Turning sixteen is a rite of passage and the first milestone towards adulthood. It is the year most teens get their license and with it, the opportunity for a little more freedom. Turning sixteen calls for a celebration that fits your teen's style, while offering entertainment, food and fun that the guests will never forget.
Do you remember your Sweet Sixteen party? Mine was a surprise party, thrown by my best friend and held in my parent’s basement. It wasn’t themed - just friends, music and food. It took place in a time before digital pictures and social media, so the decorations were limited, we provided our own entertainment and themed parties were for the little kids.
In 2023, Sweet Sixteen parties need a little more pizzazz than that. Check out some of these Sweet Sixteen Party Themes.
Boho
Boho is an eclectic and artistic style with an emphasis on nature and organic elements. It is one of the big themes this year and is perfect for your free-spirited teen. Decorate the space with soft flowing cloth, bright designs of warm colors and dried flowers. Charcuterie served on decorative wood slices or in individual mini glass jars would be an ideal choice for food. For entertainment, consider hiring a Henna artist or a macramé instructor. Henna artists create beautiful designs on your hands or feet with henna paste that stains the skin. Beware, the henna design will remain for 1-5 weeks.
Glamping
Glamping is the personified version of a sleepover party, taking place in a glamorous setting. You can set up your own indoor gathering space with mini tents, fluffy pillows and soft lighting. If you would rather not host in your home, consider booking a stay at a treehouse or boutique hotel. Foil packet recipes would pair beautifully with a campfire setting as do community pots of hot soups, chilis or seafood chowder. For entertainment, try a boujeer version of camp crafts like tie-die blankets for the partygoers to take home with them. You can also set up camping related games like scavenger hunts or play Telestrations around the campfire.
Luau
If Hawaii is your teen’s dream destination, then a Luau might be the perfect theme for them. Invite your guests to come dressed for a tropical party. Entertain them with a limbo contest, coconut bowling and a lei toss. If you would like to hire some entertainment, look for someone to teach a traditional hula dance or how to make real flower leis. For food, you can’t go wrong with a pig roast, but if hosting a smaller group, consider Hawaiian sliders made with ham and pineapples and a colorful fruit salad.
Stranger Things
If your teen is a fan of Stranger Things on Netflix, consider this as a theme for their Sweet Sixteen party. Have all the guests come dressed in 80s clothes and accessories. Food ideas include a waffle bar (character Eleven’s obsession) with fun toppings like chocolate chips, fruit and whipped cream. You can also add a little protein with chicken and waffle sliders. There are dozens of 80’s game options like Name that 80’s tune, 80’s version of Family Feud or Jeopardy or a challenge like Name 11 Things (colors, car models, dog breeds, etc.).
Game Night
This theme is very easy to customize because it is such a broad idea. You can host a Casino Night, Bunco or Trivia Night from 2007. If you would like to take the party outside of the house, you could head to an Escape Room venue, outdoor laser tag or bowling. You can hire a mobile video game bus for multiple players to play their favorite games on Wii or Xbox. Gamers of all kinds need fuel so consider one-handed items like sliders, pigs in a blanket, mini meatballs, cheese cubes and a fresh veggie tray.
A Night in Paris
Paris gives off a glamorous chic vibe, even for people who have never been. Ask your guests to come dressed in black, white or pink. Serve Parisian café style croissants and different cheeses with a glass of non-alcoholic bubbly. Want to try to learn a little French? Stream a popular movie in French with English subtitles. France is well known for its artists, so hire a painting instructor and let the guests replicate a famous French painting like Water Lilies by Claude Monet.
Amazing Race
If your teen is a fan of The Amazing Race, this is a fun Sweet Sixteen theme. Break the group up into teams of two. You can find printables for the game online to set up pit stops, challenges, detours and roadblocks. Rope in some of your neighbors to host challenges so the players must travel on foot and find a specific house. You can use some of the food challenges from past seasons to feed your guests. Cheese fondue (Season 18) and sushi (Season 15) were used in previous seasons of the TV show.
The Roaring 20s
We only get to use this Prohibition theme for a few more years so why not try it for a Sweet Sixteen? Tell everyone to put on their favorite flapper dress, Panama hat and suspenders and get ready to party like it’s 1923! Set up Black Jack tables in your Speakeasy and be sure to give everyone the secret code word to get in. Hire someone to teach your guests how to do the Charleston or the Fox Trot. Serve shrimp cocktail, deviled eggs, stuffed mushrooms and finger sandwiches. Don’t forget the Mocktails – it is prohibition after all.
Pam Molnar is the mother of three and an avid party planner. She believes the best parties include a theme, good food and fun games.