21st Birthday Themes & Ideas

A 21^st birthday is a big event for family, friends, and of course the special birthday boy or birthday girl themselves! Planning a 21^st birthday presents lots of options, but the biggest decision one has to make is whether or not to have a theme, and if so what it should be.

Having a theme makes an event more memorable for everyone involved, but need not be complex if you don't want it to be. Consider a theme for your upcoming birthday, and remember to give your guests some warning so that they can devise a costume too. Here are some theme ideas that might just tickle your fancy.

Formal: While not a particularly creative theme, a formal dress code does give everyone the opportunity to dress up and look their smartest. A formal 21^st will encourage formal proceeding, such as the infamous 21^st speeches.

Masquerade: Having everyone dressed up with masks can be as formal or informal as you desire. You may encourage guests to wear high quality masks, or distribute bulk bought cardboard masks of animal faces. You can also combine a masquerade theme with other themes.

Toga: Togas are very informal, and everyone has the ability to come up with a costume! Be warned though, alcohol and togas cal lead to some embarrassing situations.

Rubik's Cube: The concept of a Rubik's cube party is that everyone arrives wearing different colored pants, tops and hats. By the end of the night, everyone should be trying to wear an outfit of the same color, by swapping with other people. You can award prizes for people who actually manage to be wearing only one color by the end of the night! Be warned, guests could become mischievous!

Diamonds & Denim: A classy and casual theme, the idea is for each guest to be casual whilst at the same time having the opportunity to get out their favorite jewelry, or just something that sparkles. It's an elegant, easy theme.

40's, 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's etc: Pick your favorite era and make that your theme! It's usually not too hard to find clothes for (especially for retro shoppers), and you might find the parents still fit into the clothes they wore when they were 21.

Childhood Dreams: This theme requires everyone to think back to their childhood and dress up as what they wanted to be when they'd 'grow up'. Expect to see lots of firefighters, policemen and doctors.

If you have a favorite television show, band, color or a favorite anything you can make that into a theme for your 21^st (or any other) birthday. It's your birthday, so it's your decision!