16 Creative Leap Year Party Ideas

February 29th is the date that gets added to the calendar every four years. It’s part of timekeeping known as a leap year! So what can we do with the extra day we’ve gained for free? Why not mark the day with a celebration rather than forgetting about it? A leap year party is a great excuse to bring family and friends together for a little bit of fun. Are you struggling to think of ways to celebrate a leap day? Let Peerspace help with a few creative leap-year party ideas!

1. Make it a frog-themed party

Frogs leap, do they not? What could be better for a leap-year party idea than making frogs the theme! Start with green decor; cute froggy faces and garlands to hang up are easy to find on Etsy. The menu can even be frog-themed; we’ll skip the fried frog legs and suggest some adorable green fog cupcakes instead.

2. Celebrate a leap-year birthday party

Do you or someone you know have February 29th as your date of birth? With just 0.1% of the world’s population sharing this birth date, it’s not too often someone gets to have their party on the proper date for it. Even if you don’t know anyone in your circle of family and friends looking to celebrate, why not host a leap year birthday party anyway? It’s a great way to have fun on a day that comes just once every four years!

A leap-year birthday party should be thrown in an especially nice venue since it’s so rare. Check out Peerspace; we have all kinds of classy, chic, and relaxed spots for a leap-year party. How about a waterfront party venue in San Francisco, CA, with views of the Bay and BYOB-friendly policies?

3. Book a professional event photographer

A leap year party is a memorable affair so how about documenting the day with more than cell phone selfies? Hire a professional event photographer to capture everyone at their best. These images will be high enough quality for printing to hang up or save in a photo album! Event photographers near you also free you and your guests up from photo-taking so you can enjoy the festivities knowing you’ll get candid memories to enjoy later.

4. Skip stones on a pond or by the sea

Leap-year parties don’t have to be a blow-out bash. For something more relaxing, have a nice picnic with family and friends at a park with a lake or a beach. Skipping stones is symbolically similar to leaping. Plus it’s far less tiring! See how many skips you can make; there’s a real art to getting good at skipping stones.

Peerspace shows you how easy it is to rent a beach house for a day here!

5. Visit a really nice restaurant

Leap-year days only happen once every four years. So make that day count with a spectacular breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner with your family and/or friends! It could be a date night with just the two of you at a Michelin-star restaurant where they serve creative and upscale fare. Or you might book a private room at a steakhouse for your entire family. Make it an experience that you’d only do every few years so it will be truly memorable!

6. Make a leap-year time capsule

Time capsules are a great way to honor all kinds of special events. You’ll need a weatherproof container (if it’s an outdoor time capsule) plus a safe place to store it for as long as you like. We think a leap year time capsule should be left in storage for at least four years, to be opened, appreciated, and added to on the next leap day. Write your future self a letter, add some photos, include a newspaper from February 29th…Think about things your future self would want to know about you from four years ago!

7. Give out $29 gift cards

$29 is an awfully specific amount, isn’t it? That’s what makes it perfect for a February 29th party! Gift cards make great party favors for guests whose tastes you might not match when it comes to snacks or other traditional favors. Gift cards to Target, Amazon, or other major retailers are guaranteed to put a smile on your leap-year party guests’ faces!

8. Hide little frogs for a scavenger hunt

Remember how frogs are a great idea for a leap year theme? Well, as a party activity, you can hide little frogs around the venue for guests to find! A frog scavenger hunt isn’t complete unless you have a list for folks to reference with clues and hints on where to find each frog. You could place the frogs in spots that have natural beauty or were important over the last few years as well.

9. Set up an obstacle course

Here is one for the active kids and adults in the group. Get everyone leaping together with an obstacle course! A timed obstacle course run with prizes for the best times adds a little friendly competition to the day. Or you can forget the timekeeping and just let everyone have some fun with it.

10. Leap from a swimming pool diving board

How about a leap year pool party where everyone gets to show off their jumps on the diving board? Make a huge splash as you compete with leaping flips and cannonballs! Leap year pool parties are a lot of fun but what if you don’t happen to have a pool in your backyard? Peerspace is here to help! We have houses, gardens, and party halls by the dozen with swimming pools for a leap year party. This poolside oasis in Los Angeles, CA, has a heated pool with a diving board and slide; perfect for leap year festivities!

11. Make some origami paper frogs

DIY crafts are fun every day of the year but a leap year day needs something a little more creative. So let’s make some origami paper frogs together using these instructions! Not only are these frogs cute; they leap when a little pressure is applied with your finger. Leap year origami frogs are a great addition to the frog-themed party we mentioned earlier.

12. Leap for the sky with a bouncy castle

Kids celebrating a leap year day will be able to jump and jump and jump inside a bouncy castle. If you don’t have one of your own lying around check out party vendors near you, many of which have bouncy castles you can rent for an afternoon of leaping fun! Bouncy castles demand an outdoor venue and you can include one alongside a diving board and obstacle course for active youngsters.

Our unique outdoor party decoration ideas help you dress up your party venue so it’s fit for a leap-year celebration. Check them out!

13. Make leap day frog puppets

Looking for more DIY crafts to do as a leap-year party idea? Gather some paper bags, scissors, and other accessories to make some leap day frog puppets! Use this free frog puppet template as your guide.

14. Party at a trampoline park

Where can you leap like crazy in an air-conditioned space? Take the kids to a trampoline park where you can reserve a private room for party snacks after they’ve worked all their energy out! Trampoline parks aren’t like your parent’s backyard trampoline. They are more like obstacle courses focused on jumping. There will be entire rooms with floors made of trampolines, trampolines that lead jumpers into a ball pit, trampoline obstacle courses…You get the idea!

15. Serve some green swamp water punch

Let’s not forget about drinks when gathering our leap-year party ideas! A big pitcher of swamp water punch is exactly what little frogs love most. This recipe has just four ingredients, including ice cream for some sweet richness and soda for an irresistible fizziness. You can add some green-dyed ice cubes or gummy worms to the cups as well for added swampiness!

16. Play frog bean bag toss

Gather some green bean bags that are meant to be little frogs. Help them find their lily pad with a game of frog bean bag toss! You can have prizes for the person who lands the most frogs. Or keep it casual with no point tracking. Either way, this is one of those leap-year party ideas that’s fun for all ages!

Leap-year party ideas: conclusion

Now that you’ve explored our leap year party ideas you’re sure to have a plan in the works. We’re so glad we could be a part of your upcoming special event. Peerspace is more than just a resource for great party ideas, though! We also have event venues near you for leap days, birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions!

Find unique party venues for leap year and more on Peerspace