If you’re hosting an ice skating party for either children or adults, you’ll want it to be an event to remember. Whether it’s to celebrate a birthday, anniversary, or even just for fun, follow these simple steps to hosting the perfect ice skating party:
- Invitations: Your invitations should set the tone for the party, while providing guests with plenty of information. Include blue or silver sparkles in your color scheme, as this is easily replicated on the ice. You may even wish to have your invitation be in the form of a figure skate. Let your guests know whether your party will take place outdoors or inside, and provide directions if needed. Encourage children to wear gloves or mittens. (Even if you’re inside at a heated rink, these will provide some cushion and warmth for their hands if they fall.) If skates are available for rental, or if there is a concession stand in addition to any snacks you’ll be providing, inform guests of this in your invitation so they can bring some cash.
- Food: Ice skating is a physical activity, so people will be hungry when they’re finished! Consider providing filling snacks, such as sandwich roll-ups or pizza. (You may need to ask the rink if you can bring in your own food other than cake or ice cream.) Also include a hot chocolate, tea, and coffee table where everyone can prepare their hot drinks in any way they’d like. This table may include the usual marshmallows, sugar, whipped cream, and flavored creamers. It may also have small cookies for dipping. If young children will be present, offer cups with lids and fill a few before everyone gets off the rink so they have time to cool off before the children drink from them. Donna from Party Wishes set up this a lovely display shown below with snowflakes lollipops in pretty glass mugs used for hot chocolate.
She also incorporated the favors of earmuffs and a scarf into her chair cover decorations…brilliant!
- Decorations: Since you can’t decorate the ice, streamers, balloons, and sparkles should adorn the room where people will eat, drink, and celebrate. (Be careful not to have any confetti or other items on the floor, as these can stick to skates and cause people to fall on the ice.) Or, you may wish to make it feel like an Olympic event, with posters, bouquets, and even stuffed animals lining the walls. Be sure to take short video clips of guests skating, and then you can display them on the wall or a projector as people are enjoying their food. The same is also true of still photographs, which can be emailed or even printed and handed to everyone as they leave.
- Favors – Ice skating cookies make great favors as do custom mint tins.
