Everyone loves movies. If you're planning a birthday for someone who has too many favorite movies to choose just one, consider giving him a movie-themed party. With a movie theme, you can make all your guests---especially the guest of honor---feel like stars. Does this Spark an idea?
Invitations
For your invitations, start with a color theme you'll also use for decorations. Red is a good one, so you can have a red carpet for the guests; red, black and white make a good movie look. You could also use yellow or gold (for stars) or silver.
Make invitations that look like movie tickets. You can make them yourself with construction paper. Print "Theater Location" (the party site), date and time on half of a rectangle, and print "Admit One" on the other half. Or you can print out movie-ticket invitations from hooverwebdesign.com/printable-movie-ticket-party-invitations.html. Or you can buy movie-ticket invitations from invitationbox.com/sl-dc-102.html.
You could also use regular invitations with a movie theme such as pictures of popcorn, a movie camera or stars.
Decorations
Decorate your party site to look like a movie theater. Call your local theater and ask the promotions manager if he can give you any items you can use for decorations. According to Kim Vo of Regal Atlantic Station Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, most movie theaters will give you old posters and promotional materials. If the theater can't provide anything, try a local video store. They also are frequently willing to give away movie posters and promotional materials.
To create your movie-theater look, hang movie posters and small Christmas lights along the entryway to the party area and have a red carpet for guests to walk on. Set up a table with a curtain draped over the top and on either side for your ticket booth, where you can collect the invitations and give guests party favors like popcorn, candy or small gifts.
If you can afford it, rent a DVD projector and screen from a company like Rent Our Projectors so you can show your movie on a big screen. Hang curtains (window panels work well) to cover the screen so you can open them just before you show the movie. If you can't get a projector, you can hang curtains to cover your television for a similar effect of opening the curtains before the movie begins.
Food
Food for a movie party is simple: Serve movie-theater food. Popcorn is essential, as is various candy. For something a little more substantial at mealtime, hot dogs and cheese nachos are good choices. For drinks, offer soda. You can serve the food in the same containers used at the movies. They're available from sources such as Home Theater Accessories. If you'd rather use non-disposable bowls, you can get porcelain bowls that look like movie theater popcorn boxes.
For a birthday party you need a cake, of course. One option for your cake is to use a star theme, indicating that the birthday guest is the star of your show. Bake a cake shaped like a star, or decorate a regular cake with icing stars and star-shaped sprinkles. Put a picture of the birthday guest on the cake and frame it with a star.
Another option is to make the cake look like a bowl of popcorn. Make a round cake with white icing and add red vertical stripes with icing. If you want, write "popcorn" on the side of the cake with icing. Pile popcorn on the cake, perhaps dribbling melted marshmallows and butter on the top to help the popcorn stick and to make it sweeter.
Activities and Games
The main activity at your movie party will, of course, be watching a movie. If it's a sleepover, plan to show more than one. If your party is not a sleepover, allow enough time for a two-hour movie, perhaps a meal (though movie snacks can be eaten during the movie, just like in a theater) and maybe a few games.
For games, movie trivia is a good choice. Or perhaps star trivia, with trivia about the "star" of the day---the birthday person. Movie charades are another good option.
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