7 Unusual and Unique Party Themes for Adults: From desert oasis to retro space

For the free spirit who wants to bring a slice of the great outdoors into their glamorous celebration, we’ve imagined combining the boho-chic of a desert festival with the natural beauty of a blissful oasis. Working alongside our favourite floral designers and plant specialists, we’ll create secluded spots surrounded by gigantic palms where guests can sip hibiscus margaritas or laze next to a lagoon for a mini spa treatment by one of our therapists. As the evening sets, we’re taking cues from the latest Dune movie - projecting atmospheric landscapes behind an illuminated full moon. A rustic feast featuring a cactus tablescape under a canopy of fairy lights will create a ‘dining-under-the-stars’ atmosphere - followed by an acoustic set where guests can kick off their shoes and dance into the night.

Venue Inspiration: Cromwell Place

If sophistication tops your must-have party list, then a black-tie boxing banquet ticks all the boxes. The scene will be set with a boxing ring installed under a canopy of chandeliers, for guests to glide around in outfits worthy of a MET Gala Ball. For ultimate elegance, master mixologists will create off-menu requests served with the finest native oysters, before guests take their seats for a candelabra-lit banquet. Feasting to the sounds of a jazz quartet, the drama turns up a notch as an appearance from a boxing heavyweight welcomes the evening’s world-class entertainment into the ring.

Venue Inspiration: Jack Soloman’s Club

It’s time to leave terra firma behind and go interstellar. At the centre of our space-age mood board? The ultimate stylish sci-fi reference - Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: Space Odyssey. This retro theme is a fusion of 60’s cool and futuristic minimalism - imagine a brutalist venue filled with a life-sized monolith, complete with a wall of screens where guests can display birthday messages. Astronauts will patrol the ‘space station’ hosting intergalactic puzzles - but there’s plenty of time for solo exploration as the control room filled with arcade games transports guests right back to their youth. Every last detail has been considered, vintage furniture of the decade will create modular breakout lounges and dining settings. Later on, the sixties really start swinging with tributes to icons from Jimi Hendrix to The Who and Yardbirds to keep the revellers entertained before the spacecraft prepares to land.

Venue Inspiration: Control Room A - Battersea Power Station

We couldn’t resist a visual feast for the final theme. An alien invasion has taken place in 1950s America and guests will be ‘permitted’ into Area 51 where they’ll have to work together to escape! But all is not as it seems - the cacti are candy-coloured and the desert landscape is peppermint green. Fans of Wes Anderson will recognise influences from Asteroid City - expect lots of exaggerated colour palettes and nostalgia - from gigantic neon signs to life-size film posters such as Invaders from Mars and Target Earth. For added authenticity, we’ll install an original airstream caravan, fitted with a retro diner where guests can pop in for a gourmet hot dog or vanilla float.

Venue Inspiration - Frameless

Would you like to escape the city altogether for your celebration? Get ready to be transported to the ‘Golden Age of Travel’ with Belmond on board an Art Deco British Pullman steam train or floating villa. The locomotive handily departs from London Victoria but you’ll soon feel like a guest in an Agatha Christie story. As you speed through the British countryside, sip fine wines and feast delicious courses in a private carriage - furnished with beautiful 1930s details. To add to the vintage glamour, your guests will be entertained by some of the capital’s most talented cabaret artists. Alternatively, If you’d like to travel a little further afield, set sail with Bateaux Belmond, on a fleet of exquisite vessels with Belmond’s trademark Art Deco features. Charter your own private journey - cruise through Champagne, or glide through Burgundy while hopping off at scenic vineyards or master French cuisine during a cooking lesson with a personal chef.

Venue Inspiration: Les Bateux Belmond, British Pullman Train

Choosing an artistic period lends itself to a fun-filled, imaginative theme, perfect for a 50th birthday celebration for a creative individual. There are so many periods to choose from, a stand-out is Surrealism - full of weird and wonderful iconography waiting to be turned into decor and party food ideas. Create an immersive experience for your guests by plunging them into a famous artwork through light projections, making it a complete sensory experience with the addition of fragrance and sound. Actors, impersonating famous artists or even artworks, will play host - whether it’s encouraging guests to sip and paint over at the art station and sample the tailored cocktail menu. The theatrics continue into the feast with Dali-inspired desserts before the evening’s host presents a lively auction filled with works by the guests and local artists to raise money for charity.

Venue Inspiration: Two Temple Place

If cherry pie, black coffee, and owls instantly make you think of waterfalls, pine forests, and surreal zigzag flooring, then Twin Peaks could be the ultimate unusual party theme for you. This cult classic TV show is full of quirky characters and mysterious happenings - great inspiration for fun and games. Your very own Agent Cooper could host a murder mystery - inviting guests to step into the shoes of their favourite characters. A replica of the Double R Diner provides plenty of party food ideas - maybe serving plenty of reimagined arrival canapes and drinks (hello espresso martinis) keeping everyone immersed before they head to an altogether more surreal and decadent setting, think lots of signature red velvet, a wall of mirrors, and even more mysteries to solve…

Venue Inspiration: Upstairs at Langan’s