Wondering what fun and creative theme to use when you’re planning your next children’s party? How about an Octonauts Party theme? Read on if you’re interested in how to decorate for an awesome Octonauts Party!
Planning a party is always an exciting endeavor, and one of the key elements that can set the mood and create a festive atmosphere is the decorations. Whether it’s a birthday bash, a holiday celebration, or just a casual get-together, decorating your space can make all the difference.
Both of my kids loved the octonauts!! So it was the perfect party theme to go with for my son’s 6th birthday party AND my daughter’s 5th birthday. Now I admit, this tutorial has been long time a coming, because it’s been YEARS since I threw these parties! But there was so much interest in the octonauts party, that I decided to share all about it in detail and show you everything I did to throw these parties.
First, I chose the color scheme that would work well with the Octonauts. This helps to guide your choices for decorations such as balloons, banners, tablecloths, and centerpieces. For example, for a tropical-themed party, you might opt for vibrant colors, palm leaves, and tropical flowers. But today, however, we are decorating for an Octonauts party! Octonauts party decorations are all about different shades of blues, greens, and pops of oranges and yellows.
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Create a Memorable Entryway
Let’s start with the entrance, as this sets the tone for the entire event. A personalized welcome sign, string lights, or a balloon arch can create a warm and inviting atmosphere. In my case, I used crepe paper in different shades of blues and greens and hung them up on the wall in the entryway. I also used muffin tins that were flattened to look like clams or sea shells. I think they add a nice texture, even if they don’t look exactly like clams!
On top of the crepe paper streams are the stars of the party! I made these guys out of card stock. Honestly, I just drew the pieces I needed by hand, cut them out, and glued them together.
For my daughter’s party, a few years later, I did the entry a little differently. I used the same characters that I had made for my son’s birthday! However, I also purchased a pretty banner from Amazon and attached smaller Octonaut characters to it that I printed out. Also, instead of the muffin tins, I used small blue balloons to mimic bubbles.
You can get the character printables below:
Make the Table the Focal Point
Table settings are another essential part of party decorations. Use colorful tablecloths, matching plates and utensils, and creative centerpieces. You can go with floral arrangements, themed props, or even DIY decorations such as mason jar vases filled with colorful stones or sand.
I stayed with my blue, green, and orange theme when it came to decorating the table. A pretty light blue table cover was my base and then added a white table cover that I folded to create a layered look.
I then attached green streamers to the ends of the tables in order to make them look like seaweed.
Don’t Forget the Garlands and Banners
I love to hang banners or streamers to add a festive touch to the walls and ceilings and don’t forget about balloons – they are versatile and can be used in various ways. These handmade tissue garlands are so bright and colorful and pretty easy to make. And honestly, you can use them over and over again! Here’s a video tutorial on how to make the tissue garlands (tutorial starts at 1:08).
Also, what’s a party without a happy birthday banner? I made the banner easily out of blue card stock and ribbon. After cutting out the card stock triangles, I printed out all of the circles with letters, cut them out, and glued them on. If you have a cricut, this can be done a bit faster, but at the time I did all of the cutting by hand. Here are the birthday banner cut files for your convenience.
Have Fun with the Food!
Party food is an essential element of any celebration, as it plays a crucial role in creating a memorable and enjoyable experience for guests. It not only satisfies hunger but also adds to the overall ambiance and excitement of the event. From tempting appetizers to delectable desserts, party food brings people together, encourages socializing, and fosters a sense of community. Whether it’s a casual gathering or a formal occasion, the right selection of food can elevate the mood and make the celebration truly special.
So, when planning the Octonauts party, I knew that I wanted all the food to be nautical or sea themed. Which is why I just HAD to serve “squid” dogs. Sounds kinda gross. But they’re just hot dogs that you slice halfway through, creating tentacles and then adding eyes if you like. I actually forgot what I used for eyes, oops. But you can use black peppercorns, small slices of black olives, or even black sprinkles.
We also served orange and blue cake pops. These were sooo delicious!! If you’ve never tried a cake pop, you’re missing out.
Feature a Pretty Beverage Cart
A drink cart is a great way to display and serve the beverages. For the drinks, I made a yummy tropical punch and put it inside a cute little beverage dispenser. I set out light blue paper cups with orange and white striped paper straws. It was a very cute display!
Oh, and in case you’re interested, here’s what the tropical punch is made of:
Serve Yummy Treats!
Party treats also play a significant role in creating a memorable and enjoyable event. They are more than just food; delicious party treats add a sense of fun and excitement. From colorful cupcakes to themed snacks, they can bring out the inner child in everyone and create a festive atmosphere.
I knew that I wanted to make a few different kinds of treats, but I wanted the cake to be the main focus. My son’s favorite character was Kwazii, so I decided to make him a big Kwazi cake. This took some time. I bought a cake in a box mix and baked as directed. Then, I slathered on a base layer of buttercream frosting and on top of that went the fondant and all of the fondant details. I believe I purchased all of the different colored fondant at Michaels.
After all the hard work, it was definitely worth it. My son loved it and so did all of our guests!
We also served candy coated marshmallows. These were a hit with the kids and so easy to make! They’re just marshmallows on a stick dipped in melted blue chocolate candy and before the chocolate hardens, pop on a goldfish cracker. I’ve included the files below for the fun treat flags:
At my daughters party, I chose to do cupcakes with the cute little Octonaut characters stuck on each one. I displayed them on cake stands at different levels to make it more interesting. If you’d like the cricut cut files for the cupcake toppers, you’ll find them here.
I also made a few of these Octonaut centerpieces to display along with the cupcakes and on the main table. These were made using my cricut machine. Once I cut everything out and glued them together, I attached the pieces with hot glue to a scrap block of wood that I spray painted blue. You’ll find the cut files below:
Hand Out Party Favors
Of course, we can’t forget the treat bags!! A wonderful way of thanking your guests for coming to your party is gifting them with their own personal party favor. Our guests got to take home some fun prizes inside the Octonauts first aid bag! I purchased these little white boxes, then printed out and pasted the blue bandages onto the boxes.
Have Fun with Games!
At the end of the party we played games! One of the games, that was super fun, was pin the patch on Kwazii! I made this by drawing it out on poster board and coloring it. I then cut the patches out of black card stock and placed them in a little envelope, also made from card stock. The little envelope of patches was adhered to the poster. This was so much fun and a great way to end an awesome Octonauts party!
Remember, the key to successful party decorations is to have fun with your creativity and make it personal to the occasion. Let your imagination run wild, and your decorations are sure to impress your guests and make your party truly memorable.
Happy decorating!
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