Surprise Party Ideas

Surprise Party Ideas for Venue and Activities

Where will your party be held? Hosting your surprise party at home is always a good option, but you might consider some other places as well. Is there somewhere that is special to your guest of honor, like a certain park or restaurant? Is he or she a sports fan who would really love to celebrate at a game? Sometimes throwing a party in a different venue can be even easier than doing it at home. Here are some fun surprise party ideas with a twist:

Rent a Local Movie Theater -- Is there a small theater near you? A fun option for a surprise party is renting a theater and showing a "this is your life" preview movie featuring your guest of honor. Follow this up with a favorite movie for all of your guests to enjoy.

The Quiet Dinner Surprise Party -- Rent a favorite restaurant (or a room in a favorite restaurant). Then ask your guests to show up 20-40 minutes AFTER you and your guest of honor. When you arrive, it will be totally empty. As your guests trickle in, ask them to make it seem totally coincidental. See how long it takes before your guest of honor realizes that the restaurant is filling with all her friends and family!

A Special Sporting Event -- Buy a section of seats at a favorite sporting event and plan a quiet dinner style surprise party. Don't forget to call the arena and ask for a special birthday message to be posted on the score board!

ACTIVITIES

You've made your plans, sent your invites, and chosen your venue, but you're a little worried what to do at your party after shouting surprise? Here are a few surprise party ideas for activities:

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry -- Great food and cocktails can set the stage for a fun evening. Consider having your event catered. Having the support of servers who will help with the prep, serving, and clean up can take a lot of stress out of the party planning process.

Music and Dancing -- What kind of music does your guest of honor enjoy? Before the party, make a playlist of his favorite hits to run during the event. Later you might clear a space and encourage some dancing or even karaoke. If your budget allows, hiring a band is often well worth the cost.

Remember that this party is about the guest of honor. When making your plans, always ask yourself what they would enjoy. Do they like wine tasting or group games? These can both be great options for surprise party activities.

Surprise Party Decorations

Personalized Tableware and Favors -- Use plates and cups personalized with special pictures of your guest of honor. You could also make photo stickers to use on favors or even to have your guests wear around!

This is Your Life Photo Collage -- Ask your party guests to bring pictures of the guest of honor. Then put up a large bulletin board or posterboard area where they can be hung for a walk down memory lane. After the party you can assemble all the photos into a keepsake scrapbook.

Memory Box -- Purchase a special decorative box and some pretty blank notecards. Set these up on a table at the party and ask your guests to share a memory thay have of the guest of honor and drop it into the memory box. You can either share these at the party or keep them as private remembrances.

Personalized Slide Show -- Create a slide show of special memories to run as a background to your party decorations.

A Few of My Favorite Things -- Incorporate any special hobbies, teams, animals, or other things that are important to your guest of honor in your decorations.

Shock and Awe -- When in doubt, go all out! Consider making a giant balloon arch as an entrance, or giving your guests confetti poppers or silly string as part of the initial surprise factor for your party.

*** Don't forget that this party is a surprise, so your decorations should only be visible inside your party area so they don't give you away!

**For more great surprise party tips and ideas, check out our This is Your Life Party page.

If you enjoyed these surprise party ideas, you might also enjoy these parties:

This is Your Life Party

Anniversary Party

Backyard Barbecue Party