Star Wars Birthday Party Ideas
By an Award-Winning Professional Party Planner
Get ideas for birthday party invitations, party food, decorations, games, and party supplies
If this is the first page you've landed on, let me give you a quick introduction. I'm Matt James, a professional party planner, and the purpose of this site is to show you the most creative way you can use regular, shop-bought party supplies that can be found in most stores.
Not everyone has the craft skills of Martha Stewart or the time to spend several days with a glue gun making things from scratch. It's fine to use shop-bought decorations and
supplies—as long as you choose them carefully and know the best way to put them all together. So I'll share a few simple tips and trade secrets that anyone can use to add
some creative touches to your party—whatever your budget.
Note: This site contains affiliate links to products. We may recieve a small commission on any sales (at no extra cost to you).
The Star Wars birthday party ideas below were originally intended for a kid's theme party. However, a Star Wars party theme is popular with lots of adult too, so I've also included ideas for things like cocktail recipes and other party supplies so that you can easily put together a Star Wars birthday party for an adult if you want.
Below are some suggestions for invitations to go with these Star Wars Birthday Party ideas:
I think it’s important to create a big first impression, so I always try to incorporate some sort of object with the invitations—rather than just relying on a traditional printed card (see examples here). This is a little trick that’s often used by professional party planners to make invitations stand out. People just love to receive unusual invitations. It really captures their imagination and gets them excited about the party.
For a Star Wars birthday party theme think about sending out these 20" inflatable lightsabers from supplier 1 as the invitation. You can pick these up for less than $3 dollars each. Then attach these plastic VIP passes, which are also $2 each, with all the party details printed onto them. Kid's will love the idea of being given VIP passes to a Star Wars party! These will make quite an impression if you hand them out already inflated (do it on the school run or you could post them out in mailing tubes). Ask guests to bring the lightsabres with them to the party to take part in 'Jedi training' games (see the party games ideas section at the end of this page).
For older children, you could use these more authentic light-up lightsabers. Just bear in mind they are longer, at 29" and 54", so will need larger tubes if mailing them out.
Another idea for a 3D Star Wars invitation would be to send out these Han Solo in carbonite chocolate bars along with the VIP passes mentioned above. You can pick up the mold from supplier 3 to make them yourself. Alternatively, you can buy them from supplier 4—either filled or plain—for just $3-$5 dollars each.
There are many different personalized Star Wars party invtiations available, such as the ones below. Check out my other page dedicated to Star Wars Birthday Party Invitations to view more and where to buy.
If you prefer to make your own, try these paper lightsaber invitations (below, by Jami at The Blackberry Vine). Pick up the glitter card-stock and all the other necessary supplies from supplier 3.
If you are making your own, don't forget to incorporate lots of phrases from the film into your Star Wars birthday party invitations, such as:
Alternatively, convert all your wording using this free Yoda-Speak Generator.
Alternatively, you can create your own personalized postage stamps.
Just upload a photo of the birthday boy or girl dressed in a costume (select supplier 8 or 9 for best range) and the personalized stamps will be shipped to you (USA only).
Below are some Star Wars birthday party theme drinks that are perfect for kid's.
Always create a signature drink for your party—it’s one of the easiest things you can do to make your party unique. If your party has a theme, think about what flavors you can use in your signature drink that will convey it. Don’t forget about styling and presentation too. You could serve drinks in individual bottles or jars, add your own labels, use themed ice cubes, straws, drinks picks, or add a simple garnish. A sprig of berries or a single flower head on the rim of a glass can make a simple cocktail look really stylish.
Die hard Star Wars fans will instantly recognise Blue Bantha Milk (which Luke drinks with his aunt and uncle in Episode IV: A New Hope). Make it with this simple recipe from Sasaki Time (below left). Alternatively, this recipe by Cassandra Reeder from her Geeky Chef Cookbook adds a few additional ingredients which she claims improves the flavor (below right). Serve it in these Star Wars party cups from supplier 4; the logo will look striking against the blue milk.
