Best College Party Themes to Try with Friends
No doubt, college is a time for learning. But it’s also a time to have fun, express yourself, and get to know people who may become your lifelong friends. Hosting college parties and hangouts is a great way to connect with others.
We’ve compiled some awesome college party themes if you’re planning your soiree, whether a fall fest or birthday celebration, and you’re looking for more fun ideas to spice things up. Even if you’re no longer in college, you won’t want to throw a boring party where your guests leave early.
Whether you want to host a casual house party or something fancy, these college party options help you prepare for your next get-together to ensure a memorable night of good fun.
Best College Party Themes
Ugly Sweater Party
An ugly sweater party is a great theme, whether you’re celebrating the holidays or having your college friends over for a hilarious hangout.
Challenge your guests to wear their tackiest sweaters and join you for a night of getting to know each other with great food and party games. You can make your food and activities around this theme, like having a sweater-themed quiz and rewarding the person with the best (or worst) sweater.
Astrology Party
Align your party with the stars by having your guests wear shirts and other accessories with their zodiac signs on them. Astrology geeks can wear up to three zodiac signs on them, and you can set the mood with some astrology-themed decorations.
You can arrange a table for a round of tarot games or get a magic 8 ball to predict the future. You may even find someone whose zodiac sign is compatible with yours.
Graffiti Party
Break all the rules with this fun graffiti-themed party, perfect for music majors, art majors, or anyone who enjoys being creative. Ask your guests to wear a white T-shirt, tank top, or dress. Then invite them to go wild on their outfits or each other’s using different colors of markers, pens, highlighters, and fabric paints.
You can restrict the graffiti work to your outfits or find a place, like a cardboard model or huge canvas, where your guests can showcase their artistic side. Remember to inform them to wear something they are comfortable being graffitied.
Toga Party
With a dress code inspired by Roman and Greek cultures, a toga party is one classic college party theme where you can’t go wrong. Ask your guests to wear their best togas — a bed sheet and sandals.
This party theme usually involves drinking games, but you can get creative with other fun activities, like going with bright-colored togas or asking everyone to customize theirs with decorations. You can also include a surprise theme with your toga party.
Anything But Clothes
Anything but clothes, ABC parties for short, allows your guests to experiment without going fully naked. At an ABC party, your guests have to show up wearing anything but clothes.
They can come up with creative alternatives, including wearing gift wraps, tin foil, trash bags, curtains, caution tape, or anything they can make into an outfit that isn’t quite meant to be worn.
High School Stereotypes
This college party theme is proof that high school never really ends. Invite your friends to a night of laughter, dressed in high school stereotypes and reminiscing about the near past. They can dress up as cheerleaders, nerds, jocks, hippies, or any other stereotypes that fit their younger selves.
Your guests can dress as their favorite dynamic duo or trio off a high school movie, like Clueless or Mean Girls.
Anything But Cups
Anything but cups is a different type of ABC party where guests have to come with empty containers to be served drinks. They could bring empty Pringles cans, ketchup bottles, or other containers that aren’t cups.
Top Spotify Artists Theme Party
Time to confidently own your Spotify Wrapped by dressing up as one of your top artists from the previous year or someone who keeps appearing in your On Repeat playlist. Pretend to be shocked if you find 15 Harry Styles and 20 Taylor Swifts.
This college party theme is a cool way to make new friends that share your music taste or even reignite some heated debates about who the best pop diva is.
Disney Party
Dive into your Disney classics with this lovely college party theme. Between Disney villains, princesses, and old favorites like Peter Pan, you can have so much fun with this. Ask your guests to dress as their favorite Disney characters for this Disney-themed party.
You can include some newer Marvel and DC characters for a bit of a twist. Then decorate your space, drinks, and food with images from the legendary animation studio. You can add some Disney-inspired cocktails to your menu.
Pajama Party
For most of us, Pajama Day back in middle school was awesome, and we would love to do it all over again. Luckily, you make the rules at your party, and “pajamas” can be what’s most comfortable for you, whether a satin nightdress or plaid flannel pants.
