French Themed Party: A Francophile’s How To Hosting Guide

France: Everybody’s Universal Dream Vacation/Home

Let’s talk French! There is actual France where French people have normal everyday life annoyances and common experiences shared by the rest of the modern world. Then there is the image of France that people everywhere else in the world picture when they think of France. Of course, even though actual France is quite diverse and evolved, it still includes plenty of those traditional elements: casual sophistication, immaculate style, a very serious priority for food quality, and a general sense of class and ease. And that is just what we’ll embrace for a French themed party!

The golden top half of the Eiffel Tower photographed against a beautiful blue sky with pink clouds, the iconic symbol of France and a fitting decorative element to incorporate in a French themed party

If you likewise adore France – and not just a snapshot image of a France past but the present, dynamic France that just as reliably incorporates those iconic elements of the past while continuing to evolve into the beautifully complex reality it is, let’s discover some great ways to celebrate this country and its famous culture!

The lower half of the Eiffel Tower seen in the glowing morning sunlight with surrounding Parisian scene of plenty of green trees amidst charming architecture. The Eiffel Tower is the quintessential French symbol to incorporate in a French themed party — Eugene Dorosh

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How to Throw a French Themed Party

A woman in a classy gray plaid jacket and red beret walks down a Parisian street eating a croissant — Nataliya Vaitkevich

A woman in a brunette bob and dressed in a classy gray plaid jacket, a red beret and matching red lipstick smiles and holds an open book — Nataliya Vaitkevich

1. Create the Scene with French Themed Party Decorations

You know you’ve decorated successfully when someone walks into your home and immediately knows they’re at a French themed party. Raising the French flag is the easiest and most inspired way to achieve this! String a French flag banner or this French flag banner across a mantel or from the ceiling.

Cheese is another culinary staple for a French themed party - especially when stuck with French flag-topped toothpicks as in this photo showing a hand holding a cheese knife to slice off some cheese from a block of cheese resting on a wooden slab next to some apricots — Khoi Tran

If you prefer a more glamorous or feminine colour palate that incorporates lots of light pink, you’ll find many Paris-themed party decorations in colour schemes like pink and black. There are also many (non-pink) Eiffel Tower decorations. Here are some attractive finds including centerpieces, lights and more:

A woman in big black hat and big red jacket walks down a boutique-lined avenue holding a book about Paris — Ksenia Chernaya

You’ll find a ton of France and Paris-inspired wall art that’s perfect for a French themed party. Here are just a few fun selections:

2. Prepare French Food and Beverages

Party guests dig into a delicious cheese board at a table set with red wine, bouquets, and other decorative fixtures — Rachel Claire; Pixaby

Close-up photo of a pile of glistening, freshly baked croissants - a culinary staple at any French themed party — Rachel Claire; Pixaby

Le menu just may be the most anticipated part of your French themed party. Here’s where you get to treat your guests to delicious French food! French fare is fantastic especially because it covers these five important food groups: bread, butter, cheese, chocolate, and wine. Your French themed party will be delightful if you simply stick to wine and cheese platters. Serve some decent French wines, decent French cheeses, decent breads, and other complementary bites like fresh produce, nuts and olives and you’ve got a classy, tasty spread. But you can also spoil your guests with irresistible fondues, classic French dishes, and pastries as well.

Whether you can afford to go all out with a feast or need to stick to simpler classics, you really can’t go wrong. French food in particular is about quality over quantity/variety (so long as there is enough to share so nobody’s left wanting, of course). Start by going to your local wine supplier and finding high quality French wines – include champagne, reds, and whatever varietals you choose. As long as you stick to at least three of the food groups – good bread, good cheese, and good wine, you are set!

A cheese board with figs, peaches, and cheese rests on top of a round table covered in a zebra-print tablecloth, next to plates of asparagus and avocado, a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape, and two poured glasses. Boxed flowers and herbs are on top of a short concrete wall in the background, behind which an avenue is visible à la sidewalk cafe — Samantha Hurley

If you especially enjoy culinary adventures, try your hand at any of these amazing French food recipes:

French cheese board or this French inspired cheese board
Cheese fondue
Chocolate fondue
Classic French croissant
French bread
Vegetarian soufflé with goat cheese and leeks
Salade niçoise
French crepes
Savory party bread
Parisian gnocchi soufflé
French mushroom and parsley salad
Bouchées à la reine (pastry puff with creamy white wine sauce, meat, and mushrooms)
Gougères (cheese pastry)
French apple tart
French fig tarts
French macarons or this beginner’s guide to French macarons
French almond cake
Many more French recipes from Chez Le Rêve Français

Close-up photo of small slices of bread topped with crab dip, pieces of mint, and a slice of avocado — Rachel Kelli

3. Set the Ambience with French Music

You have many options for French party tunes. If you love traditional music, you could play chanson, or café accordion music for a nostalgic French restaurant-inspired vibe. You could go retro with famous Serge Gainsbourg hits, or stick to more modern classic tunes with Charlotte Gainsbourg. If you and your friends love electronic music, there are many options including popular duos like Air and Daft Punk. Or you could get extra obscure and play a French new wave playlist. If you want to encourage dancing or simply enjoy a more upbeat vibe, play artists like Yelle and Alizée. Or play Canadian-French Cœur de pirate songs for a playful but more relaxed vibe.

