If you throw a bad party after reading this article, that one’s on you.

It’s party season. The weather’s getting warmer, we’re meeting new people and still catching up with acquaintances from last semester, and we still have a bit of time before midterms really pick up. Take advantage of this list to throw one last good party before your Saturday nights are reserved for Butler. 

Best Party Themes

  • ABC (Anything But Clothes) 
    • Naturally, you make your own outfit out of anything except for actual clothing (e.g., bedsheets, bandanas, wrapping paper, etc.). 
  • Anything But A Cup 
    • Bring your own cup to this party—but it has to be a “cup.” Try something like a seashell, trombone mute, chip bag, JJ’s ketchup bottle, or a chemical flask stolen from Havemeyer. 
  • Dress like an internet era 
    • For example, emo, Hot Topic goth, 2014 Tumblr fashion, twee, e-girls/boys, hipsters, or kitsch.
  • Literary characters
    • This one is a great conversation starter. Plus, you can simultaneously show how you’re both hot and have a great taste in books. (Not to mention the opportunity for group costumes). 
  • Dress up as somebody with ___ name 
    • This is a bit more specific than literary characters, so you have room for creativity yet don’t have to think too hard. 
    • For example, a Joe Party (e.g., Joe Biden, Average Joe, Joe from You, etc.). 
  • Zombies
    • It’s just so cool to see what people can do with makeup. Bring on all the fake blood and grime! 
  • Met Gala 
    • It doesn’t necessarily have to be the corresponding year’s theme, and you don’t have to go all out—just stick to the theme! 
    • Some good ones are Camp, Heavenly Bodies, and Manus x Machina. 
  • Any sort of decades party
    • Yes, these are overdone, but for a good reason. 
    • Highlights: 1920s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s.
  • Dress like your type/your crush’s major 
    • Or, dress like your major! 
  • Your Sugar Daddy’s Funeral
    • This one’s unique and affords a good amount of fashion creativity. 
  • Formals 
    • It’s nice to dress up every once in a while—formals don’t just have to be for Greek life! 
    • If you want to bring the formal theme up a notch, host a gala party (i.e., where you wear full suits or fancy floor-length dresses). 
  • Jarty!! 
    • Aka, all denim. 

It’s a fine line here…

  • Dodge Party (i.e., You Wear Athleisure) 
    • Athleisure can either be really hot or really ugly depending on the person and outfit so…beware. 
  • Masquerade 
    • This would only work with enough advertisement before the party happens since it takes a bit of planning to go out and actually get a masquerade mask. 
  • Taylor Swift 
    • This depends on the amount of partygoers who actually enjoy Taylor Swift—you’d have to advertise it as an independently Taylor Swift themed party, rather than one for a specific club. 
    • In addition to a wide variety of songs, there’s the potential to dress up as different eras or songs! 
  • Any color theme 
    • It looks cool when everyone is dressed in the same color (especially for pictures), but this is so boring. Surely you can do better. 
    • This also wildly depends on what color you choose to make the party themed around. Pink is good. But who owns any orange or yellow?
  • Beach party in the winter 
    • It’s freezing, so who in the right mind would throw this party? It’s miserable for everyone involved. 
    • Then again, it’s a fun excuse to pull out your favorite summer clothes that have been rotting in your closet all winter. 
  • Parties where the playlist is centered around a specific genre 
    • Good: Disco, electronic (hint hint, my dream party, Aphex Twin & Grimes…), British punk, new wave, nostalgic 2000s music. 
    • Bad: Showtunes, country, any sort of non-danceable music. 
  • Pajama party 
    • It’s comfortable and easy, but it depends on the vibe of the party. Sometimes drinking is only worth it when you’re dressed up, so a pajama party might only work when it’s a small group of people. 
  • Dress in the decade of your Rice Purity Score
    • This is a fun one! However, Rice Purity Scores can be a source of sensitivity for some people, so be cautious. 

Worst Party Themes

  • Any party where you write something on a shirt (e.g., White Lie, Red Flag) 
    • This is so boring. First of all, it’s not even much of a conversation starter. Second, nobody’s going to actually write anything on their shirt—they’ll just tape a piece of paper to it. So everything just looks sloppy. Why not have a more creative theme instead? 
  • Parties dedicated to getting blackout drunk (e.g., BORG, Edward 40 Hands, Slap Bag)
    • Come on—why do we need a whole party dedicated to pressuring people into drinking? This one’s just a hard no. 
  • Parties with such an oddly specific theme that there’s no way anybody’s going to dress up. 
    • For example, any party based on one of the core texts of LitHum or CC. Just no. Nobody knows how to dress up as Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason.
  • Any party with culturally appropriated themes 
    • I’ve seen a lot of Hawaiian parties popping up here and there. Just don’t go there. 
  • Ski-themed parties with fake snow 
    • People obviously didn’t think about this one logistically, because everyone always starts to slip and fall. 
  • Glow-in-the-dark 
    • These are just so hard to pull off in a low-budget scenario. You need black lights, but who wants to buy them if you’re only going to use them for one night? 
  • USA
    • No matter where you stand politically, this is just a rocky slope. The atmosphere is bound to be contentious and just generally off. Save your patriotism for the Fourth of July. 
  • Togas 
  • Other generally overdone themes that would require you to go to Party City, which nobody wants to do. 
    • Cowgirl/cowboy 
    • Space/Area 51 
    • Pirates 

Give us your hot takes and other unique party ideas in the comments!

Party via Bwarchives.