Have blankets and throw pillows around to make your place very cozy. This college party theme is great for best friend hangouts, sorority nights, or relaxing with new friends. You can watch a movie with plenty of popcorn, drinks, snacks, and ice cream for your guests.
TikTok Trends or Memes Theme Party
This super creative party theme will surely make for goofy Instagram posts the following day. Challenge your friends to pick their favorite memes that have been popular online recently and recreate them themselves or with other guests. You can also opt for funny TikTok trends.
You don’t need costumes with many of these memes and trends, and it’s a great way to bond with new friends who can pick up your obscure references.
Casino Night Party
Invite your friends to a sophisticated evening of card and casino games with this casino-themed party. Use black, red, and gold decor accents to transform your venue or college dorm into a casino.
Add lush textures like velvet curtains and use them as a photo booth backdrop. You can even have an “entrance fee” and donate it to charity afterward while you have a fun night of games and laughter with your old and new friends.
Masquerade Party
If you want to go a bit more formal, you can take a hint from the movie “Gossip Girl” and throw a classic masquerade-themed party, where your guests wear their finest and enjoy some fine dining with sophisticated cocktails.
You can also host a fiesta and roll out your brightest balloons, string beads, and garlands and party till the break of dawn. Hopefully, your party will be as fun as an episode of Gossip Girl but without as much drama.
Music Festival
Even if you missed Coachella, you could bring Coachella to you. Channel the festival aesthetic with your friends by wearing chokers, sunglasses, or any crochet. This college party theme is best done in warmer weather and even better in your backyard.
The music is the most important part, so line up your dream festival playlist and turn it up — no tiring opening acts necessary.
“You are What You Eat” Party
This party theme is perfect for those who like to say, “I’m only here for the food.” Your guests have to dress up as something edible, whether it involves placing a McDonald’s logo or actual candy on your outfit.
Since food is the party’s focal point, you must stock your pantry. So go ahead and buy sweet, spicy, and even salty snacks to keep everyone well-fed.
Zombie Apocalypse Theme Party
A zombie apocalypse party will give you and your guests a truly immersive experience, and it’s not reserved only for Halloween. Ask your guests to put belief aside and enjoy a post-apocalyptic fairyland.
Ensure your place looks like it has just seen a zombie apocalypse. Opt for spooky food options or party classics like pizza and burgers. Allow your guests to decide if they come as newly-turned zombies or ordinary people.
Winter Olympics Party
We can’t all be Shaun White, but we can at least dress like him. Invite your friends to a night of games at this winter Olympic party wearing goggles, ski jackets, and other winter sports gear. While you can’t have guests doing high-stakes snowboarding, you can replace it with beer pong.
If you have the budget, you can consider an ice luge — carve channels on a big ice block and pour drinks down one end into the receiver’s mouth on the other end. The ice makes for a perfectly chilled shot.
Foam Party
You can throw a party that’s super awesome if you could rent a foam machine or find a way to make the foam. As everyone moves about in rooms covered in foam, you never know what might happen as people get quite slippery.
For this reason, ensure you take safety precautions, such as picking a venue with a nonslip floor that the water and soap won’t destroy. You’re guaranteed a good time as you inform your guests so they can know what to wear.
What Party Themes Do College Girls Like?
- Mom stereotypes
- Meme party
- Letter theme party
- ABC party
- Disney Princesses
- Bad and boujee
- Candyland
- Splash party
- Under the sea
What Party Themes Do College Guys Like?
- High school stereotype
- Highlighter party
- Superhero party
- Casino party
- Graffiti party
- Dad party
- Aliens and astronauts
- Zombie Apocalypse
Best College Party Themes – Conclusion
If you’re out of college party themes or don’t attend parties much, don’t worry — our list of great college party theme ideas is easy to pull off, not very expensive, and doesn’t take much time to plan. Some are familiar classic themes, while others are inspired by TikTok and pop culture.
Once you choose a theme, order some delicious treats and play some of your favorite tunes for a wonderful time.
