthday is perfect. Host your party at a local picnic shelter or in your backyard.  

Decorate your party space with cute animals, mini bales of hay and farm-themed tableware. Look around the house for décor and use what you have. Does your kiddo have a few animals or barn toys? A toy tractor? These will look cute on the table. 

A farm set from Amazon has everything you need to get your space set up. It includes a farm animal banner, plates, cups, utensils and napkins and four different types of balloons. 

Snacks

For snacks, offer themed food like pigs-in-a-blanket, haystacks (crisp rice treats) and farm-fresh eggs (deviled eggs). Check this post from Just Add Confetti for more ideas

Kids will go wild for the birthday barn cake from Ashley at The Teal Acorn, especially those chocolate shingles!

Entertainment

There are lots of fun outdoor activities with a farm theme, like round up the pigs, gather eggs, lasso and more. Read about these and other games on The Chickabug Blog. 

Pizza party

Pizza is the quintessential party food, so why not take it up a notch by hosting your own pizza party? To make things simple, you could order take-out pizza from your favorite local pizzeria. Or you could go the DIY route and turn pizza-making into a fun party game. 

Snacks 

First, get your small chefs ready with cute aprons and chef hats. Then, turn your party space into a pizzeria with a red checked tablecloth and pizza-themed plates, cups and napkins. Add a pizza slice banner to complete your theme.

To make the pizzas, you could make your own dough, buy dough balls from Trader Joe’s or purchase ready-made pizza crusts. For alternative pizza bases, try halved ciabatta rolls or a loaf of French bread halved and cut into 4-inch pieces. Give each guest a pizza base on a square of parchment paper for easy baking. Set out an array of sauces and toppings for each guest to top their own pizza, then an adult can do the baking.

Create a cake that looks like a pizza with this tutorial from Betty Crocker

Another fun, pizza-themed dessert is round sugar cookies, spread with red frosting, with coconut flakes for cheese and M&M candies for toppings. Make these treats ahead or allow party guests to make their own.

Entertainment

Games like Pizza Toss  (with red frisbees decorated as pizzas) and pizza scavenger hunt will entertain your guests. Minute-to-Win-It-style games from Anna at My Life and Kids use items from around the house and one even uses a pizza box!

Camping party

A camping party is perfect for mild weather. “Rough it” with trail mix, hot dogs cooked outdoors and a backyard scavenger hunt.

Set the scene with a themed décor bundle. It includes banners, colored balloons, cupcake toppers, a faux campfire centerpiece and a cake topper.

Camp-themed signs will look great at the party entrance and will make a great photo prop.

Snacks

Keep the food simple for this party with hot dogs or hamburgers on the grill, trail mix, chips and soda. For older kids and teens, try a “Make-Your-Own Gourmet Hot Dog Bar” like this one from Moms and Munchkins. A DIY s’mores bar is also fun for kids of all ages as long as an adult supervises the marshmallow roasting.

An icebox s’mores cake from My HomeBased Life fits the theme perfectly.

Entertainment

If you have a tent, set it up and offer a couple of board games for kids who need a quiet moment.

The Clean and Scentsible blog offers a scavenger hunt printable and other fun ideas, such as a s’mores party favors

Carnival party

Turn your backyard into a circus or carnival, starting with an amazing backdrop from the Etsy store PartySparkles or free printables from Catch My Party.

Snacks

For food, offer popcorn, big pickles, peanuts and hot dogs wrapped in cute circus-themed packages. Vicky over at The Mess for Less blog has a great recipe for cupcakes that look just like packs of popcorn!

Entertainment

Offer carnival games like beanbag toss and ring toss. Make your own or purchase a game set from Amazon, which includes beanbags, rings and more.

Your party guests will love playing a duck pond game that includes a colorful inflatable pool and 12 yellow ducks. Write numbers on the ducks and let guests pick a duck that corresponds to a prize. 

Taco party

Everyone loves tacos! Taco snacks, taco cake, walking tacos … Tacos make delicious party food and fiesta-style décor can set the scene. Decorate with a vivid bunting from Party City. 

Snacks

There are so many creative ways to feature tacos. The new trend for “Birthday Tacos” is a great one to try. Simply arrange tacos on a big platter in the shape of the number representing the age of the birthday kid. You could even get the tacos from your local Mexican restaurant or fast food place to make it easier. 

A DIY taco bar where guests can add what they like to their tacos will be a hit. A great post from Cheryl at Moms and Munchkins explains how to set up your own. 

For less mess, serve up Walking Tacos. These are very convenient because all your toppings are contained in the bag — the chips are the base instead of a taco shell and the bag is the bowl. Brilliant!

A tutorial from Chelsey at Chelsweets shows you how to make a taco cake from a simple yellow cake. 

Entertainment

For an activity, we love this taco pinata from Party City.

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