33 Themed Dinner Party Ideas Your Guests Will Absolutely Love
Dinner parties are super popular right now, and they’re a great opportunity to invite your friends and family over, gather around a table, enjoy some good food, and soak in quality time together. If you’re ready to tap into your hostess era and are looking for themed dinner party ideas, I’ve got you covered. Below, I’ve compiled 33 dinner party themes that will wow your guests and leave them wanting more.
Themed Dinner Party Ideas
1. Movie Themed Dinner Party
Theme your dinner party around a movie. This works especially well if the movie you’re watching has memorable food scenes, but you can also take inspiration from the overall themes, visuals, or setting in the film and create a menu that pairs with it.
You can even turn your dinner party into a dinner and a movie event. Where everyone eats together and then watches the movie afterward. Or you can keep it super casual and eat in the living room while watching the movie at the same time.
For example, a good friend of mine once hosted a Lady and the Tramp dinner and movie night, where she served spaghetti and meatballs, blue raspberry lemonade in a fishbowl style cup, and breadsticks shaped like dog bones to match some of the scenes from the movie. It ended up being such a fun dinner night and made the movie feel way more interactive and engaging.
2. Breakfast for Dinner
Breakfast for dinner is an iconic dinner theme, and breakfast foods are often cheaper and easier to make than typical dinner dishes. That makes this a great option if you’re looking for a budget friendly dinner party idea or something that’s guaranteed to be a hit, because honestly, who doesn’t love breakfast? After all, they do say it’s the most important meal of the day.
So whip up some of your favorite breakfast dishes like scrambled eggs, or make an egg based dish like quiche. You could even get a little fancy with eggs Benedict. Add in waffles or pancakes, bacon, and breakfast potatoes, and you’ve got an incredible menu lineup.
3. Anything But Dinner
Speaking of dinner alternatives, another fun idea is an anything but dinner party where you serve anything except traditional dinner foods. Instead of a typical meal, you can get creative by setting up your menu with different snacks, appetizers, desserts, or even candy.
4. Couch Potato Party
With a couch potato party theme, set this up as a cozy dinner party where you invite your guests to come in loungewear. Then theme your dinner menu around potatoes by serving different potato based dishes.
For example, you could set up a mashed potato bar with mashed potatoes and different toppings people can add to their bowls. You could also serve shepherd’s pie, tater tots, or different types of fries.
After dinner, everyone can sit on the couch together and cozy up while watching a show or movie to really lean into the whole “couch potato” theme.
CHECK OUT: How To Host A Couch Potato Party
5. Soup and Salad Dinner Party
For a soup and salad dinner party, serve soup alongside a salad. You can keep it simple with one soup and a side salad, or prepare a couple different soups so guests can taste a variety or choose the one they want to eat.
In addition to the soup and salad, you can also pair it with some garlic bread. That way you end up with a hearty and satisfying meal, that Olive Garden would probably be jealous of. (Hahaha)
6. Childhood Favorites
With a childhood favorites dinner, serve nostalgic foods that you loved as a kid or iconic dishes that many people grew up loving. This could be things like grilled cheese, mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, pizza, or PB&J sandwiches.
And speaking of dishes people loved growing up, you could even turn this theme into a potluck. Invite your guests to bring their favorite childhood dish so everyone gets to share a little taste of their favorite nostalgic foods.
7. Farm to Table
For a farm to table dinner, visit a local farmers market and create your menu based on the seasonal fruits and vegetables you find there. This is a great way to build your meal around fresh ingredients and highlight what’s currently in season.
8. Dinner Based on Food Holidays
I love unofficial food holidays because many restaurants offer promotions and deals tied to them. More than that, you can use a food holiday as a theme for your dinner party, for example:
Pi Day: March 14 is Pi Day, representing the mathematical symbol π. For this dinner theme, you could make a chicken pot pie for the main course and serve a dessert pie like apple pie.
Cereal Day: Set up a cereal bar with different types of cereal and a variety of milk options, including lactose free and dairy free choices.
National Cheese Day: For National Cheese Day, there are so many recipes you can serve that incorporate cheese. Such as mac and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, or even a cheese and cracker charcuterie board.
Burger Day: For Burger Day, make burgers and set out different toppings so everyone can build their own custom burger. You could include toppings like bacon, caramelized onions, jalapeños, sautéed mushrooms, or different sauces.
9. Takeout Themed Dinner Party
For a takeout themed dinner party, order takeout from a restaurant and serve it to your guests. A friend of mine actually did this theme once and she ordered Chinese takeout with fried rice, orange chicken, and egg rolls.