Check out this cute recipe for Yoda Soda (below, by Highlander and Islander from Hi Cookery) which uses lime sherbet and Sprite to create a frothy green drink. Use these printable Yoda Ears from supplier 4 to wrap around your serving glasses.
Add >these flashing blue and red LED ice cubes to any soda to create Jedi and Sith drinks. Check out supplier 4 for lots of different Star Wars straws to serve with the drinks.
Alternatively, serve Yoda's Dagobah Swamp Juice by renaming this recipe from Inventor Spot. (It was meant to be a Halloween themed recipe but works just as well for Star Wars birthday party ideas). You can also add slime to the rim by borrowing this idea from Taste of Home (below right).
Here's a couple of easy recipes I stumbled accross. The first is a Kylo Ren party drink by Midget Momma and the other is a fun BB8 Punch by Kara at The Joys of Boys. Serve the BB8 Punch is these miniature fish bowls (below right) from supplier 2 to replicate BB8's shape.
Make a black punch such as this one (below left, from Hubpages) and call it Darth Vader juice. Float Darth Vader ice cubes from supplier 3 in the drinks for extra presentation (below right).
Use this recipe for Sparkling Strawberry-Lemonade Slush (below left, from Betty Crocker) as Lava Juice from the planet of Mustafar (where the climactic battle between Anakin and Obi Wan took place in Episode III: Revenge of the Sith). Kids love anything that glows, so serve these drinks in red LED glow cups from supplier 6 to add to the presentation.
Give water, juice, and soda bottles a Star Wars make-over with these printable labels from supplier 4 (lots more designs available).
Check out supplier 3 for a whole range of different Star Wars ice molds to add some extra styling to your drinks. The Han Solo in Carbonite is particularly cool!
For Star Wars birthday party ideas for adults, try these cocktail recipes. I stumbled across this Yoda-rita by Alicia Policia and just had to include it. She simply made Margaritas and put them into clear plastic cups with lime wedges for ears, then drew Yoda faces on the cups with a Sharpie. Genius! There's also this alcoholic version of the Blue Bantha Milk from Kegworks.
This raspberry coconut Storm Trooper Cocktail and a whiskey-based Chewbacca Cocktail, both from Midget Momma, look very cool. Alternatively, check out this Jedi cocktail by Drink Lab or use Blavod black vodka to create a Darth Vader-themed Black Martini (below right by Colleen Graham at about.com). If you can't get hold of Blavod just serve Black Russians (vodka, Cola and coffee liqueur, such as Kahlua).
Below are some food suggestions to go with these Star Wars Birthday Party ideas.
As a professional party planner, I’m lucky enough to be able to collaborate with some amazing chefs to create menus for my events. As I’m no chef myself and cannot create dishesfrom scratch, I’ve searched the web for recipes that I think would work well for this party theme. All credit goes to the talented people that have created these recipes - so please click through to their site for full details, methods, and in some cases step-by-step tutorials.
Get creative with toppings to make Star Wars party theme pizzas. Below are some examples from around the web.
Other hot snacks include these Star Wars pizza pockets from Pottery Barn, Chewbacca Burgers by Jill at Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons (who has lots of other great food ideas on her site, more of which are featured below), or this cool BB8 Quesadillas by Sippy Cup Dad.
These cheese and cracker Tie Fighters from the Star Wars website are a simply snack to put together, as are these Edamame Ears I came accross on Pinterest (original source unknown).
Rename trail mix as Ewok Food or hummus as Sarlac Pit Dip, as in these examples by Michelle Leahy via Pinterest. I like the way she made some little teath in the center of the Sarlac Pit using broken pretzels.
Another way to serve hummus or dips is to shape it into Jabba the Hutt, like this example by Jill at Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons, which you can then surround by veggies, like in this example from Coupons4Utah.
Jill from Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons also dressed up her cheese plates to make them look like Darth Vader and a Storm Trooper. Follow the Chewbacca Burgers link above for all her Star Wars food creations.
