Winter Olympics

Celebrating the Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympics will be upon us before we know it! This is also the time when everything becomes OFFICIAL! Official this, official that...everything is the official whatever of the Olympics. So, why not host The OFFICIAL Party of the Winter Olympics? Put together a great theme party with some GAMES of your own, and support Team USA with patriotic decorations, too!

Olympics Invitations
Send a personalized Gold Medal invitation inviting everyone to "Party Like a Champion" with food, fun, and entertainment in your "Olympic Village." When you have your guests RSVP, have them indicate whether they want to be a judge, referee, participant, or spectator. That way, you'll know how many people are up for some downhill slalom!

Party411.com offers a wide variety of personalized Olympic themed invitations. Choose from a backstage pass, patriotic invitations, an Olympic athlete, and more!  You can even design a custom caricature invitation of you enjoying the games!  Have a caricature drawn of you and your family skiing down the slopes in an Olympic race or bobsledding down an icy chute.  The sky is the limit!

Our ticket invitations are some of our most popular. You get to use your own wording, choose from seven colors, and order as few as 30. So these are perfect for one of the largest sporting events of the year….The 2014 Winter Games!

Let the Olympic Games Begin!

Please join us to watch the Opening Ceremony.

 

Come and Join Team John and Kate

For a Olympic Games Celebration!

 

Go For the Gold

And Join Jack and Megan

For the Olympics!

 

Calling All Competitors!

Please join us for a celebration

In honor of the Opening Ceremony!

On the bottom of the invite, ask your guests to wear a certain color t-shirt (or you can provide different color t-shirts or patches, etc., when they arrive), so that it's easy to divide into teams for mini-games. Or if you don't plan on hosting competitions of your own, ask guests to arrive in patriotic colors to support Team USA!  Whether people are watching the games or taking part in them, it's still a fun time.

Olympics Theme Party Decorations
An Olympics theme gives you the opportunity to work with a lot of different choices, from the food to the entertainment to the decorations.  Choose international or patriotic colors (or mix them both) to honor the spirit of international cooperation and support Team USA all at once.  Try a few of these ideas to decorate your venue for an Olympics theme party:

• Flags from around the world will make your venue seem like the Olympic Village itself!
• Purchase international flag banners, and hang them everywhere - over doors, around and through banisters, and on fences and railings.  Hang plenty of patriotic flags garland, too, in order to show your support for the home team! You can also use Winter Olympics cutouts on walls and windows. 
• Welcome guests to the party with a personalized Olympics themed banner on your front door (or wherever), making everyone feel at home in the Olympic Village. I usually go overboard by putting directional signs at the entrance (a coat tree works really well) telling them where to go: Olympic Park, Medals Podium, etc. If guests will be playing mini-games for entertainment, you may also want to point out which sport is being played at which location.
• It’s important that everyone participate in the fun. A good way to make that happen is to “dress” your guests.  We usually put some patriotic party wearables out with some beads, and pom poms, and let guests pick what they want to wear. The more gear they grab, the more you see inhibitions disappear.
• Try decorating your Olympics party with balloons.  Use a mixture of red, yellow, blue, green and black latex balloons to match the Olympic rings, or choose all red, white and blue patriotic balloons. You can also stick with pale blues, silver and white for a winter feel. Just remember to stick bunches of balloons in odd numbers on the ends of buffet tables, at the entrance, and as centerpieces.
• Since this is the Winter Olympics, set the scene to look like you're ready to hit the ski slopes with snowflake cutouts around the party.

Make sure your party is Olympic ready with a variety of ready-to-go decorations!  Mixing patriotic party supplies with wintery decorations and a touch of Olympic international colors ensures a cohesive and fun theme!

Olympic Games Party Menu and Table Decorations
Your table should set the mood. Use patriotic theme paper goods or international theme paper goods (unless you want an Olympic-sized clean-up when the party is over).  Add some festive light up barware, like margarita cups, shot glasses, or patriotic glowing ice cubes (put them in clear glasses and pitchers!). 

• Fill gold gift bags with yellow, red, and orange tissue paper to make mini Olympic torches.  Attach balloons in Olympic colors (black, blue, red, yellow, green) to make a centerpiece with height.
• Fill three tall vases with red, white, and blue marbles, and put orange and yellow tissue paper in the top of each one to make high impact torch centerpieces.

For your menu, create food stations from countries around the world. Serve egg rolls from China; fish and chips from Britain; falafel sandwiches from Israel; stuffed shells from Italy; Greek salad from, um?, Greece (of course) and hamburgers and hot dogs to represent the good ol' USA. Australian fare includes Aussie BBQ meats like Chook (that's Chicken.)

And be sure to have plenty of beverages; all with personalized Olympics themed labels on the bottles. Don’t forget that you create the message, so craft phrases that suit the occasion.

Then, of course, you'll need signs for the food and bars, saying things like "Official Bar of the Winter Olympics."  Have table tents for each dish, too.  "Official Salad of the Games" sounds delicious!

The "Games" - Olympics Theme Party Games and Activities
You may choose to watch the games or opening ceremony on TV. After all, that's the point, right? In between, though, have activities to keep guests entertained.  Your own mini-Olympics is a great option.  Try a few of these fun games (for inside and out): 

• Try an assortment of relay races if you've got the space.  Have a penguin relay with players racing with balloons between their legs! 
• If you're ready to brave the cold, go outside and try some winter sports. Try building a snowman or seeing who can throw a snowball the longest, etc.
• Play table games inside, like table football or hockey.  It's fun and doesn't take up a lot of room.
• If your party is all adult, consider drinking games as well (like beer pong).

Whatever you decided to do, make sure to give out gold Olympic medals, silver, and bronze to the winners! You might even decide to award a gold torch trophy to the best all-around athlete.

If you are celebrating someone's birthday, you may want to tailor your party to recognize your guest of honor - passing the birthday torch, a birthday cake-eating race, a birthday hat heat, or a birthday bash dash will keep everyone entertained!

Between the games, your guests will be standing in line to have their pictures taken with a sports theme photo opportunity. Make your guests dreams come true as they are transformed into a muscle man! Or choose a patriotic theme photo op and let your guests be Uncle Sam cheering on Team USA! Have a trusted helper take pictures as people pose for a photo and print pictures out for each guest as a favor before they leave!

Winter Olympic Party Favors
Send your guests home with a sweet reminder from your Olympics party.  A scrumptious milk or dark chocolate candy bar with a personalized Olympic Games wrapper is a delicious souvenir to end a wonderful party.  Try a few of these other fun favor ideas to leave a lasting impression on your family and friends:

• Make a "Go For the Gold" candy favor by filling cellophane bags with gold-wrapped candy.  Rollos, Twix, and butterscotch candy would all fit the bill!
• Create "Olympics Survival Kits" by filling party bags with Olympic essentials.  A bottle of Gatorade, a plastic gold medal, and a sweatband would be great additions.
• Distribute packs of sparklers tied in red, white, and blue ribbon with a thank you tag, so friends and family can celebrate with some "fireworks" after big US wins.
• Fill a cellophane bag with five gumballs, each one a different color of the Olympic rings.  Staple a cute tag with the Olympic logo at the top, and you have a cheap and easy party favor!

Enjoy your Olympics themed party with your family and friends. Go for the gold, cheer for your favorite team, and have fun! - from the Party Girl