Top 10 Best College Theme Party Ideas

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Costume and theme parties are a huge part of college life. After all, college is one of the few times in life where you can get away with dressing in crazy costumes, and convincing your friends to do the same, on a regular basis. I mean, how often do your parents talk about going to an ABC party?

If you think you’ve been to every kind of themed costume party there is, think again. There are so many party themes to try! Below, I’ve listed the top ten best college party themes:

10. Tight and Bright

This one is a lot of fun and gives you a chance to be creative with clothes you have, or borrow from friends to create a look that’s cute and fun.

The rules: any article of clothing you wear has to be both brightly colored and skin tight. This one is especially funny for guys, who aren’t as used to wearing tight clothing, and usually come up with some funny outfits.

9. Snowpants or No Pants

Don’t worry: this doesn’t have to be as lewd as it sounds. Guests have the option of wearing snowpants to the party, or “no pants.” But, this doesn’t mean you have to show up in your undies if you don’t have snow pants to wear; it’s another chance to get creative. Wear a skirt – after all, a skirt isn’t pants.

8. Masquerade

If you’re a Gossip Girl fan, I’m sure you’ve fallen for the romance and mystery of a classic masquerade party. The best part is, you only have to buy a mask to come to this party, and the rest of your outfit can be whatever you like. Usually, the theme is more formal, but you can shake things up with a “Halloween Mask-erade”, and have everyone don black, with a scary or silly Halloween mask on top, instead of the fancy feathered variety.

7. Ugly Sweater

This is one is perfectly timed for this holiday season, super easy, and really fun. Almost everybody has some kind of ugly Christmas or holiday sweater – you know, the kind your grandma knits you with a large, lop-sided Rudolph on the front?

Have everyone wear their hokiest sweater and then vote for who has the ugliest sweater! It’s a fun take on a holiday party that’s perfect for the college scene. For more, see our tips on what to wear to an ugly sweater party!

6. Black Light

This is a fun party idea, especially if you’re a creative type. Swap out your regular light bulbs for black light bulbs (available at any hardware store) and have all the guests arrive in plain white tee shirts that they don’t mind getting ruined. The fun part comes with highlighters, which you can use to write and draw on each other’s shirts. When the black lights are switched on, the writing will glow, and you can check out everyone else’s artwork.

5. ABC (Anything But Clothes)

Again, don’t freak out at the name of this party. It doesn’t mean everyone shows up naked. Instead, you have to fashion an outfit out of materials other than clothing. I’ve seen girls use Monopoly money, maps, garbage bags, and flags to make really cute dresses and outfits.

ABC parties are fun, cheap, and creative, and can lead to some really fun Facebook photos. This is another theme party where a best outfit contest can add some extra incentive to be really creative.

4.  Rubik’s Cube

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This party theme starts out simple, but quickly gets out of control. Everyone shows up wearing one item of clothing for each color on the Rubik’s cube (white, red, blue, orange, green, and yellow). Then, once you get to the party, you swap clothing items with other guests until you can create an outfit of one solid color. Tip: accessories like gloves and hats make this process a lot easier.

3. High School Stereotype

Were you a geek in high school? A jock? A cheerleader? A band kid? Well, dig out that old uniform and show up at this party as a high school stereotype of yourself.

If you didn’t fit into a box so easily (and, let’s face it, most of us didn’t) you can either pick an identity, or dig out some embarrassing threads you used to think were cool, back in your grade nine days.

2. Alphabet

Pick a letter of the alphabet (your initial? your school’s name?) and have everyone wear a costume that starts with that letter. For example, the letter N could have people showing up as nurses or ninjas. It’s a challenge to come up with something unique, and a lot of fun to see what other people come up with.

1. Toga

Okay, this isn’t exactly a new idea… In fact, it’s probably the oldest college costume party idea in the book. But still, would you really want to go through four years of college without attending at least one toga party?

If you still haven’t done it, now’s the time! The best part: it’s as cheap as pulling the sheet off of your bed. Check out this site to learn how to tie it properly, and let the memory-making begin.

More College Theme Party Ideas & Tips:

Want more? We’ve written extensively about college theme parties and what to wear to them. Check out these posts:

• 10 Must-Have Items for College Theme Parties
• Outfits Under $100: Budget-Friendly Outfits for Theme Parties
• What Do I Wear There? Themed Parties & Events

What do you think?

Which types of theme costume parties have you been to? What was your favorite? Which ones didn’t work out so well? Leave a comment and let us know!