How to Have a Dreamy Orange Themed Party

Create Your Own Orange Oasis

Orange is a delightful colour. It glows with a warm and fiery energy that motivates and inspires us. Lighter or pastel orange hues can also be pleasantly dreamy, evoking a dreamsicle fantasy or a hypnotizing sunset. Colour parties are a lot of fun because each colour has its own therapeutic effect, and orange is no exception! While there’s plenty of flexibility, we’ll cover the fun orange-inspired ideas – including plenty of orange decorations and tasty recipes – that gives an orange themed party its signature zest.

Close-up photo of a pile of round ripe orange slices - the primary snack to serve at an orange themed party — Photo by Vino Li

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How to Throw an Orange Themed Party

1. Set the Scene with Orange Décor

Turning your home into a dreamy orange oasis is one of the most fun parts of party preparation (see Preparation Checklist for Your Orange Themed Party below). Enveloping your surrounding environment in an abundance of orange is a visual delight, and there are plenty of creative ways to do this!

Orange gradient fluid art — Photo by FlyD

Salt lamps provide perfect lighting for an orange themed party since they cast a natural orange glow (and atmosphere). You can use orange tissue paper made from recycled material to hang from the ceiling or stick out of a shiny orange swirl vase or cups. Hang neon orange holographic fabric or metallic orange lame fabric on the wall or from a doorway, or drape it over the couch, for a large swatch of orange sparkle. Hang wispy clouds of orange tulle fabric from the ceiling to create an airy orange atmosphere. Adorn your home with bunches of orange flowers, which will also add a lovely floral fragrance.

Close-up photo of vivid orange flowers growing in a field. Freshly-cut orange flowers are a beautiful way to decorate for an orange themed party — Photo by Matthew Henry

Here are more orange themed party decorations to add plenty of zesty colour pops:

Close-up photo of a pile of juicy halved oranges - a must-have snack at an orange themed party — Photo by Sheraz Shaikh

Serve refreshments with orange serveware:

2. Prepare Orange-Infused Food and Beverages

A lineup of tasty orange drinks in a three-photo collage: a tall glass of orange juice posed with a halved orange; a glass of orange juice also posed with a half orange; and a wine glass filled with an orange bevvy, ice cubes, a rosemary sprig, and an orange slice - all delicious refreshments to serve at an orange themed party — Photos by Nathalia Arantes; Sarah Pflug; Isabella Mendes

Naturally, the best snack to provide at an orange themed party is a big platter of juicy orange slices for guests to snack on (provide plenty of extra napkins!). Likewise, the best drink to provide is plenty of delicious orange juice. This is also easy to then mix into mocktails (along with other juices, sparkly water/sodas, etc.) and cocktails (with various liquors). Sunkist or other orange sodas is another classic option. And then there are plenty of orange-incorporated recipes below that you can prepare. Whether you provide all refreshments or whether you request that guests bring an orange dish or drink to share, orange themed party food is a main event for this occasion!

Orange-incorporated foods:

A half an orange next to a whole orange — Photo by Pixabay

Orange sweet treats:

Close-up photo of face-up halved oranges. Just slice them into smaller sizes and they'll be a perfect snack at an orange themed party — Photo by Sarah Pflug

Orange drinks:

The calm colours of an orange sunset — Photo by Manuel Nöbauer

3. Set the Ambience with a Fun Party Playlist and Dreamy Orange-Scented Candles

Background music is a big part of any party’s vibe. For an orange themed party, play anything interesting, inspiring, or upbeat. Whatever genre you love, play the sunniest, fieriest beats that motivate and invigorate. If you’re into electronic music, play something like The Chemical Brothers’ Sunshine Underground or Daler Mehndi’s fast-paced Dardi Rab Rab Kardi. If you want an orange dance party, amp up a great playlist. But if you want people to be able to have a conversation without shouting over their drinks, just keep the volume lower – or simply play something more laid back. There is no one-size-fits-all – your audio choice depends on your taste. Just keep your playlist fun, palatable, and plan it with some thought!

A striking photo of a vivid orange sky at sunset with sun peeking behind clouds — Photo by Pixabay

Let’s not underestimate the power of intoxicating aromas. Anybody who loves oranges will love walking into a space saturated with a delicious orange fragrance. Achieve this magic by burning any of these orange-scented candles:

Close-up photo of layered round sliced oranges, the classic snack at an orange themed party — Photo by Karolina Grabowska

4. Establish Guest Participation

Guest participation involves how you’d like your guests to participate or contribute to your party. As mentioned above, you could request that everyone brings an orange-based dish or drink to share. You could also invite them to come dressed in orange, in whatever style they choose – whether glamorous (fancy dress or suit), wacky (i.e. orange zebra-print spandex) or casual (sports jersey or tracksuit). Seeing who shows up wearing which style would be a fun surprise! However you invite request guests to participate, just remember to convey that information when you initially invite them.

Photo of sliced oranges in mid-air falling alongside water droplets on a blue surface next to ice cubes — Photo by Mae Mu (@picoftasty)

Checklist of Items You Need

Now that we’ve covered what you’ll need to do for an orange themed party, here’s a list of the tangible items to acquire for it:

Orange party decorations
Orange-infused food and beverages including plenty of oranges and orange juice
Fun party music playlist
Orange-scented candles
Orange party outfit

Preparation Checklist for Your Orange Themed Party

Photo of an array of whole and face-up halved oranges over a white background — Photo by Dominika Roseclay

Most of these steps for party preparation apply to any type of party you host. So while we covered orange-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 (orange-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 awesome orange themed party!

Abstract orange colouring fading from lighter to darker in a whimsical pattern — Photo by Fruit Basket Agency

2. Then, proceed with the fun planning

Once you have your orange themed 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 to have all your oranges in a row by party day. Here’s a general overview of what that looks like:

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 clear sky casts a stunning orange and yellow glow with a round yellow sun behind one thin wisp of clouds — Photo by Enakshi Mukhopadhyaya

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 orange party outfit
Once everything’s ready, take the time to do any preferred self-care activities that get you in a good head space if you aren’t already. This is in your own and everybody else’s best interest (they’ll pick up on your contagiously good vibe)! You want to be a relaxed, energized, and happy host 😊

Half of a blood orange rests on a yellow box against a blue background — Photo by Mae Mu (@picoftasty)

All Set to Host a Terrific Orange Themed Party

Every part of the party planning process is meant to be enjoyable – from planning the menu to putting up decorations. The goal is simply 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 that allows grace for when things turn out differently, your orange themed party will be a great time that everyone enjoys!