My son Lucas loves cars, so for his birthday one year I decided to throw a race car-themed birthday party. After looking at a variety of entertainment sites for ideas and supplies I compiled a unique combination of décor for an absolutely complete race car soirée. Here are some fun ideas for hosting a race car party of your own and keeping it all within a reasonable budget.
1. Consider a color scheme. In order to maintain the cohesiveness of the race car theme, stick with a few simple colors for all the party details. I suggest black and white–the colors associated with the racetrack–with accent colors such as blue, yellow, and red.
2. Go digital for invitations. Rather than getting personalized invitations, it’s easier, more economical, and eco-friendly to create your own online. For example, I took a digital picture of my son with my dog and uploaded it to my computer. I had my graphic designer friend take the photo and place it inside the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang car, to make it look as though they were flying in the car. I picked a plain white envelope from the Paper Source and created yellow labels with red writing to use for mailing and return address labels.
3. Get creative with the décor. Bring the racetrack to you! Experiment with mixing black and white and checkered decorations. Check out books and catalogues for inspiration–I love Birthday Treats by Sara Perry (the “keep-on-rollin’ candy cups” make great centerpieces).
4. Keep your set-up kid- and adult-friendly. Set up a “hospitality tent” area to serve the food buffet style for ease. Group together kid-sized chairs and tables to create an area where the kids can eat and play.
5. Throw in themed activities. A few ideas that we tried were stations where kids could make their own drivers license with photo and/or pit pass. I also had toy car race tracks with Hot Wheels cars for kids to play with. Car-themed games like “Red Light Green Light”were a hit, as were the race-car pinata and temporary race-car tattoos.
6. The food is important, but the cake is where it’s at! In the spirit of the racetrack, stick with simple party foods in bite-size portions you might find at a racetrack (I love mini hot-dogs and Gogo Squeez applesauce). Be sure to add in some healthy alternatives, and remember to have something for the adults as well.
The cake is your chance to hit the theme home. Many local grocery stores can make race car-themed cakes. Another idea is to order black & white cupcakes (mini or regular size) and arrange them look like a checkered racing flag.