19 Creative Beach Party Themes

Warm summer sun, soft breezes, and the feeling of sand under your toes…Beach parties are a fun way to enjoy special times with friends and family outdoors! Have you thought about a theme to tie it all together? Whether you’re just bringing friends together for fun or celebrating a major life milestone, some good beach party themes can help. So let Peerspace inspire you with a few of our favorite ideas!

1. Throw a Havana Nights party

Classic car decorations, Cuban sandwiches, cigars, and rum are just a few of the ways you can bring a Havana Nights party to life. Island life is a great beach party theme to go with, especially if you already live in the Caribbean. But you can easily make it a theme for a backyard party, engagement party, or birthday that’s well inland with the right decorations and food! 

2. Bring the beach indoors

You don’t have to live along the waterfront to throw a beach party! The beach can itself be the theme with the right decorations, no matter the venue. Set up some wave-patterned garlands, open the windows to let the sun in, and mix up some cocktails that match this theme like coconut rum and blue curacao-based beach water! 

Are you looking for a venue for your upcoming beach party? Let Peerspace help; we have some of the best party venues in the nation! For example, this daylight loft studio in Miami, FL, has a contemporary white-on-white style that brings out the sun’s radiance as you sit by the pool, sipping cocktails!

3. Head to Hawaii with a luau party

Luaus are Hawaiian parties that are traditionally thrown for major events like birthdays and weddings! If your beach party is a big deal make it a luau where everyone wears a flower lei and enjoys traditional Hawaiian luau food ideas like roast pork and Dole whip. By the way, we also have some great ideas for luau party games you’re sure to enjoy!

4. Throw a festive tiki party

Grab some torches, mai tais, seashell decorations, and some fearsome-looking heads to get your tiki party going! Tiki parties are fun Polynesian beach party themes with Asian inspiration similar to a Hawaiian luau party. Check out Epicurious for some great tiki party food ideas! 

5. Create an endless summer with tropical flowers

Most tropical islands enjoy pleasant weather year-round where flowers grow endlessly. Recreate that feeling with flower bouquets placed everywhere as decorative centerpieces. You should give out Hawaiian flower leis to guests – or you can make lei-making an activity to do during your beach party. Some flower garlands and an essential oil diffuser releasing floral scents are also nice touches to a tropical flower-themed beach party!

Working with a budget? You can still plan a delectable party by using these fun and inexpensive cookout ideas!

6. Make your beach party a color-themed event

What are the colors of the beach? We think blue waters, white sands, golden sunshine, green jungles, and the rainbow hues of tropical flowers are great foundations for a color party. Let guests know on the invitations that this will be a beach color party. Blue and white are simple yet striking colors to wear for an outdoor beach party. But you can easily make it a rainbow color party if flowers, sunsets, and beach rainbows are what you most enjoy!

7. Get cozy by a beach bonfire

Lighting a bonfire is one of the best parts about having a beach party and you can easily make it the main theme. From cooking food over a bonfire to bonfire party games, there’s something warm and welcoming about a blazing fire that everyone enjoys. You can also make a bonfire part of a major life event like a wedding where a unity ceremony adds meaning to the day.

8. Dress to impress at a retro beach party

Swimwear has changed over the decades just like every other form of fashion. How about choosing something decidedly retro to wear, like beach caps or a swim dress? Retro parties should also include music and food from that era; check out our ideas for 70s party decorations or 80s party ideas for inspiration!

9. Celebrate with a beach barbecue

Food and festivities go hand in hand. You can make food the foundation for your beach party theme by making it a beach BBQ! You’ll want a venue that has both beachfront access and a BBQ grill. So why not check out what Peerspace has to offer? We have coastal party spots all across the nation where you can bring some burgers and ribs over for a grand beach BBQ! Does a beach mansion just a block from the water in Los Angeles, CA, with a grill and firepit sound like a great party spot or what?

10. Bring some blankets for a beach picnic

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Picnics invite the sun and wind into your party since you’ll be enjoying both as you listen to the waves and laughter of your friends! A beach picnic is one of the easiest beach party themes to plan for. All you need are meals you can carry in a basket and coolers, casual clothes, and a spot in the sand for parking your gear. You should bring some beach umbrellas as well for a bit of instant shade!

11. Have a sand-castle making party

Who doesn’t remember how much joy we took from making sand castles as kids? Well, they’re just as much fun for adults! Especially if you make it a party theme by including tools and decorations for building them. Bring some flags to attach to sticks, pails for gathering sand, seashells, and twigs for decorations…See who can make the largest and most unique sand castle before the waves come to reclaim it. You can also work together to make a sitting area out of sand to enjoy food and drinks once you’re finished.

12. Swim at your own risk at a shark beach party

Sharks are as cool as dinosaurs and deserve their own beach party theme! Whether you love the nostalgic terror of Jaws or get hyped every year during Shark Week, a shark party is a fun theme for kids and adults alike. Choose shark-themed foods like a cake decorated to look like waves and a shark. Or give out shark floaties before letting everyone swim at their own risk! 

13. Serve fruits of the sea with a seafood cookout

Is there anything better than seafood at a beach party? We want to enjoy the freshest tastes of the sea when we’re enjoying some beer and good company, after all. Shuck some oysters, grill up some shrimp, or set out a pot of crabs for your guests. Seafood sometimes takes a little work to dig into, with all of those shells. But the slow pace makes for good conversations and time to listen to the waves as you eat!

14. Throw a Finding Nemo beach birthday

Finding Nemo is a popular movie for kids and adults alike! It’s a classic that makes for a great beach birthday party. Set up some Dory decorations and include a scavenger hunt where guests do their best to find a Nemo toy somewhere in the party space.

Along with Nemo, incorporate more of these fun pool party ideas for kids if your beach party will include younger guests.

15. Host a surf party and catch some waves

Do you feel most alive with a board under your feet and a big wave on the horizon? Make your next event a surf party, with clothes and decorations to match! From Hawaiian shirts to cozy sandals, surf party guests can easily dress the part and play pretend, even if they don’t surf themselves.

16. Watch movies with an outdoor screen

Movie nights don’t have to be an indoor affair. Not when you could bring a portable screen and sound system outdoors for movie-watching on a warm summer night! A movie event can easily be incorporated into any of our other beach party themes as well.

17. Be mermaids for a day

Is your little girl in love with mermaids? Let her be a mermaid for a day with a beach birthday using this theme! It’s easy to find mermaid tail swimsuits and costumes. Plus you can use a few of our mermaid party tips and mermaid party food ideas to bring this theme to life!

18. Get creative with a DIY crafting party

Beach parties can easily include some artistic activities like painting or music. But how about using what the beach has to offer as materials? Search for driftwood, seashells, sand, and polished glass to use as DIY craft materials. You can fill beach bottles and create decorative centerpieces using beach-based materials!

19. Enjoy wellness with a spa day on the beach

How about a day in the sun as part of your wellness retreat with your besties? A beach-themed spa day can include morning yoga to greet the sun, wellness smoothies under umbrellas, and some time spent swimming before hiring a masseuse to provide amazing massages as the sun goes down. What better way to throw a beach bachelorette party or girls’ day out?

Beach party themes: conclusion

The beach is an amazing party destination that offers endless ideas for themes. From Polynesian tiki parties to mermaid birthdays for young girls, we hope you’ve enjoyed a few of Peerspace’s best beach party themes! We love helping people make lasting memories together, which is why we’ve built one of the largest online collections of party venues near you that is well worth browsing.

Find unique event venues for your beach party on Peerspace