Construction parties sound like they’re just for kids, but they can be a great theme for adults too. Say you want to throw a much-delayed housewarming party, but your new house is perpetually under construction. No problem. Throwing a party with a construction party theme is a funny way of acknowledging that. Or maybe your partner is a big fan of construction machines and construction sites. Either way, having a construction themed party is an unusual and unique party experience that can be enjoyable, even for adults.

Constructive Invitations

Deciding on a design for a construction theme party is fun, because there are so many things to draw inspiration from, like the numerous construction warnings and signs that you can play around with. Your cards can integrate the design of construction warning signs and say something like, “Warning: Party Ahead,” or “Wear Hard Hats for a Construction Party”. You can also use the yellow and black stripes that are commonly used to cordon off construction sites as a design as well.

For a three-dimensional invitation, you can purchase cardboard building blocks. Write down the details of the party on the different sides of the block. Cardboard blocks also come pretty cheap, and they’re a very different kind of invitation.

You can ask your guests to come in their “construction site” outfits like overalls, work boots and hard hats. They can also bring toy construction items and materials, construction warning signs and anything else they think will improve their bona fide construction worker look.

Warning: Amazing Decorations Ahead

Buy rolls of caution tape from the nearest hardware store and use it to “cordon off” the party area of your house. You can also use it on your fence, the entrance, the gate, the doorway and other prominent areas of your home. Put up warning signs of “Caution: Party Undergoing” and signs indicating where the “Dance Area”,“Buffet Area”, and “Party Area” are. Different kinds of construction area signs, even those without text,are also good design items. Make sure that you also have a personalized construction banner welcoming all the guests.

Yellow and black stripes are both the color and pattern of the day. Let them reflect in your utensils, tableware, balloons and streamers. Tablecloths can be blue butcher paper designed with white ink pen to look like blueprints. You can also clear out your garage for a day by bringing out all the tools, ladders and items and using them as designs for your party.

If your children have construction toys, you can also use those for centerpiece items, tying a balloon to them to complete the effect. You can make mock blueprints out of blue paper and white chalk and tape them up on your walls. Giant cutouts of construction tools up on your walls are also a very fun decoration choice.

Outside, you can set up orange cones in different areas. If you can afford it, you can also rent out those flashing lights that are often used in real construction sites. If you have a garage, use chalk to make a big blueprint drawing on it. Don’t forget to hang up your signs, balloons and streamers outdoors, too.

For photo opportunities, you can make a construction site backdrop where your friends can take pictures at, while wearing their costumes. Another idea is to get a life-sized cardboard cutout of a bulky construction worker with a hollowed face so your friends can put their faces in, instead. Make it as campy and as silly as you can for some really memorable photographs and souvenirs!

Building Up the Fun: Construction Party Games and Activities

Whether you admit it or not, the whole process of building and constructing houses, bridges and skyscrapers is fascinating. You can have a lot of fun playing some construction-themed party games with your friends. Here are some suggestions:

Cardbord building blocks for fun game


• Dig for Gold. Find the biggest cardboard box you can and fill it up with sand. For each layer, bury coins, small items, and even gift checks inside. Have your guests dig up for prizes in a limited amount of time.
• Tallest Building. Before the party, buy cardboard building blocks in bulk. Divide your guests into two to four teams, and have them try to make the tallest building or the silliest building out of the blocks. Have a panel of guests act as judges for the silliest buildings. Teams whose buildings fall in the bid for the tallest, are automatically disqualified.
• Construction Obstacle Course. Using tires, cones and chairs, create an obstacle course where your guests will have to unload as many cardboard blocks as they can from one end of the area to another using a wheelbarrow. An alternative is to go by pairs and instead of carboard blocks, one of them will be riding the wheelbarrow in one direction and switch on the way back.

Different items for food towers game


• Food Towers. Have a sandwich or salad tower game, with your guests using the different ingredients for both food items to make their dishes as tall as possible. Watch as peanut butter, fruits, mayonnaise and all kinds of condiments act as “cement” and “foundation” in this delicious game!
• Jenga or Uno Stacko. These two classic block games have never been appropriate for a party. They’re easy to find, and are always a favorite among people of all ages.
• Blindfolded Blueprints. Tape a large piece of blue butcher paper on the wall. Participants of the game must be blindfolded, approach the paper and draw a house in a limited amount of time.

Tour your guests around the house and talk about plans on renovating or making new houses. Who knows, maybe you’ll discover a lot of new things about this very interesting topic with the help of your friends.

Yield: Food Incoming

A construction party sounds like it will require a lot of particular food, but not if you have a lot of imagination and resources. You can incorporate construction toys and use them for serving food. For example, brownies can be served by a brand new (and clean) toy dump truck. You can also use a plastic hand shovel to serve ice cream, that comes in small buckets. Metal lunch boxes can also be used as serving plates for salad, punch and pasta. (Why don’t you try combining pizza and pasta, read how to make pasta pizza)

You can also serve food to your guests in brown bags: put in a sandwich, an apple and some cookies and distribute. Of course, they can also have a lot more if they want to, but the packed lunch can be a good start. You can also fire up a grill and serve up barbecue favorites: hamburgers, roasted hotdogs, grilled ribs and vegetables (Or you could learn how to make a construction theme birthday cake). Have fun with your party!

Check out this video for cardboard building fun game for the party.