20 Thanksgiving Party Themes for Your Fall Festivities!

Thanksgiving is just right around the corner! It’s that time of the year where you’ll go loco as to what you’re going to prepare, cook, and how to transform your homes into a memorable Thanksgiving party. Make this year’s preparation stress- and hassle-free by choosing themes for this year’s Thanksgiving Day.

Be quirky and go outside of the cliche turkey and pumpkins feast by injecting some uniqueness to it. Why not make your party themed after your favorite series, or get dolled up and be fancy as if you’re in a five-star restaurant? It’s all in your hands! Plan your themes ahead of time, and if you’re running out of ideas, we got you covered.

Having a main theme or two for your little shindig can bring great convenience for you as the host because you’ll be more organized and coordinated on how you wanted the party to turn out. Do you guys opt to be matchy with a Thanksgiving color or highlight an iconic Thanksgiving symbol while copping your favorite character in Friends or Game of Thrones? Check out these 21 ideas to spice up your party.

Colorful Thanksgiving Party Themes

Using colors as the central theme of your celebration is one of the easiest party themes for your Thanksgiving. You may focus on the dominant Thanksgiving colors, which will surely give an aesthetic appeal, especially if you love to capture lots of photos. Thanksgiving colors are rich with symbolism and meanings, too! Check out these color-based Thanksgiving party themes:

Autumn Hues, Spice & Everything Nice

Since Thanksgiving is during the Autumn season, highlight these autumn hues and some spices for your party. Hues of red and orange complement each other and create a spicy kind of decor.

Orange, which is usually associated with pumpkins and squashes, radiates positivity, motivation, and encouragement. On the other hand, red represents passion, which may not be commonly used for Thanksgiving, but it adds color to your feast through cranberries and beets.

In addition to the autumn-colored table setup, fill your home with DIY cinnamon-scented fall candles to make it cozier. Don’t forget to top your celebration by baking your own Autumn Spice Cake, which everyone will love for dessert.

Festive Fall Foliage

As Thanksgiving is interrelated with Fall, and they both depict vibrant rich colors of orange, brown, yellow, and red, why not tie these colors up as your theme? Organizing a Fall Foliage this Thanksgiving is a fusion of two celebrations happening simultaneously. Decorate your home with fall leaves and ornaments, and match them with Thanksgiving food, like pumpkin pie, roasted turkey, and colorful cocktails.

Yellow or gold usually depicts a ray of sunshine and light. It’s a warm color you can use to attract optimism and happiness, while brown is the color of bountiful blessings and abundance of harvest. Splash a pop of this earth-color to let more graces and blessings come in your way.

Burgundy and Brass

Going classy this Thanksgiving? Take out those elegant brass-tone plates, glassware, and accent it with burgundy embellishments. Have a dessert and fruit bar filled with bold colored fruits, as well as mimosas and fruit juices for the adults and kids to enjoy over good food, company, and stories.

Grace it White

Is it just me or doesn’t white go so well with everything? Grace your Thanksgiving table with white accents, such as tablecloths, table runners, napkins, candles, and the likes. It will definitely brighten up and highlight the rich red, orange, brown, and yellow set you originally have.

Iconic Thanksgiving Symbols and Dishes

Thanksgiving won’t be a celebration of blessings and harvest without these iconic symbols and dishes. I’m sure when you hear these, you’ll be reminded of Thanksgiving in an instant. Here are some party themes you may want to consider this year.

A Cornucopia of Blessings

Cornucopia came from a Latin word, which means “horn of plenty.” This is usually placed on your tabletops with overflowing fruits, vegetables, and grains. Look beyond its aesthetic design and symbol, and celebrate the blessings you have received this Thanksgiving.

Despite the challenges and setbacks you have experienced along the way, give thanks, and focus on the silver linings or cornucopia of blessings.

Tons of Turkey

Thanksgiving also calls you to prepare lots of turkey dishes! This theme may focus on the dishes you’ll serve while enjoying good company over a movie or the most-awaited football match.

Below are some easy and mouthwatering turkey recipes you may cook at home:

Aside from the recipes, organize some turkey-themed games or arts and crafts for the kids! These will hype everyone out, especially if you are innately competitive (friendly competition, of course, is fine). Check out how you can achieve these activities at home:

Turkey Bowling

Bring the arcade at home, and challenge your fam on a Thanksgiving bowling tournament. You may use mini-pumpkins or a tennis ball to strike out those turkey cups as your bowling pins.

