Planning a movie themed birthday  party? We just celebrated our daughter turning 8 with a small at home film themed birthday party, and we're sharing all the details!

Let's be honest, birthday parties can be a little……stressful and it's been a BIT since we planned one.    When we moved to San Diego Lydia was in kindergarten.  At that point, we'd had a birthday party when she turned one, and most years after that….we'd done a Disneyland Birthday as a family instead of a party.  So that year? I might have been a little over the top, we invited the entire kindergarten class to a crafting at Michaels Birthday Party.  Now, we all know what happened.  So clearly, we didn't have a birthday party last year.  But this year? We decided to do a VERY small party with two families at home.  This was the perfect, low key way to hang out.  Since we planned on the kids watching a film, it made total sense to do a movie themed birthday party.

My goal? Simple.  Fun for the kids and parents and easy to set up and take down.

Lydia's Movie Themed Birthday Party

Let's be honest, at home parties can be overwhelming.  You want your home to look great, you spend time setting up and it can be easy to go over the top.  But this? The set up was super easy, and our food was even easier.  This was a ton of fun, without total stress (a birthday party win, right?)

We planned for the party to last from about 12 pm to 3 pm and invited the kids to come in pajamas (that was Lydia's idea, but seemed totally fitting for a movie themed birthday party).

Movie Themed Birthday Party Menu:

We set up an easy lunch buffet with pizza, movie popcorn, movie candy treats, sliced fruit and salad and a mimosa bar for the grown ups.  All of it was easy to pick and set up in advance, so I could actually enjoy time with the adults and not worry about food prepping.

And for dessert? We got the most amazing cake made by an amazing local baker (Occasion-All Cakes here in San Diego).

Movie Themed Birthday Party Decorations:

Shop these movie themed birthday party decorations:

The key to these fun decorations? A red carpet and a few film related items.  We got some fun film strip table runners, a now showing sign so that we could announce the movie the kids would be watching, a REALLY cute birthday banner, and a clapboard that the kids LOVED.

The red carpet was perfect for one use.  You could also use red butcher paper or red fabric, whatever is easiest!

Movie Themed Birthday Party Activities:

This? Was the easiest part of the party.  Lydia picked a movie to screen with her friends (we watched the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid , which is about an hour long….so the perfect amount of time).  Other than that? The kids played, we ate lunch and the parents got a chance to catch up.  It was LOVELY and easy.

My biggest movie themed birthday party tip? Have fun, and pick a great movie to watch all together!