Jill also created these cute Yoda snacks. The first simply shapes guacomole into Yoda's face and surrounds with chips, or for something more healthy there are these cute Yoda apples. This got me thinking what else you might be able to do with fruit and I came accross this Boba Fett fruit plate via Pinterest (original source unknown).
These Cheese Puffs renamed as Thermal Detonators, from Catch my Party, and these string cheeses decorated as Storm Troopers, by Alyssa at Arts Crackers, are both great examples of tailoring everyday snacks for a Star Wars Birthday Party. Also, these Chewbacca bites, by Lexy at Momtastic, are simple enough to make. They're just marshamallows dipped in melted caramel then rolled in Cocoa Krispies.
There's a whole range of Star Wars cookie cutters you can use, not only for cookies, but to shape sandwiches, pizzas, cheese or fruit slices. They're are really easy way to customize foods for a Star Wars birthday party.
Below are some great examples of where people have used the Star Wars cookie cutters to make sandwiches. Below from left to right; Bento Lunch, Wendolonia (lots of other examples on this page), and Eats Amazing.
You can even use the cookie cutters to make savory snacks, such as these Darth Vader sausage rolls from A Mama with Ideas.
Again, Jill from Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons has a recipe for these cute Wookie Cookies (below left, see same link as Chewbacca Burgers above). Alternatively, there are these Gingerbread Wookie Cookies by Sugared Nerd where you just use a fork to add 'fur' to standard gingerbread men.
If you're not really a baker, check out supplier 4, which has lots of different Star Wars cookies you can buy.
You can pick up lots of different Star Wars ice molds from supplier 3 which are really versatile. As well as using them in drinks, you can also fill them with chocolate to make treats or edible cupcake toppers.
You can also use the molds to create Jello-O jigglers and treats. To create Darth Vader jiggles, mix 3 parts Black Cherry Jell-O with 1 Part Orange Jell-O to make black Jello-O. Alternatively, check out these grey Milleniums Falcon Jell-O jigglers from the Star Wars website.
Other Star Wars Jell-o treats you can make with the molds include this R2D2 Jell-o. Alternatively, check out the link to Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons (above, for Chewbacca Burgers) for these Jawa Jigglers, which she made using a gingerbread girl cookie cutter from supplier 3. Alternatively, pick up a Han Solo action figure from supplier 3 and trap him in Jell-o carbonite like this great examples from Hello My Sweet.
These lightsaber popsicle molds from supplier 3 are pretty cool. Alternatively, you could make lightsaber pretzels like these by Two Sisters Crafting, or for something a little more healthy, try these grape lightsabers which I found via Indulgy.
Update: You can also buy these inexpensive lightsaber freezer pop handles from supplier 4, which can also be personalized, to wrap around regular popsicles—ideal if you have larger numbers at your party.
Check out these cute Chewbacca donuts by Just Jenn, which she made by decorating maple bar donuts. Another quick trick is to decorate regular white marshmallows using a black food marker to turn them into Storm Troopers Marshmallows, like this example on Catch my Party. Another idea is to decorate madeleine cookies to look like Tuskan Raiders aka Tatooine Sand People Cookies, like these from Yummy Crumble.
Check out Totally the Bomb for a number of different ways to decorate granola bars to look like Wampa's, Ewok's, and Wookies.
Similarly, you can also decorate macaroons to give them a Star Wars makeover, like these from Semi Sweet.
These apricots decorated to look like Maz Kanata from The Force Awakens, and these Jabba the Hutt marshmallows, both by Jenn Fujikawa on the Star Wars website, are really clever. Alternatively, for a more healthy option, you could just arrange grapes in the shape of Yoda's face like this example, again by Jill at Kitchen Fun with My 3 Sons (see link above).
These sweet versions of the Tie Fighter cheese and crackers featured earlier, by Jenn at Clean and Scentsible are made with Oreo wafer cookies and mini marshmallows. Or if your Star Wars birthday party is for adults, it just won't be complete without these Princess Leia Danish Do's by Highlander and Islander at Hi Cookery. See how long it takes before one of your guests holds them up to the side of their head.