Roll a Turkey

This dice game will unveil how you’ll give colorful feathers to your turkey! All you need is a dice, gamecard, and a bag of M&Ms. Let’s see who will be able to fill all the feather spots of their turkey first!

Leaf Turkey

Go on a leaf hunt by your lawn or backyard, and let the kids pick up leaves they think will perfectly suit their turkey’s tail. Alternatively, you may use strips of construction papers. Just guide the kids on preparing the strips for safety measures.

Turkey Corner Bookmark

Make reading more fun and interesting for the kids by letting them make their own turkey bookmarks! It’s an easy art to follow, and it has a printable template if you want more detailed how-to instructions.

Pastel Pumpkin Party

Pastels and muted colors are in! Let your humble abode be filled with soft colors of greens, blues, oranges, and yellows. This will make the ambiance lighter and cozier. Set the table with muted-colored table runners, napkins, and glassware, which will highlight your pastel-colored pumpkins as your centerpiece. Complete the palette by wearing pastels, too!

Swap Pies

If you’re having your relatives and friends over, you may ask them to bring one pie to the party. On the other hand, you, as the host, may assign a certain pie for them to bake or bring to commence your pie party!

The variety of pies you assign, of course, is not just limited to dessert pies. Oh no! Pizza, pot pies, fruit pies—you name it! All these types of pies are considered as well. Your Thanksgiving Pie Party is a chance to let their creativities flourish!

Harvest Moon

As Thanksgiving is a celebration of giving thanks to a bountiful and abundant harvest, turn your home into a country farm with hay bales and crops, like corn and pumpkins, and autumn decors, such as dried leaves, flowers, and scented candles.

Serve appetizers and main course, which are fresh from the farmer’s market. Lastly, have a freedom wall to give a shoutout or words of heartfelt gratitude to the people whom you are grateful for.

Movie and TV Series Thanksgiving Themes

Make your Thanksgiving party a little extra by incorporating these famous series and movies to your yearly shindig! To complete the celebration, why not watch an episode or two over a hot cup of cocoa or a glass of wine.

Dinner is Coming

Are we on the same boat? Did you see the injected pun from the famous Game of Thrones line, “Winter is Coming”? True enough, Thanksgiving celebration also means that winter is indeed coming in a few weeks.

Start by assigning which house your guests are in. Will they be in House of Stark, Lannister, or Targaryen? Serve them savory food inspired by the series itself, such as Fire-Roasted Targaryen Chicken, Arya’s Meat Pie, Lannister Red & Gold Cherry Pie, Jon Snow Cone, and Mother of Dragons Martini.

Happy Friendsgiving!

This is a perfect Thanksgiving party theme if you’ve invited your friends over! If you guys watched the series Friends (over and over again), no doubt it gave an impact on how you celebrate Thanksgiving with your group. Don’t forget to wear your Thanksgiving pants, and have a merry Friendsgiving with this Friends-inspired menu:

Righteous Mac and Cheese – Do you remember how Chandler’s been so allergic to Thanksgiving food? Prep this up as a side to your feast!

Three Kinds of Potatoes – Would you have Tater Tots ala Joey’s mom, Mashed Potato with Lumps by Ross’ mom, or Whipped Potatoes with Peas and Onions by Phoebe’s mom?
Citrus and Herb Butter Roast Turkey – If you want to be a little extra, you may dress up the turkey with yellow sunglasses and a fez hat. Just don’t get the turkey stuck on your head like Joey did or you’ll scare everyone with your turkey head! Haha!
Rachel’s English Trifle – This is the main star of your Friendsgiving! You must never miss out on Rachel’s English Trifle made of ladyfingers, jam, custard, raspberries, beef with peas and onions, bananas, and whipped cream!

It’s Peanuts Day

Celebrate Thanksgiving the Peanuts way by dressing up as your favorite Peanuts character, and watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving with the fam after a dinner feast inspired by the movie. For sure, the kids will enjoy this themed party.

Quirky Thanksgiving Party Themes

Spice this year’s Thanksgiving by rocking these quirky themes, which can be easily achieved through teamwork, enough preparation, and proper execution. Give these themes a look, and check out which would be your peg for this Thanksgiving.

