How to Organize an Ice Cream Party

Use traditional ice cream flavors that appeal to everyone, including vanilla and chocolate.

Hosting an ice cream party involves more than just putting out bowls and cartons of ice cream. Weeks before the party, you need to start planning ahead and most importantly, creating your guest list. Once you have that in hand, you can start planning ahead for the decorations and menu. Organize your ice cream party well in advance of the day.

Instructions

1. Pick a date and a location for your ice cream party. Hosting an outdoor party or a party at a location away from your home is slightly more difficult than throwing one at home. You'll need to transport all of your party decorations and ice cream to the location and find some way to keep the ice cream cold during the party.

2. Make your guest list and send out invitations. The number of guests you invite determines the amount of ice cream needed. Sending out the invitations in advance means you'll know the guest list before visiting the store. You can find or make invitations that resemble an ice cream cone or a bowl of ice cream.

3. Look for ice cream style decorations for your party. Simply Modern Mom has step-by-step decorations on how to make an ice cream party banner and an ice cream cone piñata, though you can also purchase similar decorations yourself. Streamers in pale colors mimic the shades of the ice cream served at the party.

4. Browse party supply stores for ice cream themed party favors. Plastic bowl and spoon sets shaped like ice cream cones not only give you a serving vessel for the ice cream, but also provides a party favor for your guests. You'll also find ice cream shaped key chains and whistles and even ice cream flavored candies.

5. Buy bowls, spoons, ice cream and toppings the day before the party. Purchase a wide range of fresh fruits and chop those the morning of the party. Marshmallow fluff, miniature chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, sprinkles, whipped cream and butterscotch sauce are all topping options.

Tips & Warnings

• Use more than one ice cream scoop, especially if you host the party away from your home. This gives you extra serving spoons even if you lose the first one.

• If you plan on hosting the party outdoors, purchase dry ice. The dry ice keeps the ice cream cold until you're ready to serve and won't melt like regular ice cubes.

References

• Dot Com Women: Ice Cream Birthday Party
• Simply Modern Mom: Ice Cream Party Ideas and Tutorials
• Thoughtfully Simple: Ice Cream Party Theme