These are the droids you're looking for! Check out this tutorial by Tracy at Baking Mischief for how to make these cook BB8 Cupcakes. Alternatively, check out Jill at Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons' page of Star Wars creations (see link for Chewbacca burgers above) for these cute Princess Leia cupcakes, or these Chewbacca cupcakes by Miranda Becker at Touching Your Community.
If you dont want to bake and decorate from scratch, supplier 4 has a range of edible fondant Star Wars cupcake toppers which you can just place on top of cupcakes for a quick fix.
Alternatively, supplier 4 also has a range of non-edible Star Wars cupcake toppers such as the ones below (many more designs available).
Supplier 4 also has a number of different Star Wars Cake Pops availavle to buy, including these BB8, Princess Leia, and Yoda ones below.
These Millenium Falcon lollipops would be a great addition to a dessert table. Alternatively, just use these printable wrappers to turn regular lollipops into BB8 and R2D2. Both from supplier 4.
Alternatively, check out supplier 3 for these Star Wars Pez dispensers—great for party favors.
Whether you're making a birthday cake from scratch or just decorating it, below are some suggestions to go with these Star Wars Birthday Party ideas:
If you want to make your own cake, supplier's 3 and 4 have some fantastic Star Wars cake pans. Using the Darth Vader baking pan, you could just add the cake mix, bake, then decorate with some black colored frosting.
For a really impressive cake, check out this tutorial by Smurfesque on Cake Central for How to Make a Death Star Cake which uses this ball shaped cake pan from supplier 3.
These personalized Star Wars cake toppers from supplier 4 are so impressive you couldn't need much else to decorate your cake—just place on top of a regular frosted cake.
Another quick fix option for a Star Wars birthday party cake is to just use one of these personalized edible image cake toppers, check out different designs from supplier 3 and 4.
Below are styling and decoration tips to create a themed buffet / dessert table to go with these Star Wars Birthday Party ideas.
I always think it’s a good idea to concentrate the majority of your decorations around a buffet/dessert table. This will create a focal point in the room. Decorations often have to compete with existing room decor so they can get a bit lost if spread too thinly. I think you’re far better off creating one really well themed feature wall that everyone’s eye will be drawn to. You can then use a few general decorations around the rest of the room to tie everything together.
With seven films to take inspiration from—and more on the way—there are lots of different ways to dress a buffet / dessert table for a Star Wars birthday party. To decorate a dessert table like this one, follow the steps below.
Start by using this stars and space scene setter to create the backdrop. If you prefer a less plastic look, there's also a black stardust patterned background paper that comes on a roll. Then cover the table with this gloss black table cover. All these items are available from supplier 2.
Then use a mixture of square and rectangular black, white, or clear plates and bowls to present food on. If you don't already own these, I recommend these premium plastic plates from supplier 1, they're really good value and look much nicer than paper plates.
To make a Star Wars logo yourself, download this free font (just download, unzip the folder, then drag the font files into the font folder on your computer). Then print onto card stock using your home printer. If you want to make it larger, you could print each letter individually (with the exception of the 'ST' of Star and the 'RS' of Wars which are joined) then mount them onto a larger piece of card. Alternatively, you could try saving this hi resolution Star Wars logo, stretch it to enlarge, then print off.
Another quick and easy option for a backdrop is to use one of these large Star Wars flags (lots of different designs available).
Use these Star Wars cardboard stand ups from supplier 1 to dress the table—there are lots of different characters available, from both The Force Awakens and the classic movies. I've used the smaller Yoda stand up as a centerpiece, with two others either side. Don't worry if your budget wont allow for that many, you can still make an impressive display with just one or two. The great thing about these stand ups is that you can also use them to create great photo ops—let the guests have their picture taken in a lightsaber dual with Kylo Ren.
Alternatively, you could use these large airwalker balloons from supplier 1, which look pretty impressive.
Make some of these papercraft Star Wars ships using the color templates that are free to downloadand. You can print them off on your home printer, or take them to a copy shop to enlarge them as big as you like, then just assemble them and hang these from the ceiling in front of the space backdrop.
