Twister: A Solid Adventure from the 90s
Anyone who loves the movie Twister ought to have a Twister themed party. It’s a fun way to commemorate an awesome film that filled every Midwesterner with the fear of God (and/or giddy excitement) at mention of a tornado watch/warning. Plus, yours would likely be the first (if not only) Twister themed party your friends have ever attended!
But now more than ever is THE time to host a Twister party, and here’s why: we’ll have a spinoff film called Twisters in summer 2024. It won’t carry on anything from the original Twister story, but it will provide a current take on storm chasing given today’s technology and climate change. So before you rush off to see this new adventure, first pay homage to the OG movie and get extra hyped with a Twister themed party!
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How to Throw a Twister Themed Party
1. Create the Scene with Stormy Décor
Keep your windows open for this party, especially if it’s a breezy day! Hanging anything that spins – especially kinetic spiral spinners – adds a fun and thematic touch. Hang a Twister movie poster on the wall. Create a spiral formation of small cow figurines hanging from the ceiling with fishing wire. Drape gray paper streamers from the ceiling from varying lengths to give a sort of ‘disheveled’ tornado vibe. You could even TP your own living room to make it look like a tornado came through your house. This is one party where absolute tidiness may not be necessary!
Check out these fun decorations to twist up your space:
- Twister movie poster
- Artistic Twister poster
- Final Twister scene poster
- Tornado storm confetti
- Lightning and cloud garland
- Decorative crystal twister
- Kinetic spiral crystal ball wind spinner
- Steel cut tornado shaped metal art decoration
- Hanging spiral cow streamers (‘we got cows’)
- Tornado party plastic cups with paper straws
2. Prepare Twister Themed Party Refreshments
Steak and eggs are a solid hit for a Twister menu. It’s okay if you’re vegetarian – remember, Melissa was a vegetarian too and she survived the whole meal at Aunt Meg’s without eating! In all seriousness, though, do always provide tasty and filling food for any guests with dietary restrictions such as vegan, gluten free, etc. Here are some fun recipes for Twister themed party refreshments:
- Tornado potatoes or sour cream and onion-spiced grilled tornado potatoes
- Twisted asparagus wraps
- Twirly tornado chips
- Tornado zucchini
- Tornado cake
- Tornado twist
- Tea twister
3. Amp Up the Party with a Great Playlist
The Twister soundtrack is definitely a choice audio selection for a Twister themed party. With Eddie Van Halen, Tori Amos, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more classic musicians, you’re surely set the storm-chasing mood. The Twister orchestral soundtrack is also a great choice for thematic background music. You could just as easily have the movie playing in the background for the accompanying visual, too.
4. Play Twister
Twister, naturally, is the classic game of choice for a Twister themed party. Though the game itself has nothing to do with tornadoes, it obviously fits the theme since it shares the name! You can find a new, unopened original Twister game or find plenty of used options. You can also find a Twister rug or this other Twister rug for a sturdier, more permanent game surface.
Storytelling is another fun way to engage everyone in the theme: ask each guest to share when they first saw the movie Twister and what was going on in their life (and in the world) at that time. Or ask everyone their favourite part of the movie. Or if they’ve ever seen a tornado. Everyone will want to know the tornado stories.
5. Establish Guest Participation
Guest participation involves how you’d like your guests to participate or contribute to your party. You could ask guests to bring a dish to share, potluck-style. Or you could invite everyone to BYOB. Whatever type of participation you choose, just remember to communicate it when you initially invite people.
Of course, always choose your guests mindfully and with their interests in mind. Prioritize friends who you know would most enjoy a Twister themed party. But don’t shy away from others who maybe haven’t even seen the film. You never know, you may make a fan of them yet!
Checklist of Items You Need
Now that we’ve covered what you’ll need to do for a Twister party, here’s a list of what you’ll need to acquire for it:
- Twister themed party decorations
- Twister-inspired food and beverages
- Twister soundtrack/music
- Twister game
Preparation Checklist for Your Twister Themed Party
Most of these steps for party preparation apply to any type of party you host. So while we covered Twister-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 (Twister-themed); any requested participation (i.e. potluck, etc.); party date and general time of day (i.e. ‘afternoon’); and where (your address, or other location if applicable)
- 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 Twister party!
2. Then, proceed with the fun planning
Once you have your Twister 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. 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)
3. Day of Party
It’s 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, 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 music/video
- Get dressed in your favourite storm chaser party outfit (a white tank top and khakis or jeans and a denim button-down shirt will do)
- 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. You don’t want to be a tornado of stress; you want to be a relaxed, energized, and happy host 😊
It’s Twister Time!
Every part of the party planning process is meant to be enjoyable – from planning the menu to putting up Twister themed party decorations. The way to be a good host is to put thought and care into party preparation while also keeping a flexible approach that allows grace for unexpected surprises. At the end of the day, the goal is for you and your guests to have a good time – even if that looks different than you envisioned. So weather any storms, enjoy the process, and party on!