4 Great Labor Day Party Themes

Labor Day is almost a depressing holiday, since it indicates that summer's nearly over, but that's exactly what makes Labor Day weekend so fantastic for theme parties. Here's a look at a few labor day party themes that will leave your guests raving about your party hosting abilities.

1. Dress for Work - Just because everyone gets the day off doesn't mean that they can't dress as if they didn't--in fact, why not tell party goers to arrive dressed in a uniform or costume of a job they wish they had, rather than their normal day-to-day attire. Letting your guests join in the theme is a great way to get them involved and excited about your party, and you can decorate with office supplies (just don't swipe them from the office), funny memos, and the like.

2. Heatwave Party - Rather than abhorring the end of summer, celebrate it with a Heatwave themed labor day party. This works especially well if you live in a warmer area; decorate with lots of reds and yellows, sun colors, and serve homemade ice cream and other cooler treats. Set up a kiddie pool or two and encourage guests to bring their swim suits. Have sunglasses available for your guests and use Labor Day as an excuse to celebrate Summer's inevitable banishment.

3. Back to School - Decorate the walls with rulers, protractors, or just crude copies of children's drawings. Tell guests to dress as teachers or students, and if there are kids around, now's a great time to show off back-to-school clothes and supplies. If you can get some old lunch trays for food, it'll serve to enhance the theme (but try to at least make the food a little bit better).

4. Luau - This classic theme party idea gives you a lot of room for improvisation and great food. If you don't want to cook a whole suckling pig, don't worry--you can get away with ribs and burgers as long as you "Hawaii" them up with a bit of teriyaki sauce and pineapples (argue in the comments section below about how there's nothing Hawaiian about teriyaki sauce) Get a small sandbox for kids to play in as your "beach," and maybe even build a wire volcano or two. Be sure to have plenty of leis for your guests.

What kind of labor day party theme will you throw? Post thoughts, comments, and suggestions in the comments section below.