Alternatively, if you don't want to make the models, you could embellish the stars and space background with some Star Wars ships wall decals from supplier 3. These are reusable so you can reapply them to your child's bedroom afterwards.
Use this glow in the dark Death Star beach ball (below left) as a hanging decoration, then kid's can use it to play with later. Alternatively, use these Star Wars hanging decorations (below center) from supplier 3. If you're craftsy, make your own paper mâché Death Star like this one (below right) by Joey Lopez who covered a 48 inch beach ball. Or there's a step by step tutorial by Philip Jones here for how to make a wearable Death Star Halloween costume, but because of its size I think it would make a really impressive display to hang above the dining table as one of your Star Wars birthday party decorations. Just adapt the instructions accordingly.
For a dessert table centerpiece, use one of these Darth Vader or BB8 balloons from supplier 3 and fill it with helium. Alternatively, make one of the papercraft vehicles mentioned above, such as this AT-AT Walker.
If you're using the Darth Vader balloon as your dessert table centerpiece, pick up one of these inexpensive Darth Vader breathing devices from supplier 3 and leave it on constantly to add sound effects to your dessert table. Alternatively, pick up the Star Wars soundtrack from supplier 3 and leave the Imperial March (Darth Vader's theme) on repeat. Or alternate this with the famous Cantina Band music being played in the bar on Tatooine in Episode IV A New Hope. You could either have this playing while guests arrive, or isolated around the drinks bar / food table.
Supplier's 3 and 4 both have a number of Star Wars wall decals, many of which can be personalized, which you can also use to create a backdrop to a dessert table. Order them in black to apply them to a blank wall or in yellow/gold to apply to the stars and space scene setter.
I love the way they've combined the personalized wall decals below wtih some lightsabers. You could recreate something similar for a dessert table backdrop using inexpensive battery powered toy lightsabers from supplier 3.
Alternatively, there are also various Star Wars fabrics available by the yard from supplier 3 which you can use to create a backdrop.
Below are some food styling and presentation tips to go with these Star Wars Birthday Party ideas.
Check out supplier 4 for lots of printable Star Wars food labels and tents which can be customized with your own choice of text.
These Star Wars candy bowls from supplier 3 would look great on a dessert / buffet table—you could even use them as the centerpiece. Lots of other characters available.
There are also some cool Star Wars serving trays available from supplier 3, or these Death Star chip and dip bowls.
Check out these watermelon Death Stars (below left by Silverisdead via Flickr, and below right by Joe Stump via Flickr) which you could use to decorate the buffet / dessert table.
Supplier 4 also has a range of Star Wars popcorn boxes—many of which are printable files—that you can use to present treats in on a buffet / dessert table.
Below are some suggestions for how to style and decorate the dining table in keeping with these Star Wars Birthday Party ideas:
If it’s a kid’s party, don’t feel as if you have to shy away from using character-branded tableware. I see a lot of kid’s parties that are so immaculately styled they look more like adult parties. It’s obvious the parents have designed it for themselves, rather than the child. If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a professional party planner it’s to design the party for your audience, not yourself. The reality is kids want their favorite characters to have a strong presence at their party; they don’t see this as too commercial, for them it’s just fun. Obviously, it’s important to get the balance right, so don’t go overboard. Character plates and cups work well if combined with a solid color table cover and napkins.
If you're planning a party for kids and just want a simple quick fix to dress the table in keeping with these Star Wars birthday party ideas, there are lots of branded tableware products available from supplier 1, including plates, bowls, napkins, cups and tablecloths. These include options for Star Wars Rebels and The Force Awakens.
Check out supplier 4 for some alternative Star Wars party plates if you're looking for something a little less commercial or perhaps for an adult Star Wars birthday party.
Supplier 4 also has lots of other Star Wars tableware products, such as these cool Storm Trooper party plates, printable bottle labels, and these cool lightsaber napkin handle printables.
Other table styling products available from supplier 4 include these Star Wars party cups and this printable activity placemat.
