Fourth of July Theme Party

Uncle Sam has become a symbol for America and all her freedoms. Why not have a July 4th celebration that features Uncle Sam (and Lady Liberty too!) as your guest of honor? With Uncle Sam inviting your guests and then welcoming them at the door how can your Independence Day party be less than spectacular? So here are some patriotic party planning ideas that are perfect for a fun and different 4th of July celebration.

Fourth of July Party Invitations
There are many ways to have festive patriotic invitations.There are many easy and fun custom 4th of July party invitations available, but here are a few that are really popular -
  • Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty Custom Photo Invitation - The best of the best this year (IMO) you customize this invite with your own photos. Even better, there is an option to have our in house artist draw your image from your photos and add that to the invitation. You guests will be amazed (this invitation is just that good!)
  • Uncle Sam Ticket Invitation.- Another new design this year, this ticket invite features Uncles Sam serving up some BBQ. If that doesn't get your guests to RVSP nothing will!
  • Patriotic Rocket Wiggler Invitation - New this year is this 4th of July wiggler invitation where the rocket actually wiggles! Very fun!
  • Authentic Ticket Invitations - Whether you go with red or blue, these realistic looking ticket invitation will be perfect for your 4th of July party!
If you would like to purchase invitations at your local party store that will work also but make sure you get a patriotic party invitation with a whole lot of red, white and blue in it.  You can dress up any invite with a little star confetti sprinkled in the envelope.

My favorite way to do patriotic invitations is to create them myself. The only rule is that there really are no rules. Find red, white, and blue everything! Search your house for scraps of colored construction paper, blue hair ribbon, white sequins from an old dress or costume, bandanas, and of course that red pom pom from an old sweater. Make each guest a different (one-of-a-kind collage) invitation. If you have children that can handle glue and scissors, that's even better! Let the kids put their own twist on the invitations, and make it a family affair.
 
Use fun wording to get everyone excited for a great party. Here are a few fun ways to start off your invite -
  • Join Dave and Jane for a "Star-Spangled" Celebration!
  • We hope you'll come to eat and play, as we celebrate Sam's Birthday!
  • We're have a party on the 4th of July, with BBQ and fireworks to light up the sky!
  • The flag is flown, the sparks will fly! Join us for a party this 4th of July!
  • We hold this truth to be self-evident... that a party is more fun with y'all there! Please join us for a 4th of July party!
Or try a small plant with red, white, and blue pinwheels or American flags stuck in it and tie your invitation around it with festive ribbon.

4th of July Decorations and Party Supplies
The welcoming area at a 4th of July party is often very important. Your party is probably going to be outside in the back. You can’t be at the door to greet everyone. So what are some options? Try setting out a personalized Uncle Sam life-sized cutout. Add a speech bubble to welcome and direct your guests.

Or have a big personalized patriotic banner hanging to greet everyone. Want festive? Thinks about adding some red, white, and blue latex balloon bouquets to the sides. It’s a great way to add some color and help people identify where the best 4th of July party in the neighborhood is being held!

You should be able to decorate most of the backyard with a patriotic decor kit, it has bows, banners, garland and bunting! You can add some light and bug protection with bamboo tiki torches filled with citronella oil. We also love these patriotic swirl danglers, you can string them behind the buffet or across any empty area begging for some color!

Get the kids involved: Kids can be decoration making machines if you give them the right tools and let them be creative. Paper ring chains made of red, white and blue construction paper are fun to make and can hang everywhere. Have them cut out stars and decorate them with crayons and glitter. Another fun idea is to give them a piece of poster board and let them draw a few small pictures about what freedom means to them. At the party your guests can drawn their own pictures adding to the patriotic sign in board!

4th of July Table Decorations and Menu
Start by alternating red and blue tablecovers on the tables where your guests will sit and eat.  A red star centerpiece will bring some fun to the tables, or just set out some simple white votives and sprinkle patriotic confetti across the table for a simple table decoration.

Set some overturned Patriotic Uncle Sam sequin hats (with a bowl) on the table full of chip, pretzels and other snack items. Plastic serving trays can hold finger food.

Use a white table cloth on the buffet paired with this nifty patriotic table skirt. Outfit the buffet with Stars and Strips paper goods and patriotic snack servers. Wrap silverware in Stars and Stripes napkins and use plastic beads as a napkin ring. The beads make an unexpected but appreciated party favor! Let everyone grab canned drinks from a patriotic inflatable cooler at the end of the buffet.

What are you going to serve on this fantastic looking buffet? Well, an all American feast of course! Here are some perfect, All American 4th of July menu ideas -
  • Hamburgers and hot dogs off the grill
  • For something extra serve grilled kabobs and salmon
  • Pulled pork in the crockpot (instead of water cook it in root beer!)
  • Beer can chicken
 Choose sides that will not spoil in the heat
  • Fruit salad (individual cups with a skewer for a utensil will keep the bugs off)
  • Baked beans
  • Corn on the cob (we put out a small crock pot of melted butter for people to dip their corn in)
  • Baked mac and cheese
Dessert is essential.. these are my favorites for summer -
  • Apple, cherry and blueberry pies
  • Ice cream sundae bar with lots of toppings (keep the ice cream from melting by keeping it in a cooler)
  • Ice cream cups and popsicles for the kids
  • Brownies
  • Cupcakes
For the bar you can add a few fun touches to take your celebration over the top! Personalized bottle labels will dress up bottled water and beer. A patriotic drink holder for the drinks are a nice touch too.

Serve a great signature frozen drink in a red glow margarita cup, we think this one will look fantastic in a red glowing cup -

"Uncle Sam Wants You" Blue Margarita
  • 1 1/2 oz Tequila
  • 1 oz Blue Curacao
  • Coarse Salt
  • 1 oz Lime Juice
Rub rim of margarita glass with lime juice. Dip the rim in coarse salt. Shake tequila, blue curacao, and lime juice with ice, strain into the salt-rimmed glass, and serve!

4th of July games and Activities
Kids get a kick out of glowing light sticks. Hand them out and they'll amuse themselves. Kids also love LED patriotic wands. Set up a few activities to keep the kids busy -

"Pin the Hat on Uncle Sam" - Give each child a small paper top hat to decorate as Uncle Sam's hat. Then blindfold each child, and have him try to stick the hat on Uncle Sam. The child who comes closest to putting the hat in the right place wins a prize. Prizes may also be awarded for the "most creative," "most colorful," etc. hats.

Have all of the kids make top hats that will fit them, and have a decorating contest (awarding a different prize to all kids- "most colorful", "most elaborate", most creative", etc.). Then have a parade around the neighborhood (wearing the new hats) to a famous march. Don't forget the universal bike parade where kids use crepe paper and the like to decorate their bikes to show off in the neighborhood.

Check out Patriotic Party Games for more ideas!

4th of July Party Favors
You absolutely would want to give a fun party favor to all of your guests. A sweet treat to say thanks for coming is perfect -
  • 4th of July Candy Bar -  You not only get to personalize the front of the bar but you select your own “ingredients” too
  • Mini Apple Pies - Individual hand pies are a fun treat, add a tag that says "Thanks for coming Sweetie Pie!"
  • Custom Patriotic Lollipops - A great swirl lollipop with 2 labels you personalize with your wording
  • Tiny Baskets or Bags of Berries - Whether blueberries, strawberries or cherry your guests will love them
For the kids you can put together a small goody bag. Here are a few ideas -
Have a fantastic Fourth of July!