Radiant Red: A Fantastic Power Colour for a Party
If you love a the rich, indulgent colour of red, harness that passion and host a red theme party! Red is a very saturated, luscious colour. It embodies passion, empowerment, and fun energy. It can be both soothing and powerful, as well as moody and dramatic with a playful flair. It’s a great power colour that creates a seductively splendid party scene. Here we’ll cover plenty of ideas to bring this look to life!
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How to Throw a Red Theme Party
1. Flood Your Space in Red with Red Lighting and Décor
As with any colour-specific party, a red theme party is all about how it looks. Most other details are flexible and can be catered to your taste. But the look of your space is what makes this party what it is. You know you’ve decorated successfully when someone walks in and immediately knows they’re at a red theme party.
There are many fun ways to beautifully set a red scene. This is arguably the most fun step of party preparation (see Preparation Checklist for Your Red Theme Party below). Simply occupying yourself with the creative act of decorating in a favourite colour provides a visual pleasure pop. While decorations can be pricy depending on how elaborate you get, you’ll find inexpensive party supplies if you know where to look. Red is an advantageous theme in this regard: plastic Solo party cups are traditionally red 😊
Lighting:
One of the best ways to create an electrifying red glow is to use red lightbulbs for all your lighting. This also helps transform your space to ‘party mode.’ After all, red light isn’t quite bright enough to do anything productive like cleaning or working. Red lighting means it’s time for fun! You can also add a natural warm glow with a salt lamp. Or hang up a strand of red chili lights for a playful touch.
Red tissue paper hack:
Do you hoard tissue paper leftover from gift bags every Christmas (or am I the only one)? With some tape, use it to wrap any flat-surfaced objects in red: chair backs, tissue boxes, or the coffee table. You can also tape it over your windows. It’s sheer enough to act as a red filter for daylight and a fun way to dress the window for night in lieu of blinds.
Home décor:
You can also go red with general household items. Red throw pillows give your couch a colour pop. A red table centerpiece like this red Eiffel tower adds a fun and artistic flair. Covering your floor in a bright red rug of any size is another easy way to spread red. For entry points or passageways, gather a red door bead curtain or sheer red fabric as an asymmetrical curtain at the top of a doorway to frame the opening in red. Or let sheer fabric drape down from anywhere on the ceiling with the corners pinned up.
2. Prepare Red Food and Beverages
Time to get crafty with your menu! Whether you provide all refreshments or whether you invite your guests to bring a red dish to share, refreshments are a fun way to engage your guests in a red theme party through their sense of taste.
Luckily, red foods are typically popular and delicious! You have so many options: red apples, cherries, strawberries, cranberries, pomegranate, watermelon, beets, red cabbage, tomatoes, red peppers, and more. With an array of fresh red produce, you’ll keep your guests stocked full of antioxidants.
For drinks, red wine is an obvious beverage of choice! But you can whip up plenty of red cocktails, too, including easy staples like vodka and cranberry juice.
When it comes to baked party goods, you don’t have to use toxic red 40 dye to colour your treats red. Just buy freeze dried strawberries from the grocery store, pulverize them in a blender, and use the red powder to colour your foods.
Here are a few red foods and drinks to get your red theme party menu started:
- Beet hummus with pita chips
- Red salsa with tortilla chips
- Beet salad
- Sauteed red cabbage
- Red velvet brownies
- Hibiscus ginger tisane (iced herbal ‘tea’)
- Hibiscus shandy
Don’t forget to stock up on red paper plate and napkins as well as sturdy red paper cups (or get the classic red Solo cups) and red plastic cutlery.
3. Set the Ambience with a Perfect Red Theme Party Playlist
Background music is key for a party’s vibe. Curate a sexy playlist that adds a soundtrack of vibrancy, drama and excitement. Bands like Portishead, Ginuwine, Yasmine Hamdan, Khalid, Lucious Jackson, Tricky, Air, Erykah Badu, Fiona Apple, Maxwell, Velvet Underground, and other moody, edgy tunes will complement the rich red atmosphere. If you want to make it a dance party, prioritize catchy, high-energy music with good beats and bass. But if you want a more chillaxing atmosphere that fosters easy conversation without having to shout over drinks, play something more laid back (and keep the volume lower). Or have two playlists for either option!
4. Add Enticing Red-Inspired Scents
We covered the sights, the flavors, and the sounds of a red theme party. Now, consider the scents! To truly immerse your guests in red, engage the evocative sense of smell by burning these delicious red scented candles:
5. Establish Guest Participation
Guest participation is optional and depends on how you’d like your guests to participate or contribute to your party. One way you can invite your guests to participate in your red theme party is to wear something red (and it must be visible – undergarments don’t count!). You can also request that everyone bring a red dish or drink to share. Just be sure to include such details when you initially invite your guests.
Checklist of Items You Need
These are the things you need for your red theme party:
- Red party decorations
- Red food and beverages
- Red theme party playlist(s)
- Red scented candle(s)
- Red outfit
Preparation Checklist for Your Red Theme Party
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)
- If your preferred minimum number of guests confirm interest and availability, have them secure calendar date for your ravishing red theme party!
2. Then, proceed with the fun planning:
- Schedule time on your calendar for each step of party prep (securing and/or making food/drinks, etc.)
- 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 prepare and set up)
- Shop for any party supplies/decorations you don’t order online, as well as non-perishable food/drinks
- In your planned time slots, DIY any party supplies and decorations
- In your planned time slots, acquire perishable food/drinks early enough in advance to prepare in time
- In your planned time slots, set up decorations
- In your planned time slots, prepare food/drinks (depending on how long things keep)
3. Day of Party (in your amply planned time slot):
- Prepare any foods/drinks 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 red theme party outfit
- Once everything’s ready, meditate or do any preferred self-care to get in a good head space if you aren’t already. You want to be a relaxed, energized, and happy host – both for yourself and for your guests! When you’ve taken care to tend to necessary party prep and have tended to yourself as well, you will have a fantastic party.