For an inexpensive centerpiece, check out supplier 4 for a range of paper-based and printable cut outs—many of which can be personalized.
Alternatively, if you're after something more unusual that can be used after the party, check out supplier 4 again for this wood block centerpiece (below left) or these cool wooden/paper mache letter's spelling out the birthday boy or girl's name.
I always like to have some decorations overhead too, to fill the empty space above the table, so use a cluster of paper lanterns. (You can also pick up cheap battery LED bulbs to make the lanterns glow without having to worry about power cords). This would look pretty cook using these Death Star paper lanterns from supplier 3, or use this tutorial for making BB8 lanterns by Karen at Desert Chica.
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Below are tips and recommendations for general decorations to go with these Star Wars Birthday Party ideas:
First impressions are important so I always think it's a good idea to have some sort of feature to welcome guests as they arrive. it could be as simple as personalizing the famous Star Wars opening crawl text and chalking it on your driveway (below left), or putting up a personalized Star Wars yard sign like this one from supplier 4.
These infltable Star Wars lawn decorations are awesome! They're fairly big too so would make a real statement at the entrance to your Star Wars birthday party. Other characters are available.
Supplier 3 also has a range of large Star Wars flag wall scrolls, which you can hang on your front door to decorate. (More designs available).
Alternatively, you can have a life-size cut out of the birthday boy or girl dressed in a Star Wars costume to put at the end of your drive or outside your front door for under $25. These particulary fun when paired with a motion-activated voice recorder for under $10. Simply pre-record your own 10 second welcome message and it automatically plays as guests walk past the cut out of your child. Select supplier 2 for more info on both these items.
Supplier 4 has a lot of printable Star Wars signs which are an easy way to decorate.
I had to include this really cute personalized Star Wars opening crawl printable stair riser signs from supplier 4. It's such a great way to surprise the birthday boy or girl when they wake up on their birthday.
Supplier's 3 and 4 also have lots of large Star Wars flags which you can also use indoors to decorate large areas. (More designs available).
These personalized Star Wars banners from supplier 3 are also an easy way to decorate larger areas.
Or check out supplier 4 for a few different designs. I particularly like this one, below right, with the opening crawl. You could even use this as the backdrop to your dessert table.
There are also lots of Star Wars posters available from supplier 3, which are a cheap and easy way to decorate. These include posters of individual characters, classic movie posters, and even more humorous and artistic ones.
Supplier 4 also has a number of Star Wars pennant / garland banners, many of which can be personalized and some of which are printable.
Supplier 1 has lots of inexpensive Start Wars birthday party favors and novelties, such as dog tags, wrist bands, and temporary tattoos (which kids love!).
Then check out supplier 4 for a range of different Star Wars favor bags and boxes, such as the ones below (lots of different designs available).
Supplier 4 also has some alternative Star Wars party favors, such as these pool noodle lightsabers, lightsaber bubble wands, and lightsaber candy tubes.
Get a parent to dress up in a Darth Vader or Kylo Ren costume and make an entrance later on in the party after they've completed their Jedi training (see the next page of Star Wars Party Games and Activities). Don't forget to play the Imperial March (Darth Vader theme) music from the soundtrack for a dramatic build up.
There are also lots of great costumes for kids if you want to let your child dress up for their party. Also, if you have a dog, check out the cute canine costumes so you can have a mini Yoda, Princess Leia, or Tusan Raider running around the party.
See supplier 8 and 9 for the best range of costumes.
See my seperate page of Star Wars Party Games for more ideas, games, and activities for a Star Wars birthday party.
Don't forget to follow up after the party with a thank you card. Supplier 4 has the best range of Star Wars thank you cards.
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Many thanks
Matt
Matt James is a professional event planner and owner of event agency Left Field Productions, which has produced events for Elton John, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kevin Spacey, Stella McCartney, David LaChapelle, John Waters, and Elvis Costello & Diana Krall. Since 2004, Left Field Productions has won 30 industry awards for excellence including Production Company of the Year.
Star Wars Birthday Party Ideas
by an award-winning professional party planner
