Updated on: Aug 31, 2024
I scream, you scream, we all scream for an Ice Cream Theme Party! An ice cream theme party is a delicious way to celebrate anyone's special day, whether it’s a kid’s birthday or a summer pool party. Transform this dessert into decorations and party favors. Follow these tips to throw the sweetest party of the year your guests will love!
Whether this is an ice cream-themed birthday party or any other festive, Easy Event Planning can help with all your party needs from figuring out the perfect party theme, to general party ideas and budgets.
Ice Cream Theme Party Decorations
Add some amazing and creative ice cream-themed decorations to your party venue. Whether it be in your living room backyard or a rented space, decorations are key to making your party festive and unique.
1. Ice Cream Centerpieces
Use a bright and fun ice cream theme centerpiece for all your tables. Get a super easy and quick setup centerpiece that will definitely have your guests talking and admiring while they enjoy their delicious ice cream cones.
2. Ice Cream Theme Signs
Decorate your venue with some ice cream theme signs. Get some signs that might read, "Ice Cream Bar", or "Toppings Table". Have fun with your signs and use simple label stickers to label all your tables, activities, snacks, and more!
3. Ice Cream Photo Backdrop
This is for all our picture lovers, and admit that is most of us. You are going to need a perfect ice cream photo backdrop for all your guests to pose and make memories in front of. These backdrops have customizable text to suit your unique event.
4. Party Photo Prop Kit
To go along with your perfect ice cream photo backdrop have guests hold some fun photo props to let your guests have the most memorable photos possible! Photos that will make them smile and last a lifetime.
5. Ice Cream Cone Balloons
Add fun and cute ice cream cone balloons all around your party room. They can be in the shape of ice cream cones or simple round balloons with sprinkles. They will have all your guests laughing and smiling!
6. Hanging Paper Ice Cream
To sprinkle the walls with ice cream excitement, you can buy or create your own strings of hanging paper ice cream cones. If you want to go the do-it-yourself route and make the ice cream look 3D, you’ll just need some card stock and tissue honeycomb. You can choose any colors and even blend colors using markers to represent your favorite flavor. After making the ice cream cones, you can hang them with string or ribbon.
7. Ice Cream Cone Lawn Decoration
Delight your guests when they pull up to your party with giant ice cream cones! You can buy some pre-made ice cream cones lawn decorations or make some yourself by following a few simple steps. To make the cones, you can use brown wrapping paper and if it doesn’t have a waffle pattern already, you can draw it in. Then grab some large balloons to put in the paper cone and attach with tape. You can use skewers to plant the ice cream cones in the grass. It’s a great way to start the fun even before the party gets going.
Ice Cream Theme Party Favors
Don't want to leave your guests empty-handed? You don't have to. Here are plenty of ice cream theme party favor ideas I can ensure your guests will love.
8. Ice Cream Goody Bags
The perfect favor is a custom ice cream goody bag, filled with ice cream-themed items for your guests to leave with. Fill your goody bags with ice cream erasers, or any of the other fun ideas listed below. Have fun building the perfect party favors for all your guests!
9. Customized Mini Hand Sanitizers
Add these custom ice cream-designed mini hand sanitizers, they are a perfect favor for your guests and make a great addition to your goody bags.
10. Ice Cream Designed Party Cups
These ice cream party cups make for a fabulous favor just as is! Or use this fun-designed cup as the goody bag itself and fill it with ice cream-themed items!
11. Gracious Gift Card
Giveaways such as gift cards from your local ice cream parlor are a wonderful way to pass on the ice cream spirit! Everyone will appreciate the thoughtfulness of these favors and will always remember your generosity.
12. Ice Cream Shooters
This timeless toy is a great party favor for guests of all ages. The ice cream balls are made of foam, so nobody will get hurt. Many hours of entertainment await with ice cream shooters.
13. Ice Cream Pens
Give small fun ice cream-themed pens to your guests. They are a nice small token for your guest to use daily that will always have them remembering your amazing party!
14. Ice Cream Slime
Slime is all the rage these days! Make it ice cream-themed with ice cream slime.
Ice Cream Theme Party Food Ideas
Of course, you can't have an ice cream theme party without tons of ice cream! You can never go wrong with the classic ice cream flavors to serve, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry. But maybe mix it up with some fun flavors like cotton candy, coffee, double fudge, mint, or cookies & cream. Along with the obvious food item being ice cream, here are some more options to add and improve to the sweetness of your party.
15. Scatter the Sprinkles
Get your toppings table ready to go! You can go as crazy as you want here with as many topping options as you like, from strawberries, nuts, Oreos, m&ms, chocolate fudge, gummy bears, caramel, whip cream, the list goes on and on. But a big MUST-HAVE are all your sprinkle options! Pro tip - make sure to put labels on everything and keep nuts separate in case of allergies and other dietary restrictions!
16. Waffle Bowls
You can buy waffle bowls or make them yourself with a Waffle Bowl Maker. Put any treat you like in these simple and delicious bowls, from ice cream to candies. Having bowls you can eat also saves you time during cleanup after the party and makes the food extra special to enjoy.
17. Ice Cream Toppers
Add some small but not subtle ice cream-themed toppers to any of your delicious sweets. It's just a small touch to make your ice cream-themed party that much more detailed and special.
18. Cupcake Cones
The perfect alternative sweet to ice cream but also falling right in line with your theme: cupcake cones! Bake cupcakes right in the ice cream cones. Then display and serve them for all your guests to enjoy. There are some amazing ice cream cone trays and holders that allow for easy serving and a great display!
