Ancient Egyptian Themed Party for Adults: A How-To Hosting Guide

The Lure of the Ancient Egyptian World

Whether you’re an Egyptologist or perpetually in awe of ancient Egyptian civilization, many will agree that ancient Egypt is fascinating. The beautiful temples, tombs, hieroglyphs, and everything historians have discovered about the era all create an intricate picture of this iconic culture. If you are also a fan of this mesmerizing society, indulge your interest and host an ancient Egyptian themed party! This isn’t your everyday theme, so not only will it captivate your guests, but they’ll appreciate the unique experience as you all travel back in time…a few thousand years! Let’s dig into ways to bring this incredible empire to life in your own home.

Photo of an Egyptian monolith in Karnak, as seen from standing at base, with hieroglyphs carved into it all the way up to its pinnacle against the clear blue sky — Alka Jha; Lady Escabia

Coloured hieroglyphs in Kharga showing repeated bird figure as well as other symbols. Hieroglyphs are another good decoration for an ancient Egyptian themed party — Alka Jha; Lady Escabia

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Ancient Egyptian Themed Party Hosting 101

1. Transform Your Home into Ancient Egypt

Get your hands on anything with ancient Egyptian symbology to really bring this era to life, whether that includes peel-and-stick wallpaper, throw blankets/pillows, posters, tapestries, or flags. Emblems like ankhs, hieroglyphs, Egyptian gods and goddesses, and pyramids make perfect décor. Embrace the opulence of the pharaohs’ tombs and line your table or counter with a gold metallic mesh table runner to create a regal statement. Complement it with clear and gold-ringed plastic cups for serving drinks.

A colored Egyptian tomb wall-painting showing human figures and other symbols, beautiful art to display at an ancient Egyptian themed party — British Library

Here are more fitting finds to welcome your guests to ancient Egypt:

A man leads four camels carrying passengers near the Great Pyramids of Giza — Murat Şahin

2. Prepare Egyptian Food and Beverages

Regardless of the point in history, Egyptian food is delicious. Whether you provide all refreshments or whether you request that guests bring an Egyptian dish to share, food is one of the primary ways to engage your guests in an Egyptian themed party!

To give guests a taste of ancient Egypt, your menu need not stray too far from modern fare. Like us, the Egyptians of times past enjoyed the classic staples of bread and beer. Provide plenty of it and you’re covered! Everyone will be happy. Wine was also a staple drink. Other dietary staples include produce like lettuce, celery, and peas, as well as palm nuts, chickpeas and other beans. Popular fruits were dates, figs, grapes, and pomegranates. People ate meat like sheep, goats, poultry, fish, and other protein sources like eggs and cheese. Serve Egyptian dishes that include these ingredients as well as popular Egyptian foods included in the list below.

Pyramid of Khafre against a bright blue sky with white clouds, and people with horses and camels at the base. Pyramid replications are iconic decor for an ancient Egyptian themed party — Jeremy Bishop

Egyptian Koshary is Egypt’s tasty national dish that contains many basic and delicious ingredients including lentils and garlic, which were also a couple of the staples that ancient Egyptians ate. Foul Mudammas (Egyptian Fava Beans) – pronounced ‘fool’ – is another tasty dish that incorporates some of the same staples in ancient Egyptian diets: legumes, garlic, olive oil, bread, cucumbers, and scallions.

Here are more recipes to give everyone a taste of Egypt:

3. Create an Ancient Egyptian Ambience with Evocative Music

People riding camels against a dusk sky at the Great Pyramids of Giza — Simon Berger

While ancient songs were obviously not recorded in the modern musical notation we use now, there are artifacts containing what historians have been able to translate as song notations. And we do have more knowledge of the types of instruments used thousands of years ago, with people playing modern replications. So for your ancient Egyptian themed party music, if you want to play something that more authentically resembles what people played and heard during that era, play music using reproductions of ancient Egyptian instruments such as the lute, lyre, or arched harp, or music using a replication of an ancient Egyptian flute.

Misirlou, a timeless song enjoyed across the world and originating from the Mediterranean world, is claimed by several countries to have originated there. Wherever it is actually from, the name translates to Egyptian woman. Playing a haunting harp performance of Misirlou is therefore a fitting tune for an Egyptian themed party.

