Costumes & Accessories (27)

Space Party

Table of contents

Introduction

“Space: the final frontier...” - if you know your Star Trek, then you'll definitely know this phrase. And like Star Trek, there are many films, books and other forms of media that attempt to explore this interesting subject with its endless boundaries and possibilities of things that could well exist. Whether its due to human curiosity or just innocent fascination with this subject, it has spread throughout our lives to become and almost integral part of our every day lives – including the parties we host. As such we've put our minds together to come up with some of the ultimate ideas for space parties, which you can use and change at your own will. But first, a couple of interesting facts about that infinite wonder... Space.

 

  • A light year is measured in distance and indicates the amount of miles completed by light whilst moving at a speed of 300 000km per second in a period of one year. It therefore stands to reason that a light year is 9,500,000,000,000km.

  • There is more space than matter in the universe - this is rather obvious. But did you know that the entire amount of space compared to the entire amount of matter can be equated to a single grain of sand contained in a box of which the dimensions are 20 miles by 20 miles?


  • You cannot hear in space! Although an object might indeed make a sound as energy is released from it, there is no air to carry the sound waves to the ears of an observer.


  • While scientists still believed the universe to be around 6,000 years old by the year 1820, we now know that it is approximately 13,700,000,000 years old.

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Space Party Invitations

The most important things in any party are of course the guests. As such you'll have to ensure that your invitations are up to the task of convincing them to come. Below you'll find a couple of our ideas which you are free to use as you wish. Should you require any of the materials mentioned, buy them from the appropriate local retailer or off the internet. Do remember to include the following details in your invitation to ensure that your guests have all the information they need:

  • Party Name: Give your party a galactic name! Think along the lines of “Bob's Final Frontier Bash”

  • Salutation

  • Date & Time

  • Venue/Location

  • Dress Code

  • Contact Details

  • Additional information…

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Little Alien Invitation

Are we alone in the universe? You decide! But for the purposes of this invitation, we'll assume that there could be and, as such, will be using them as a central theme for our invitations.

 

To stat off, you'll need to get your hands on a couple of alien figurines or statuettes. These can be anything from cute and cuddly to tentacled and scary, the choice is yours. Be sure to get a number equal to the guests you want to invite or at least one per couple. Along with the little aliens, you'll also need to make a couple of card-based invitations with all the details as listed above (add to them by including a couple of flying saucers as well as astronauts).

 

Once you have all the items, simply affix the invitations to the little aliens and get ready to deliver them.

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Space Movie Invitation

Fancy yourself a bit of an actor? Well, if so then this idea will be perfect for you!

 

What you'll need is a camera as the most essential part of the invitation and then any other items you may want to use as props for your costume. Choose them around the following idea: use a famous space movie scene which you (and your fellow actors) will be able to spoof. Change the scene accordingly to include your invitation as well as the details listed above.

 

Once you have your spoof video made, simply package and deliver or post it somewhere on the internet.

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Planetary Invitation

Another one for those creative individuals among us, the planetary invitation will be fun to make.

 

Here's what you'll need:

  • Paper Mache mix

  • Round balloons or plastic balls

  • Images of planets

  • Paint to match the colors on the planetary images

 

Once you have all the items, blow up the balloons until they are an appropriate size. Mix your paper mache until it has the right consistency and plaster it around the balls or balloons. Once your rounded shapes are dry, it's time to paint. Use the images of the planets as templates to work from to ensure that your miniature planets look as authentic as possible. When finished, leave them to dry for a bit.

 

At this stage you can do one of two things:

 

Create a card-based invitation to attach to your miniature planet.

Or

Paint the details of your party on the surface of your plant.

 

Once you're done, it's time to deliver your invitations.

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Space Party Dress Code

There's one thing you'll always see on people at a space party: tinfoil – though you needn't put this on the invitation. The dress code for your space party will largely depend on the theme of the party. If you want your guests to come as aliens, simply state “Martians” or “Aliens” on the under dress code on the invitation. Just be careful when using the latter that your guests don't necessarily mistake it for a movie. And peaking of which, if you want your guests to come as characters from a famous space movie, just state the name of the movie (this should keep in line with the theme of your invitation though).

Space Party Decorations

Again, here your decorations will largely depend on what kind of space party you will be having. If your space party theme is simply space, then you'll do fine with some tinfoil on the wall, some glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling and perhaps some tin foil covering the walls (shiny side outward) to resemble a space capsule. Also be sure to use aluminum cups and plates for some added space effects.

 

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Space Party Guest Arrival & Announcement

As there is no real space culture yet, a simple robotic greeting and invitation for your guests will do. Take care to introduce them to each other and ensure that a good time is had by all.

 

If your space party is in line with an established theme, say with a space movie or a book, then you will be well served by thinking of introductions in the appropriate accent or language (for example Klingon).

Space Party Favors

Luckily space party favors are in full supply, both in retailers around the country as well as in online shops. Items that can be used as party favors include:

  • Space Shuttle Ornament

  • Human Astronaut Ornament

  • Embroidered Mission Patch

  • Space Shuttle Cups

  • Space Party T-shirts

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Space Party Activities

Moonwalk Reenactment

We all know the famous moon walk by Neil Armstrong who placed his left foot on the moon at 2:56UTC on July 21, 1969. And following that, he spoke the immortal phrase “This is one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”.

 

That being said, take turns with your guests to be Neil Armstrong on that historic day and see who has the most authentic moon walk and Neil Armstrong impersonation. The guest with the best act, wins a special prize (which you have to acquire before the event starts).

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Space Film Marathon

Man's wonder and awe of space is perhaps best exhibited in the films we make of it. Invite your guests over early and watch a couple of the best space films ever made. Titles include the following:

  • Solaris

  • Planet of the Apes

  • Star Wars

  • Spaceballs

  • Star Trek

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Moon Basketball

This is basketball, but with a gravitational twist. The moon's gravity is 83% less than of than on earth, meaning that you would be able to jump almost six times further and a lot higher... but you would also be a lot slower.

Invite your guests to play a game of moon basketball, where people are penalized for moving too fast. The slowest team with the highest score... wins.

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Planetary Bowling

For this activity you won't need to get out the bowling balls and pins, you'll be making your own planetary bowling set (which has to be done before our guests arrive).

 

This can be achieved by applying a couple of layers of paper mache around the shape of an inflated balloon or plastic ball. Remember to let it dry for a while. Once dried, take a bit of paint and decorate it like one of our planets.

 

As for the pins... well, why not take a couple of empty plastic bottles and fill them with sand. When done, wrap them in tin foil and add a couple of wings so that they resemble space rockets.

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Food & Drink

When it comes to space food, you'll have to keep in line with the theme of your party. However you may have some problems with the food types eaten by various alien races as it sometimes includes humans (not even for the main course, but dessert!).

 

As such it would only be apt to take some everyday cuisine and drinks and give them the appropriate space names. Here are a couple of examples:

  • Kirk's Martian Triangles (Sandwiches)

  • The Flattened Voyager (Pizza)

  • Chewbacca's Fist (Hamburger)

  • Shattered Moon Surprise (Potato Salad)

  • Piccard's Blood (Red Wine)

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Reader ideas