Around the World Potluck

Are you food enthusiasts, and would love to try out different cuisines around the world? This theme is perfect for showcasing a variety of delicacies for you to try this Thanksgiving. You may choose at least three cuisines to complete your menu. Here are some ideas that you may cop for your Around the World Potluck:

Don’t forget to play some international music that best represents each country and culture. It will really make you feel you’re traveling around the world with this Thanksgiving idea.

Pajama Thanksgiving Party

Grab your coziest pajamas and loungewear as you throw a Pajama Thanksgiving party! It’s a perfect theme if you’re eyeing to have a chill and laid back Thanksgiving this year. Plus, you can go straight to slumber after a night of Thanksgiving shenanigans! How cool is that?

But before that, decorate your living room into a mini-camping site by preparing an indoor fort, made of blankets, duvets, and fluffy pillows. Aside from that, prepare some snacks and wine as well, while binge-watching movies or TV shows on Netflix.

Shimmers, Sparkle & Anything Fancy

Glam up and wear those dashing suits and gowns! Be at your best as if you’re a star. Just as the song goes, “Shine bright like a diamond.”

The suits aren’t the only ones to be used this Thanksgiving, but also the best of the best candles, tablecloths, glassware, and china. It would be better if you can achieve a gold and black or white ensemble motif to release those shimmers and sparkles at your formal Thanksgiving gathering. This may also serve as a practice for your kids to learn about the proper etiquette in fine dining.

A Boho-tastic Thanksgiving Party

Be more colorful, adventurous, and quirky by organizing a Bohemian Thanksgiving gathering. One thing that comes into mind when you hear the word “Bohemian” is Coachella. So, cop that look into your party this Thanksgiving, and have a boho-tastic time with family and friends!

If you’re looking for some inspiration, check this article for more ideas on how you can set up your table and menu.

Have a Taco-rrific Thanksgiving

Let’s dig-in to Tacosgiving—a Taco fiesta Thanksgiving! I’m sure everyone would approve of having a taco fiesta. Who wouldn’t? Glam up your taco bar, filled with different kinds of tacos and drinks, to enjoy with your friends and family all day long. If you’re wondering what kind of tacos you can prepare this coming Tacosgiving, check these out:

Rustic-Themed Thanksgiving

Who said rustic isn’t beautiful? Bring the beauty of earthly colors, like khaki, muted orange, and white, as your motif, and set an appetizing grazing table filled with fruits, cheese, ham, nuts, crackers, and the likes. Offer some good wine, too, to complement your grazing table.

As for the decor, you need not make such effort, especially if you’re into wood and nature. Just add some fresh or dried flowers as your centerpiece over a rustic table runner.

Check out this classic handmade, hemstitched Thanksgiving table runner from the brand Grelucgo!

Tailgate Party

Missed out watching your favorite team live in the arena? Why not sport your jersey as if you’re part of the team, and throw a tailgate party at home? Whether or not the whole fam and gang are on the same boat or not, it’s fine!

Have your Thanksgiving feast by the backyard, and transform your truck for your main decor. Make sure you’ve prepared enough desserts and drinks for everyone, as Thanksgiving and football go hand-in-hand, like roasted turkey and gravy.

Make It Luau Tropical

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You may bid goodbye to your tropical suits for now, but have one last hurrah before winter clocks in. You need not be on a beach just to make this theme work! Prep out those leis and tiki torches to make your home shout a Hawaii- or Maui-like ambiance.

For the decors, have a photo wall filled with Tropical leaves and Hibiscus backdrop or some honeycomb and pineapple lanterns. Most importantly, add some beach music while enjoying your tropical Thanksgiving food and punch.

Thanksgiving Themes Should be Special

Everything would fall into place when there is enough preparation, coordination, and teamwork to make Thanksgiving themes work! It’ll be more organized and less stressful as you know what decorations you should look for and have an idea of what you should cook to complete your Thanksgiving menu.

Go out of the conventional pumpkin and turkey Thanksgiving gathering. Spice it up a bit, and make it a whole new level, just like how you can inject Game of Thrones in your Thanksgiving Dinner or get dolled up in your best attire with your Fancy Fine Dining theme.

With these, we wish you the best of luck in organizing the best Thanksgiving party to date, and don’t forget to celebrate the real essence of Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving, folks!