You could do something similar with Chinese takeout, or simply order from your favorite restaurant. Then everyone can gather around the table and enjoy the meal together.
10. Girl Dinner
The concept of a girl dinner has been around for a long time, but it really started trending online a year or two ago. Honestly, it’s kind of like a fun support group where girls come together and share their favorite meals. These are usually late night dinners when you don’t feel like cooking a full meal, so you end up with a “snack” type of dinner.
You can invite your friends to bring their favorite “girl dinner” foods and set this up as a potluck style party. This way, everyone gets to see and try each other’s, favorite “girl dinner”.
Dinner Party Theme Ideas
11. Decades Theme Dinner Party
Pick a decade and create a menu filled with popular dishes that were iconic during that time. For example, if I were hosting a 2010s themed dinner party, I would include things like avocado toast as a mini appetizer. For dessert, I might do cake pops or a frozen yogurt bar with different toppings so everyone can make their own FroYo, since those were really popular during the 2010s. And of course, you can’t forget all the colorful rainbow foods that were also trending during that decade.
You can also choose other decades like a 50s diner theme, 80s, 90s, or 2000s. To figure out what foods to include, just do a little research on popular dishes from that decade and let that guide your party menu.
Lastly, if you want to take this dinner party up a notch, invite your guests to dress up in outfits inspired by the decade. During dinner, you can also play music from that era, to bring the entire ambiance together.
12. Monochromatic Color
With a monochromatic dinner party, choose one color and base your entire menu around that color. For example, if you pick red, you could serve dishes like bruschetta, spaghetti, or even stuffed bell peppers using red peppers.
13. Appetizers Only Themed Dinner Party
For an appetizers only party, the menu should include just appetizers. That means no full meals, but rather, a variety of different appetizers that people can nibble on throughout the night.
Guests can build their own little sampler plates, try different bites, and eventually get full from all the options. You could serve things like chips and dips, spring rolls, pigs in a blanket, flatbread pizza, and any other appetizers that you’d like.
14. Around the World Dinner Party
Create a menu inspired by different countries and global cuisines with an “Around the World” dinner party. My friends and I actually did this theme for our Friendsgiving this past year, and it was so much fun and culturally enriching.
You can set this party up as a potluck, where you invite everyone to bring a dish from a country of their choosing. Or you can provide all of the food yourself and simply invite everyone over to come eat.
I wrote an entire article about our experience hosting this party theme and shared some fun ways that you can easily recreate it too. So check out the link below if you want to learn more!
CHECK OUT: How To Plan An Around The World Party Theme
15. Dinner Party Based on the Day of the Week
If you’re hosting your dinner party during the week, a fun idea is to theme your menu around the day of the week. For example, you could do Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, or even something like Wings Wednesday.
16. Bring a Charcuterie Board Potluck
Invite your friends over for a potluck style dinner party where everyone brings their own charcuterie board. When you think of a charcuterie board, you might think of just cheese and crackers, but there are so many creative directions you can take with it.
You could make a dessert board, a taco board, or even a burger charcuterie board. The only rule with this type of party is that the food should be assembled and served on a board.
CHECK OUT: Bring A Board Party Ideas That You And Your Guests Will Love
17. Dinner Party Based on a Letter
Choose a letter and let that letter guide the food for your dinner party. For example, if you choose the letter L, you could serve dishes like lemon herb chicken, linguini pasta, or lentil soup.
If you need menu inspiration, just do a quick Google search for something like “dishes that start with the letter A” or whatever letter you choose.
18. TV Dinner Themed Dinner Party
For this dinner party theme, choose a classic TV dinner that you want to recreate and make a homemade version of it. For example, you could do something like Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes and green peas, or meatloaf with corn and mashed potatoes.
And of course, since the food is homemade, it will taste so much better than the frozen version. To tie the theme together, watch a TV show after dinner to really bring in the “TV dinner” idea.
19. Dinner Party Based on a Fruit or Veggie
Choose a fruit, vegetable, or ingredient and build your entire dinner menu around it. That means your appetizer, main course, drinks, and dessert should all include that ingredient in some type of way.
For example, if you choose strawberries, you could serve something like salmon with strawberry salsa, a strawberry and spinach salad, strawberry lemonade, and for dessert, strawberry sorbet. Overall, pick any fruit or veggie that you’d like. Such as oranges, lemons, olives, tomatoes, or anything else that inspires your menu.
20. Seasonal Dinner Party
Take advantage of the seasonal flavors and produce that are in season and base your dinner party around them. For example, if you’re hosting a dinner party in the fall, you can lean into flavors like pumpkin spice, nutmeg, and cinnamon and incorporate those warm flavors into your menu.