The Great Sphinx of Giza under a starry night sky — Pixabay

If you simply enjoy music that evokes what we’ve come to associate with an ‘ancient Egyptian vibe’, regardless of the instruments or how produced it is, play Egyptian ambient music or go even broader with Arabic ambient music. You’ll set a scintillating atmosphere either way! Of course, you can always play any fun party tunes such as the Bangles’ Walk Like an Egyptian which has nothing to do with Egypt but is a fun jam nonetheless!

4. Add Enticing Scents

We covered the sights, the flavors, and the sounds of ancient Egypt. Now, consider the scents! To truly immerse your guests in this culture, think of ways to engage the evocative sense of smell. If you have an essential oil diffuser, you can diffuse any of these scents which were popular in ancient Egypt: cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, thyme, lavender, peppermint, cedar, almond oil, myrrh, and frankincense. Floral scents from flowers such as jasmine, blue lotus, lily, and rose were also valued. Or burn clean-burning candles (i.e. beeswax, coconut, soy, etc.) scented with those flowers or herbs.

Close-up photo of a gold-colored metal figurine of the goddess Isis, wings spread, a regal decoration for an ancient Egyptian themed party — Color Crescent

Here are a few scented candles you can light for an ancient Egyptian-inspired aroma:

5. Plan Ancient Egyptian Themed Party Games or Activities

Stone statues of Ramses in Abu Simbel temple. Replications of such statues are fitting decorations to display at an ancient Egyptian themed party — Alberto Capparelli

Whether you challenge guests to a pyramid strategy boardgame or test everyone’s knowledge of ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses, check out these fun ancient Egyptian-themed games and activities:

6. Establish Guest Participation

The Sphinx of Amenhotep III. A sphinx replication is the perfect mascot to welcome guests at an ancient Egyptian themed party — Antonio Filigno

How you invite guests to participate in your party is up to you, but always communicate it when you initially invite them. One option is to have everyone bring an Egyptian-themed dish or drink to share. Another (and especially fun) way to get your guests to participate in an ancient Egyptian themed party is for everyone to dress up! Whether you don something like an ancient Egyptian-decorated jacket, an Eye of Horus tee-shirt, or a regal Egyptian headdress, there are a lot of fantastic ways to participate in style. Maybe you and your guests apply Egyptian-themed temporary tattoos. Or dress up as a historical character such as in a Cleopatra costume.

Of course, always choose your guests mindfully and with their interests in mind. Prioritize friends who you know would most enjoy an ancient Egyptian party. But don’t shy away from others who may not know much about ancient Egypt. You never know, you may make a budding Egyptologist out of them!

Checklist of Items You Need

A woman stands in front of a lit exhibit wall carved with hieroglyphs — Rachel Claire

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

Ancient Egyptian decorations
Egyptian food and beverages
Ancient Egyptian-inspired music
Ancient Egyptian-scented candles
Ancient Egyptian-themed games
Ancient Egyptian outfit/costume attire

Preparation Checklist for Your Ancient Egyptian Party

The Great Sphinx of Giza against a clear blue day sky with a few people and camels seen at its base — Rene Asmussen

Most of these steps for party preparation apply to any type of party you host. So while we covered ancient Egyptian-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 (ancient Egypt-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 Egyptian party!

Silhouette of a colorfully-adorned camel standing near the Great Pyramids of Giza — Thais Cordeiro

2. Then, proceed with the fun planning

Once you have your Egyptian 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. 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)

The Great Pyramids of Giza against a clear blue sky, with several camels walking in a row below — David McEachan

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/scents)
Get dressed with plenty of time in your favourite Egyptian party outfit
Once everything’s ready, take the time to do any preferred self-care activities that get you in a good headspace if you aren’t already. You want to be a relaxed, energized, and happy host!

The Great Sphinx of Giza against a brightly lit blue starry sky — Pixabay

All Set to Host an Electric Egyptian Themed Party

This is the most important thing to remember when planning your ancient Egyptian themed party (or any party for that matter): have fun! Every part of the party planning process is meant to be enjoyable – from planning the menu to putting up decorations. At the end of the day, the goal is 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 Egyptian party will be a notable event that everyone will remember!

How to Host an Ancient Egyptian Themed Party for Adults