19. Chocolate-Dipped Cones
You can get or make your own chocolate-dipped cones by dipping plain waffle cones in brown or white chocolate and letting them dry. You can add all kinds of toppings such as sprinkles, crushed Oreos, pretzels, and nuts. These cones will make ice cream even sweeter and fancier.
20. Marvelous Milkshakes
Nothing adds to the frozen goodness like a good old-fashioned milkshake. Prepare 1 milkshake for each guest, as chocolate milkshakes are one of the most popular flavors I recommend making all chocolate ones make it easier on yourself when prepping. After premaking, the milkshakes pour them in plastic milkshake cups, place them in the fridge and serve when the party starts! For a special touch, have each party guest’s name written on the cup.
Ice Cream Theme Party Games/Activities
You can never go wrong with creative and fun party games, it will keep your guests mingling, up and about and will ensure no one falls into a food coma. With any of these ice cream theme activities, there will never be a dull moment at your party!
21. Dip Into Arts and Crafts
Have some fun craft kits at each table for your guests to enjoy throughout the party. Your guests can design their own ice cream cones, or color in and design some wooden ice cream cone cutouts or stencils. Craft kits and stencils are both super easy and fun crafts for all your guests to get involved in!
22. Guess the Flavor
This activity will test how well your guests know their ice cream flavors. See who can correctly guess the most flavors of ice cream. Participants must grab a blindfold, and the winner is whoever guesses the most flavors correctly throughout the games!
23. Scoop Ice Cream Toy Kits
Every child at your party will absolutely love a pretend-play ice cream set! These perfect pretend toy sets with ice cream scoopers, cones, play money, and tokens will have all the kids distracted and playing.
24. Ice Cream Bingo
Use one of these perfect and pretty designed Ice Cream Bingo Boards. Download any of these fun ice cream-themed bingo boards that will have your guests in a competitive and exciting mood while enjoying their ice cream, hand out prizes to all the Bingo winners!
25. Ice Cream Cone Scratch Off Party Game
Have fun with an easy ice cream scratch-off game. Hand out ice cream scratch-off cards to each guest as they arrive, there will be winners and losers. Reward these winners with small prizes!
26. Ice Cream Cardboard Truck Race
For an active game to get guests on their feet, have guests race each other in cardboard ice cream trucks. You can make them out of cardboard and markers.
27. Pin The Cherry On The Sundae
Use this amazing Pin the Cherry on the Sundae Board, get all your guests on their feet and playing! Blindfold your guests and have them try to pin the cherry. It's a great and fun way to get all your guests involved. Hand out a prize to the winner.
Ice Cream Theme Party Supplies
Make sure you are fully stocked with all your necessary party supplies!
28. Napkins
You can't go wrong with adorable ice cream-themed napkins for all your guests to use when enjoying their delicious sweets! Even cleaning spills and wiping mouths will be fun with these lovely touches.
29. Ice Cream Scoopers
Of course, you will need to make sure you are stocked up with enough ice cream scoopers so you can serve all your guests their favorite ice cream flavor.
30. Ice Cream Serving Bowls
Serve all the delicious ice cream flavors to your guests in some colorful and cute ice cream-themed bowls.
31. Decorated Ice Cream Table Covers
Have all your tables perfectly covered with some decorative ice cream party table covers. These go hand in hand by helping with any messy spills while also adding to your ice cream theme decorations.
32. Ice Cream Cone Plates
Serve all your delicious sweets and snacks on some fun ice cream-themed plates. Get a large selection of colorful ice cream cone-shaped plates or round plates with tons of little ice cream cones on them. Match your plates and napkins together or mix it up, there are so many great options to choose from!
33. Ice Cream Straws
With these straws, guests’ beverages can join in on the ice cream theme. It’s a cute touch for your beverages and food table. You can get striped straws or even bendy straws to entertain both kids and adults.
Ice Cream Theme Party Invitations
Every party starts with the perfect invitation, whether it be mailed, handed in person, or through e-vites. If you choose to send out online invitations, there are many options on how to do so which you can check out here. Below are some creative and fun ideas on sending out the perfect ice cream theme invitation.
34. Here's The Scoop Invitation
A festive and colorful invitation gives your guests "The Scoop" on all the details of your party. Amazon has a great selection of ice cream theme invitations where you can order and fill in all the details of your party to send out to your guests.
35. Ice Cream Cone Invitations
Use some elegant, Etsy-designed, ice cream cone invitations. Print them out and mail them to your guests or download and send e-vites! Super easy and convenient.
36. Too Sweet Invitations
Here is a custom-designed, "Too Sweet" invitation. This invitation is great because you can print it out or download it right from Etsy to send out e-vites. Etsy has many ice cream-themed party invitation templates, that you can download and customize to your party details.
37. Sunny With a Chance of Sprinkles Invitation
This super cute, "Sunny With a Chance of Sprinkles" party invitation is a fun ice cream-themed invitation from Amazon.
38. Ice Cream Scoops Invitation
Here are fun printed-out ice cream cone invitations from Etsy that you can customize with all your party details and send to all your friends and family. This invitation featuring scoops of ice cream is too cute and perfect. How could anyone not attend your awesome ice cream party when they see this?
Ice Cream Theme Party: Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed these unique ideas for an Ice Cream Theme Party. Hope this inspired you to sprinkle some creativity on your party plans so guests will have memories to talk about years to come. Have fun!
Easy Event Planning can help assist you with any further party needs of yours by giving you the best party tips whether it be for the best adult party or bringing the perfect gift to the party. Easy Event Planning can help with it all!
Written by Elisa Sung