“A dream is a wish your heart makes…” is a line from a Disney song that kids grow up with. Disney stories and their characters are just as popular as they have been for generations. You can hold Disney parties for different occasions, like birthdays, Halloween, and even Fourth of July. Make your child’s dream come true and throw the best Disney party ever.

Deciding on A Theme

Before you get started, ask yourself: What theme does your child want? Remember, the Disney franchise has created numerous stories and characters for decades. Here are some suggestions to narrow down your choices.

• Disney Princess. Many little girls grew up loving the stories of Belle, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Pamper them and make them a princess for a day.
• Classic Disney Characters. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Pluto are among the most recognizable Disney characters. After all, they’ve been there from the beginning. They have madcap adventures and are occasionally naughty, but they have good hearts—just like children.
• Disney Animated Movies. You probably grew up watching Alice in Wonderland, Pinocchio, Peter Pan and other Disney classics. There are also newer movies to choose from, this time in 3D, like Cars, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story and Finding Nemo. There is a wealth of Disney animated movies to choose from, all equally exciting and fun.
• Disney Channel Shows and Characters. With the advent of the Disney Channel in the 1980s, there has been a flurry of shows and TV movies that have been much-loved over years by children and adults alike. These days, Disney Channel shows and movies like High School Musical, Lizzie McGuire, That’s So Raven, Hannah Montana, Camp Rock and Wizards of Waverly Palace are very popular among children and adolescents. The charm comes from the children relating to the everyday lives of the characters and the problems they go through, often instilling moral lessons to every story.
• Disneyland Theme. Why not put a mishmash on everything? Throw a Disneyland-themed party where everyone and anyone Disney is welcome!
• Disney Villains. Who said only the good guys went to parties? This is a fun theme for adults who always wondered what it’s like to be on the dark side.

Work Some Magic At Your Venue

When you say Disney, there are two iconic images that come to mind: Mickey Mouse and the Cinderella castle in Disneyland. Your guests will immediately know what kind of party they’re invited to when you design your invitations around these two themes. You can even make the Mickey Mouse ears yourself by cutting out black cardboard paper in the shape of those familiar mouse ears. Write in silver ink so that your guests will be able to read the invitation clearly. Don’t forget to remind them to come as their favorite Disney characters.

When decorating for your Disney party, think Disneyland. Imagine the different places and rides that you’ll find in this famous theme park. You can buy a cutout of the Disney castle as a backdrop to your party space, or make your front doors look like the entrance to the theme park.

Make your party venue like a tiny Disneyland. Put up a futuristic corner with static balls, lava lamps, microscopes and spaceship balloons to represent “Tomorrowland”. Set up tables, napkins, utensils, plates, balloons and streamers in metallic colors of silver and gold.

If you want the kids to try their hand coasting the open seas, try a Pirates of the Caribbean-inspired look. Get a real talking parrot, pirate costumes, a hooked hand, eye patches and play pirate songs and games. Have your other decorations in red, white and black. Striped patterns are also very effective for pirate themes.

A “Fantasyland” setup will capture the imagination of little girls. For this space, make it bright and sunny. Place lots of flowers and a fancy little tea set for them to serve tea and biscuits for each other. Use garden colors like pink, mint green, purple.

It would also be great for kids to be able to dress up as their favorite Disney characters, so set up a dresser with different Disney character costumes. Have a camera ready to take pictures as souvenirs of their Disney party experience.

Partying Disney-Style: Games and Activities

• Act Out Famous Disney Scenes. Your guests can act out their favorite scenes with their costumes and with others as well. For example, a girl and a boy dressed up as Sleeping Beauty and Prince Charming can both re-enact the scene where they first meet, singing “Once Upon a Dream”.
• Karaoke. Have your guests belt out (or lipsynch) their favorite Disney tunes. Songs like “Poor Unfortunate Souls” (from the Little Mermaid), “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” (from Cinderella) recently had a revival from Disney Channel stars, so your kids are sure to be familiar with them.
• Find Cinderella’s Shoe. Pair guests into two and tie a blindfold on one of each pair. Take one shoe off the non-blindfolded partner and put it in the center. The blindfolded partner must make his way to take a shoe out of a pile and fit it on his partner.
• Face Painting. You can buy face paint or hire a professional to paint the kids’ faces. They may have come in as a princess, but that doesn’t mean they can’t come out of the party looking like Mufasa or Eeyore! (Learn how to make a face paint)
• Disney Guess Who? Have an “It” stand in the middle of a circle with the name of a Disney character on his or her head stuck to a hat. The “It” will have to ask questions to correctly guess the name, with the other participants answering yes or no.
• Pin the Tail on Eeyore. A Disney twist to the classic party game.
• Treasure Hunting. Both Jack Sparrow and Jim Hawkins know there’s nothing better than a treasure hunt. Arrange your guests into groups of four and give them maps and clues to find the hidden treasure! You can also arrange a scavenger hunt to go along with the treasure hunt.

Yummy Treats for The Guests

Can’t think of creative food ideas for your hungry guests? Read on for some Disney-inspired food that they will surely love.

• Snow White’s “Poison” Apples. Caramel apples have never been so wicked. Add dark food coloring to your caramel and dip those apples for a darkened, “poisoned” look. You can also have a chocolate fondue with red fruit such as apples, raspberries and strawberries so the kids can dip the fruit in “poison” themselves.
• 101 Dalmatians Treats. Serve cookies and cream on top of dark chocolate brownies and voila! 101 Dalmatians-inspired dessert.
• Pooh’s Pancakes and Waffles. Arrange little “Hunny” pots filled with maple syrup for your kids to spread on delicious pancakes and waffles. Or for a real honey experience, you can serve honey cake. (Learn how to make maple syrup)
• Lady and the Tramp’s Spaghetti. Who can forget that romantic moment between the Lady, the Tramp, and the spaghetti?

Get it Straight from the Cookbook. There are cookbooks out there that have recipes inspired by Disney characters, like:

• Mushu’s egg rolls
• Baloo’s jungle ambrosia of fresh fruits
• Cinderella’s herb and egg white soup
• Walrus and the Carpenter’s oyster salad
• Kuzcko’s spinach salad
• Widow Tweed’s cheddar soup
• The Cheshire Cat’s marinated fish
• Treasure Island’s Astral Soup

You can also have cookies and cupcakes designed to look like your favorite Disney characters.

Disney Party Favors

Before your guests go, give them a little something to remember the great time they had. Here are some fun party favors suggestions:

• Toy cars (Cars)
• Tiaras (Disney princesses)
• Mickey Mouse headbands
• Pirate eyepatch (Pirates of the Caribbean)
• Fairy wands (Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty)
• Seedlings or garden seeds (Wall-E)
• Plastic microphones (Hannah Montana)
• Time capsules shaped like treasure chests (Pirates of the Caribbean)

Make your dreams come true and take a trip down the Disney memory lane. Your party will surely make your home the happiest place in the world!