4. Add Evocative Scents

We delved into the sights, flavors, and sounds of France. Now for the scents! To fully immerse your guests in a French themed party, delight them with the aromas from any of these French-inspired scented candles:

French new wave candle (inspired by the midcentury cinematic movement)
French vintage-style upcycled candle (multiple scent options)
Paris floral-scented candle
French crème brûlée-scented candle
Paris espresso-scented candle
Parisian café candle

A bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne stands on a wooden table next to two crystal wine glasses with the sea and mountainous landscape in the background. If you have Veuve Clicquot, serve this classy beverage to treat your guests to exceptionally fine French themed party fare — Marc-Antoiné Dube

5. Plan French Themed Party Games

Who’s ready for French trivia? See who’s most ready to visit France by challenging your guests to any of these fun games you can download and print off! From French phrases to murder mystery, there are many great ways to get everyone together over silly and/or educational competition:

French lingo playing cards (this one’s a physical item)
Paris trivia or this Paris trivia
French food trivia
French phrase matching game
Paris-themed 12-game bundle
‘Delicious Death in a Wartime Café’ murder mystery game

6. Establish Guest Participation

Two women hold glasses of white wine while chatting and eating cheese — Darina Belonogova

Guest participation involves how you’d like your guests to participate or contribute to your party. One example is to make it a French potluck and request that your guests bring French food or a bottle of French wine to share. This can help offset both the cost and the time burden for food preparation (although, as seen below in the Preparation Checklist for Your French Themed Party, we will talk about carving out ample time in advance for preparing food as well as other arrangements). Most people are happy to contribute, but make sure you clearly communicate any participation expectations when you initially invite guests so they are informed.

Checklist of Items You Need

Now that we’ve covered what you’ll need to do for a French party, here are the tangible items to acquire for it:

France-inspired decorations
French food and beverages
French party music
France-inspired scented candles
French party games

Preparation Checklist for Your French Themed Party

Two French themed party hosts stand behind a counter set with small tealight candles, a cheese board with cheese, bread, and green and purple grapes, and a bottle of red with two poured glasses — Matthew Henry

Most of these steps for party preparation apply to any type of party you host. So while we covered French-specific details and ideas above, below are basic party planning guidelines to neatly order each step of the process (you can find more thorough details in the Best Party Practices posts):

1. First, confirm that people can come on any chosen date

Choose party date/time, and preferably alternative date(s) as well
Choose guest list and establish minimum number of guests you’d like (to make it worth your effort)
Six weeks out, confirm guests’ interest in the party and availability on chosen party date(s). The only details you’ll need to share at this time include what type of party it will be (French-themed); any requested participation; party date and general time of day; and your address (or other location if elsewhere)
This first step is just to get people to confirm that, barring unforeseen circumstances, they are able and willing to attend and will save the date to do so. If your preferred minimum number of guests confirm interest and availability, have them secure the calendar date for your fabulous French themed party!

2. Then, proceed with the fun planning

A mini cheese board with a few different types of cheese rests on a blue and white chequered tablecloth next to a glass of red wine and a wicker basket of bread with butter (this is all you really need in the way of refreshments for a French themed party) — Louis Hansel

Once you have your French party date established, you first need to get out your calendar and map out when you plan to do every step of preparation. This means you schedule time for each preparation activity that you’ll need to do. If you don’t schedule time on your calendar early enough, you may find yourself overwhelmed and unprepared the day of the party. Don’t do that to yourself! Check out the How to Be a Good Party Host post for more clarification on exactly what you can do to be confident, prepared, and ahead of the game. Party planning isn’t rocket science, but it naturally requires some thought and effort (which people notice). Here’s a general overview of what you can expect to do leading up to the party:

First, sit down and schedule time on your calendar for each step of party prep as listed below
Create invitations with all the details and send them out 4 weeks before the party
Order any party supplies and decorations 3 weeks out (so they arrive in time to set up)
Shop for any party supplies/decorations you don’t order online, as well as non-perishable food/drinks
Acquire perishable food/drinks early enough in advance to prepare in time
Set up decorations
Prepare food/drinks (depending on how long things keep)

A Cheese board with charcuterie, green grapes, green olives, and a dip next to a bottle of red and a poured glass - perfect refreshments to serve at a French themed party — Melissa Walker Horn

3. Day of Party

It’s very important to get as much party prep done far enough in advance that you have some time to yourself to relax come party day, especially if you’ve been busy. So be sure to plan your day-of-party preparations early enough to have that time and space to yourself as well. Within those amply planned/set-aside time slots, you can expect to do these preparations during the day of your party:

Complete any last-minute food/drink prep that are too fresh to do any earlier
Set up any quick/easy last-minute supplies and decorations (if not up already)
Prepare ambience (music, candles)
Get dressed in your favourite French party outfit
Once everything’s ready, do any preferred self-care activities that get you in a good head space if you aren’t already. You want to be a relaxed, energized, and happy host so you can receive guests with a generous and genuinely joyful attitude, and enjoy the party just as much as them!

Party guests clinking glasses of red. French varietals of red wine is a must at a French themed party. — Kelsey Knight

All Set to Host a Fabulous French Party

Et voilà! Now you are all set to host a fantastic French themed party. As you put it together, remember that every part of the process is meant to be enjoyable – from planning the menu to putting up decorations. No matter what, the goal is always for you and your guests to have an awesome time – even if that looks different than you envisioned. As long as you put thought and care into party preparation and keep a flexible mindset if things turn out differently, your French party will be a memorable time that your friends will love.