Budget party ideas
A memorable party doesn't need a big budget. Every idea in this collection is rated "Budget": it uses things you probably already have, cheap supplies and homemade food, and skips expensive venues and hire.
Think garden games and treasure hunts, craft parties where the craft is the party bag, picnics, backyard movie nights and potlucks where everyone brings a dish.
64 ideas
Anti-Valentine's party
A tongue-in-cheek party for singles with black balloons, break-up songs karaoke, a piñata and comfort food.
Backyard campout
Tents in the garden, a campfire with s'mores, a torchlit nature trail and ghost stories under the stars.
Backyard movie night
A projector, blankets, bean bags and a popcorn bar for an outdoor cinema under the stars.
Backyard Olympics
Teams represent countries in sack races, egg-and-spoon and silly relays, finishing on a medal podium.
Board game night
A games café at home with a menu of board games for every group size, snacks and a tournament leaderboard.
Building brick challenge
Timed building challenges with plastic bricks, a team city build and a brick-themed cake.
Carols and hot chocolate night
Neighbours and friends gather outside for carol singing by lantern light and a hot chocolate bar.
Choo-choo train party
A wooden railway play zone, a cardboard train ride, ticket punching and a train cake with sweet cargo.
Christmas cookie swap
Each guest bakes a batch of one festive cookie and goes home with a tin full of everyone else's.
Christmas Eve family night
A Christmas Eve box for everyone, a buffet, family games, reindeer food and tracking Santa before bed.
Christmas pyjama party
Kids arrive in festive pyjamas for a hot chocolate bar, a Christmas film, a 'ticket to the North Pole' and a sleepover.
Construction site party
Hard hats, diggers in the sandpit, a cardboard box building zone and a dump truck cake.
Dinosaur dig site
Bury plastic fossils in a sandpit and let young palaeontologists dig them up with brushes and goggles.
Easter bonnet parade
Kids decorate Easter bonnets and hats with flowers, chicks and eggs, then parade them for prizes.
Easter egg hunt
A garden egg hunt with clues, a golden egg, bunny footprints and baskets, finishing with hot cross buns.
Egg decorating party
Dye, paint, marble and glitter hard-boiled or wooden eggs, then display them on an Easter tree.
Escape room at home
Locks, riddles and a ticking clock in your own house: teams solve puzzles to escape in 45 minutes.
Fairy garden party
Wings and wands, a fairy door hunt, mini fairy garden planting and a toadstool picnic.
Family New Year's games night
A games tournament for all ages with a points board, snacks and a countdown at midnight (or earlier).
Fashion show party
Guests design outfits from a dress-up box, have hair and make-up done and walk the runway for a photo shoot.
Football party
A mini tournament with skills stations, a penalty shootout and a trophy presentation for every player.
Football tournament watch party
A watch party for a big international football match, with flags, a sweepstake, national dishes and a penalty game.
Friendsgiving potluck
A shared autumn feast with friends: the host roasts the turkey, everyone brings a dish, and there's a gratitude tablecloth.
Galentine's brunch
A brunch for best friends with a waffle bar, a flower bouquet station, compliments jar and pink fizz.
Gender reveal picnic
Family and friends cast their votes, then a balloon box, a cake or a confetti popper reveals the surprise.
Glow-in-the-dark party
Blacklights, neon face paint, glow stick games and a dance floor that lights up after dark.
Graduation picnic
A celebratory picnic in the park after the ceremony, with a cap-toss photo, fizz and a grazing spread.
Halloween bake-off
Families decorate spooky cupcakes, cookies and a graveyard cake in a timed bake-off with silly prizes.
Halloween trick-or-treat trail
Neighbours host spooky stations along a street or garden trail where kids collect sweets and stamps.
Horror movie marathon
A spooky film night with a duvet den, a scary snack bar, a jump-scare bingo card and a costume vote.
Housewarming open house
A drop-in afternoon to show off the new home, with a self-guided tour, a grazing table and a 'favourite local spots' map.
Ice cream sundae party
A sundae bar with five flavours, sauces and toppings, an ice cream eating race and a vintage ice cream parlour look.
Jewellery making party
A bead bar for bracelets, charm necklaces and friendship bracelets, packaged in gift boxes to take home.
Jungle safari party
Explorer hats, an animal tracking trail, binocular making and a jungle juice feast.
Junior detective party
Young detectives dust for fingerprints, decode messages and interview suspects to solve the case of the missing cake.
Karaoke night
A home karaoke stage with lights, duets, song-challenge cards and an awards show at the end.
Kids disco party
Disco lights, a dance-off, party games like musical statues and limbo, and a glow-stick finale.
Kids Halloween disco
A spooky disco with costume parade, monster freeze dance, a mummy wrap race and glow-stick finale.
Kids' Valentine's craft party
Kids make cards, heart garlands and treat boxes for friends and family, with heart-shaped snacks.
Mini golf party
Build a crazy golf course in the garden from household items, play nine holes and award a green jacket.
Monster mash for kids
Not-too-scary Halloween fun with a costume parade, a pumpkin hunt, monster crafts and a mummy wrap race.
New Year's Day brunch
A relaxed late brunch to start the year: pancake stack, full breakfast, Bloody Mary bar and resolutions jar.
Ninja warrior party
Trainee ninjas tackle a backyard obstacle course, balance challenges and a final ninja test.
Noon Year's Eve for kids
A New Year's countdown at 12 noon so children can celebrate without staying up: balloon drop included.
Pirate treasure hunt
A crew of young pirates follows clues and a treasure map around the garden to find the buried chest.
Pizza chef party
Little chefs make their own pizza from the dough up, decorate chef hats and bake cookies for dessert.
Plant swap party
Guests bring cuttings and plants to swap, pot up new finds at a repotting bar and learn propagation tips.
Pub quiz night
Host a proper pub quiz at home with teams, picture and music rounds, a jackpot question and prizes.
Pumpkin carving party
Friends and families carve and decorate pumpkins together, then light them up for a judged display.
Santa's elf workshop
Kids become Santa's elves for the afternoon, making toys, wrapping presents and decorating cookies.
Sip and see
Friends and family meet the new baby over drinks and cake, with a welcome book and short visiting slots.
Slime making party
A slime lab where every guest makes fluffy, glitter and glow slime to take home in labelled pots.
Space mission party
Astronaut training, rocket launches and a moon rock hunt, with a galaxy cake for the countdown.
Storybook baby shower
Each guest brings a favourite children's book with a message inside, building the baby's first library.
Superhero training camp
Kids make capes, pass an obstacle course and defeat a slime villain to earn their hero certificate.
Taco fiesta
A build-your-own taco bar, a piñata, papel picado bunting and fresh agua fresca.
Teddy bears' picnic
Toddlers bring their favourite teddy for a picnic, a teddy hunt, bear games and a bear-shaped cake.
Tween New Year's Eve sleepover
A sleepover with a hot dog dinner, a games tournament, a confetti countdown at midnight and pancakes for breakfast.
Ugly Christmas jumper party
Everyone wears their tackiest festive jumper for games, a jumper catwalk and a cosy Christmas buffet.
Uni send-off party
Send a student off to university with a 'survival kit' gift table, a recipe card book and a farewell barbecue.
Water fight party
Water balloons, water blasters, a sprinkler obstacle course and a giant slip and slide on a hot summer day.
White elephant gift swap
Everyone brings one wrapped gift; players unwrap or steal in turns for the funniest swap of the season.
Witches and wizards potion class
Young witches and wizards brew colour-changing potions, make wands and sort into houses.
Zombie survival night
Teams complete missions to find supplies and the cure while zombies hunt them through the garden.