How to Host a Stranger Things Birthday Party
INSIDE: STRANGER THINGS BIRTHDAY PARTY FOOD, DECOR, AND MORE
It’s about that time….again!!! A certain someone is turning double digits and she is exploiting her parents. She wants $30 this and $30 that. Well, that is not going to happen!!! BUT a Stranger Things Birthday Party can be arranged!
Keeping with the greatest party planning guide, we got to work.
Disclosure Statement: The links in this post contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Those funds help keep this site alive and kickin’ but it doesn’t cost YOU a thing! Click here for the full disclosure.
Theme
Let’s be REALLY clear, this kid was so scared of the first season of Stranger Things, I think she had nightmares for weeks. But when the 3rd season came out, she apparently she found her courage….and she watched every episode of Season 3….asking a million questions because she refused to go back and watch the previous 2 seasons.
Location
I seriously dislike sleepovers, but double digits are a big deal…..so ONE LAST sleepover at home. I mean it this time!!!!
Date
I screwed up the dates. I thought we would be ok to have it the weekend before her birthday on a Saturday (like we usually do) BUT….I forgot we had a wedding to go to.
After I printed, and handed out the invitations, I had to switch it to Friday night. I just told the parents it was on Friday as they RSVP’ed. Although, I knew most moms already and made them aware as soon as I realized my error 🤦🏻♀️
Invitation
As usual, we went to Etsy for the invitations. This one was great because I could edit the invite to say what I wanted. We printed them on some pretty card stock and sent them to school.
Decorations
Stranger Things is not a popular theme…YET…so we had to come up with a lot of own decorations.
Alphabet Letters
I wanted to re-create the letters on the wall with Christmas lights, without spending a ton of money.
Supplies
Directions
- Lay the tablecloth out on a flat surface, placing something heavy on the top corners
- Using a pencil, sketch out the letters for “Happy Birthday” in a CREEPY font
- Let the birthday girl paint the letter over the sketch
- Allow paint to dry
- Attach Christmas light necklaces in various spots using safety pins
Scoops Ahoy Sign
We found this sign here. It didn’t print out perfectly but it got the job done for our purposes.
Balloons
I grabbed some balloons with a demegorgan, Stranger Things logo, and the Christmas lights alphabet.
Food
Since we were having trouble finding Stranger Thing birthday party themed decorations, we decided to use the food as part of our decor.
We found these Stranger Things themed plates and napkins on Amazon. And of course, Eleven’s favorite food – don’t worry the waffles aren’t actually in the box.
UPDATE: This party was before season 3 came out – your can find ALL sorts of Stranger Things decor now – Check out some of this ideas
Since it was a sleepover and I knew the kids would be dropped off after parents got out of work, we had to do snacks and dinner. We ordered pizza for dinner, but had this set up as they all arrived.
The birthday girl did not want a cake or cupcakes. She wanted ICE CREAM! Well, I happened to remember that Baskin Robbins released some special Stranger Things ice cream in July. I called the local Baskin and was super surprised!!! They had some of these quart sized Stranger Things buckets left!!!! I got all the birthday girl’s favorite ice cream flavors and added some rainbow sherbet.
Like my chalkboard stands? I cannot remember where I got them, but I found these on Amazon that are very similar.
This part was a surprise. She has no idea I found these containers. So when I pulled them out, she said “you did all this for me?”
We used some Dollar Tree cups to set out the toppings. I scooped the ice cream for the girls into these cups and they decorated their ice cream. I did not want a bunch of kids on sugar highs running around so I only did 4 toppings. We called them “Dustin’s Desserts…” Skittles, M&M’s, “Mike’s Mashed” Oreos, and rainbow sprinkles…..oh yeah…white and milk chocolate morsels.
Games
This is usually my favorite part but 10 year olds aren’t into games. So we played Stranger Things Bingo and “Guess the Quote.”
Guess the Quote
The birthday girl made a list of 10 of her favorite quotes from Stranger Things and mouthed them to her friends. Since a lot of these kiddos had not seen the shows, it was REALLY funny to see what they came up with.
***There was a change in plans, I thought we could have a campfire but it ended up being REALLY cold and no one wanted “Hopper’s Hot Chocolate.” So we skipped this part!!! But you could add it to your party
They opened presents and then we played charades. Most of the girls were excited to play this one. After they got all their wiggles out, they laid down and watched a show….it was a record. Everyone in bed by 10:30. I think they were all asleep by 11:15pm! Up around 6:30am.
We had Eggo Waffles for breakfast in honor of Eleven. And then the girls made some crafts that I bought as goody bag treats.
Goody Bags
We went really easy on these. White bags with these labels. We put 80’s style sunglasses, rainbow pencils, Stranger Things bracelets, bath bombs, and Christmas crafts in each bag
Only one sweatshirt was left behind. I’m always so amazed by this. How well kids actually keep track of their stuff. It’s crazy!
Have you seen Stranger Things? Would you be brave enough to tackle a theme without much help of pre-made decorations?
Happy Party Planning,