For a summer dinner party, you could take advantage of fresh berries like cherries, strawberries, and blueberries, or seasonal vegetables like corn.
Dinner Party Themes
21. Food Bar Dinner Party
Create a food bar station where everyone can customize their own meal. For example, you could set up a pasta bar with a variety of noodles and sauces like bolognese, alfredo, pesto, and mushroom sauce. Then add toppings like grated Parmesan cheese, bacon bits, sausage, or chicken so people can build their own pasta bowls.
In addition to a pasta bar, there are so many other food bar ideas you can try as well, such as:
• Taco bar
• Salad bar
• Burrito bowl bar
• Nacho bar
• Loaded potato bar
22. Italian Themed Dinner Party
For an Italian themed dinner party, take inspo from classic Italian dishes and serve them on your menu. Aside from Caribbean cuisine, I loveee Italian food because it’s super filling, comforting, and also pretty easy to recreate at home.
For appetizers, there are so many options you can do like bruschetta, a charcuterie board, or Italian bread served with olive oil. For the main dish, you could make a pasta dish or a chicken based entrée like chicken marsala or chicken piccata. Overall, this dinner party is definitely going to leave everyone feeling full and satisfied.
CHECK OUT: 20+ Italian Dinner Party Ideas (Easy, Fun, & Delicious Ideas)
23. Greek Dinner Party
Similar to an Italian themed party, for a Greek dinner party, serve a menu filled with Greek inspired dishes.
24. Mexican Themed Dinner Party
From enchiladas to Mexican rice and caldo, Mexican food is incredibly popular, and for good reason. It’s delicious, comforting, cozy, and packed with so much flavor. And trust me, there’s no shortage of recipe ideas. There are so many amazing Mexican dishes and recipes you can recreate for your Mexican dinner party menu.
25. Holiday Themed Dinner Party
From Galentine’s to Friendsgiving and even Christmas, dinner parties are a great way to celebrate the holidays and spruce up the usual party experience. You can decorate your table with themed colors based on the holiday and add cute table centerpieces to match the theme.
For example, for a Galentine’s party you could incorporate pink and red colors into your table setting along with heart shaped decorations and flowers to create a festive atmosphere.
26. Backyard Dinner Party
Turn your backyard into the hosting area with a backyard dinner party. If you already have an outdoor table, set up outside, that’s even better. And this is a great way to switch up the scenery and enjoy a different place to eat.
I’d recommend hosting this in the early evening so you can take advantage of the sunlight while it’s still out. That way it’s not too dark and everyone can comfortably see while they’re eating, plus you get to enjoy some fresh air.
27. Tea Dinner Party
While tea parties are usually morning or afternoon events, if you’re looking for a unique way to spruce up a dinner party, consider hosting a tea party style dinner. I don’t know about you, but I love a good cup of tea before bed. It’s calming and a great way to unwind after a long day.
Within your menu, serve a variety of tea sandwiches and desserts along with the tea. So that everyone can leave this dinner party feeling full and satisfied.
28. (Your Favorite Chef) Night
From Ina Garten to Martha Stewart or Rachael Ray, host a dinner party inspired by your favorite chef. Recreate some of their most popular recipes and bring a little of their signature style to your table.
29. Pickled Dinner Party
A pickled dinner party is all about pickled and fermented foods. Get creative with this theme by looking up pickling recipes you can recreate and incorporating them into your menu.
30. Barbecue Dinner Party
If you have a grill, take advantage of it by firing it up and grilling some meat and veggies for a classic barbecue. If you don’t have a grill, no worries! You can bring those same flavors inside and cook your dishes in the oven. For example, you could make baked barbecue chicken, burgers, roasted corn and veggies, and of course, classic sides like potato salad to complement everything.
31. Evening Café
While a café usually has a morning vibe, it makes for a creative and cozy dinner party theme. Bring all the aesthetics and charm of a café into your evening by playing café music in the background. Setting up a coffee station where guests can make their own hot or iced coffee. And serving café inspired pastries and foods like bagels, danishes, croissants, and sandwiches.
32. Seafood Dinner Party
If you and your guests don’t have any shellfish or seafood allergies and your budget allows, a seafood dinner party is a fun theme to host. In the summertime, seafood boils are especially popular, so you could do a seafood boil. Or create a menu with a seafood appetizer and entrée.
One idea I’m excited to try is an “all you can eat” shrimp menu, with a few different shrimp based dishes where shrimp is the star of the night.
33. Pizza Dinner Party
Last but not least, when it comes to themed dinner party ideas, a pizza party is always a hit. Order a few pizzas with different toppings and keep it casual. Or, if you want, you can make the pizzas yourself from scratch.
