Every day in America is a birthday. In fact, 814,000 people have their birthday today and each day. That’s a lot of friends and family wondering how to celebrate a birthday.
A western themed birthday party is a great way to celebrate a birthday but where do you start? Read on for ideas on food, invitations, games, and much more. Here’s your ultimate guide to a party for your little cowboy or cowgirl.
Western Themed Party
A western theme birthday party can draw inspiration from so many aspects of the wild west. Whether it’s a small family party or a bigger event, it can be the inspiration for decorations that will set the scene.
Bales of hay, ropes, and themed signs can quickly transform your home or yard into a frontier town. Print cowboy-themed posters and scatter them around the scene.
Have wanted posters for the birthday girl or boy’s face. Plenty of gingham material transforms tables and windows to the wild west. Signs on doors instantly create the saloon, store, and bunkhouse.
On arrival, deputize every guest into the posse by giving them a sheriff’s badge. Add a few cacti on tables, and scatter cowboy hats and bandanas. Country music adds the final touch.
Wanted Poster
The party invitations can be themed too. Wanted posters can serve as party invitations and scatter plenty of “Howdy partners” and “Yee haws” in your wording.
Ask for an RSVP but suggest they holla their reply to the saloon or the jail. Let guests know what time to arrive and when they’ll be expected to leave town!
Cowboy Duds
Don’t forget to ask guests to dress appropriately for a western party. Fancy dress for a western theme can be as simple as jeans and a checkered shirt or much more elaborate. Hired western theme party outfits are not required but are an option for an instant solution.
A bandana is a great accessory along with a cowboy hat. Fringed materials can be attached to shirts and jeans for extra effect. A holster and toy pistol complete the look.
Cowboy boots are expensive and unnecessary. They aren’t the most versatile footwear for party games either. Encourage guests to be comfortable.
Cowboy Fun and Games
A birthday party isn’t complete without games of some sort. The western theme provides lots of inspiration for all ages.
Pass the parcel can have a cowboy twist with themed prizes between each layer of paper. This way, even younger children keep their interest as each prize is revealed. Plastic snakes, sheriff badges, and candy make great little prizes.
A cowboy-themed alternative to the birthday party staple, pin the tail on the donkey, is pin the badge on the sheriff. Prepare a poster with a life-size image of the birthday child. Blindfold the guests and have them pin a sheriff badge onto the poster with the nearest one to the badge in the poster winning a prize.
Create a shooting range with water pistols and plastic bottles for targets. Make it into a competition by setting up the bottles on a wall. The more bottles knocked off the wall, the higher the score.
Sleeping cowboys is a great party game for when you want to calm down the guests. All the guests dance around to country music and when the music stops, they all have to lie down and keep perfectly still.
If any of the little cowboys or cowgirls move they are put in jail, or sit out. Repeat this until there’s just one guest left and everybody else is in jail.
If your guests are old enough, some dancing might be fun. Of course, country music has to be the soundtrack. Let your guests do their own thing or teach them a line dance routine.
For Hire
You don’t have to do everything yourself. There are some great ways to add fun to a western party by hiring in help.
If your budget can stretch to it, have caterers and entertainers do the hard work and just enjoy the fun. They can deliver a western-themed party to your door.
Alternatively, spend your money on the hard to replicate party extra that will make your party truly memorable. A mechanical bull rental need not be expensive and will give you guests an experience that they’ll be talking about for some time to come.
If you need more space for your party, you can hire a venue. A local hall may provide more flexibility with play areas, seating, and tables as well as catering facilities. An indoor play area or soft play area could be turned into a western-themed venue with a little planning and minimum effort.
Chow Time
Party food is important to kids. It can be the highlight of the party for many of your guests.
Start with a themed birthday cake. Cupcakes can be decorated with sheriff badge shaped icing on top. A full-sized cake can have a coil of chocolate-flavored icing rope on top or a scene from Toy Story.
Favorite foods can be given a cowboy-themed treatment. Even pizza can become western food with the addition of a few beans. Grilled corn on the cob, chicken legs, hotdogs, and rustic cut sandwiches are all suitable western party foods.
Sweet stuff might be harder to theme but think about how you serve the food rather than what it is. Serve candy in cowboy hats. Tie cupcakes and cookies up in bandanas and give each guest their own packed party treat.
Party Time
Have fun with a western themed party. From decorations, to dress and food, there’s plenty of creative opportunities. Most of all, the little cowboys and cowgirls will love it.
Browse our website for more great party ideas.
