How to Have a Rainforest Theme Party

The Seductive Pull of the Rainforest

Rainforests are like the heart of this planet. Without them, we’d have a hard time surviving! Their health and existence are crucial to our own health and existence, and they’re teeming with biodiversity. That’s what makes the rainforest such an appealing environment: it’s lush, rich, pleasantly humid and shaded, and full of incredible plant and animal life. Of course, less than 2.5% of the human population lives in the rainforest. While the rest of us don’t get to directly enjoy this special habitat’s benefits (or challenges), we can foster it in our own home by hosting a rainforest theme party. Let’s get started!

A rainforest scene in the tropical region of Puntarenas on the Pacific cost of Costa Rica — Alenka Skvarc

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How to Throw a Rainforest Party

1. Turn Your Space Into a Lush Jungle

The Olympic National Park rainforest in the American Pacific Northwest, with redwoods, ferns, and lush foliage — Olympic National Park rainforest

To really transform your home into a vibrant rainforest, display as many houseplants – especially tropical ones – as you possibly can. String pothos vines across the walls/ceilings/doorframes. Showcase palms, dracaena, monstera, fig trees, and as many ferns as you can keep comfortably alive in your space (at least for a little while if borrowing plants from a friend!). If you have enough plants like these, you won’t need any other decorations. After all, a thick canopy of moisture-loving plants is what makes a rainforest what it is! But if you can’t treat yourself to a delightful houseplant spree or can’t borrow any, you can still create a juicy jungle scene! Check out any of the fun rainforest theme party decorations in the list below.

A cluster of a variety of beautiful green tropical plants — Chris Abney

2. Prepare Rainforest Theme Party Refreshments

There’s nothing like delicious tropical flavours found in rainforested regions of the world! Feed your guests the taste of the rainforest with any of these varied recipes in the list below. For snacks, serve a platter of sliced tropical fruits alongside a variety of nuts. Serve several tasty juices as well as fruit-flavoured sparkling waters – both for hydrating as well as for mixing cocktails.

A birds-nest fern growing on a rubber tree in Cairns, Australia — David Clode

A colourful toucan perches on a branch with its large beak open, telling us to invite him to our rainforest theme party — Florian Krumm

3. Set a Jungle Ambience with a Fun Playlist

Background music plays a big role in a party’s vibe. If you’re having a dance party where music is part of the main attraction, you want to amp up a killer playlist full of fun jungle beats (such as M.I.A.). But if you want a more laid-back vibe, you could opt to play either music or something that includes video such as a soundscape/ambiance video (see below). There is no one-size-fits-all – your audio choice depends on your taste. Just make sure you plan your playlist with some thought!

Close-up photo of a woman's face glancing to the side amidst large dark green tropical leaves — Brenda Lelis

For a more relaxing atmosphere, play an Amazon wildlife music video showing beautiful imagery of the Amazon rainforest (but make sure everyone’s had plenty of coffee as the music is quite calm!). Or, instead of (or in addition to) music, you could play a jungle soundscape that features the relaxing noises from the various wildlife living in the jungle.

4. Add Evocative Scents

A banana plant illuminated in the sun in Ubud, Gianyar, Bali, Indonesia — Matthias Koch

We covered the sights, the flavors, and the sounds of a rainforest theme party. Now, consider the scents! To truly immerse your guests in the rainforest, engage their sense of smell by lighting any of these aromatic candles:

A kapok tree's large protruding roots in Lalbagh Botanical Garden, Mavalli, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Kapok trees are abundant in rain forests and are a beautiful visual for a rainforest theme party — Zoshua Colah

Checklist of Items You Need

We’ve covered what you’ll need to do for a rainforest theme party. Here’s a list of what to acquire for it:

Rainforest theme party decorations
Rainforest theme party food and beverages
Music/soundscape
Rainforest-inspired scented candles

A bright red parrot sits on the branch of a tropical tree, a stark contrast to the surrounding green leaves and foliage, and a beautiful visual inspiration for a rainforest theme party — Roberto Nickson

Preparation Checklist for Your Rainforest Theme Party

Most of these steps for party preparation apply to any type of party you host. So while we covered rainforest-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

Three people walking on a path through the Olympic National Park rainforest surrounded by redwoods, ferns, and lush foliage — Olympic National Park rainforest

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 (rainforest-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 rainforest party!

A lush jungle scene in Singapore — Raphaël Menesclou

2. Then, proceed with the fun planning

Once you have your party date established, you need to get out your calendar and map out when you plan to do every step of preparation. 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 handsome black and white toucan with a large orange beak perches on a branch at the San Diego Zoo, ready for a rainforest theme party — Simon Shim

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/soundscape, candles)
Get dressed in your favourite (preferably green) party outfit
Once everything’s ready, take some time for any preferred self-care activities that get you in a good headspace so you can be a grounded and happy host!

A toucan sticks its yellow neck and large yellow and black beak out of its nest within the hollow of a Costa Rican tree, checking to see if it's time to come to our rainforest theme party — Gerhard Crous

All Set to Make a Rainforest Theme Party Paradise

Have fun with this! Every part of the party planning process is meant to be enjoyable – from planning the menu to putting up decorations. The goal is always for you and your guests to have an awesome time, so relax if all details don’t quite pan out and roll with any changes. Party planning and hosting is a nuanced pastime that you learn from and perfect each party forward. Put thought and care into it and your rainforest theme party will be a fantastic event you all remember!