Star Wars Birthday Party {Cheap & Easy Episode}

I am not a Star Wars fanatic. Unfortunately, I always fall asleep when the robots are wandering around the dessert speaking robot gibberish. However, I married a Star Wars fanatic, who is the son of a Star Wars fanatic. And, guess what, we have a little preschool Star Wars fanatic. (These are the types of marital outcomes that are NEVER discussed in premarital counseling.)

When I saw the light saber birthday cupcakes that JDaniel4′s Mom featured in March, I told Ben that we would have a Star Wars party for his birthday. {My plan: Make cupcakes, put a candle in one, and sing Happy Birthday . . . after all he is only four.} Before I knew it though, the Star War fanatics started talking, and next thing I knew we were having a ton of people over complete with a Darth Vader cake. So much for the cute light saber cupcakes . . . But, in the end, I was amazed by how easy and imaginative a Star Wars birthday party could be. Plus, my mother-in-law’s cake was pretty awesome!

You can find more glamorous Star Wars parties on the internet, but this party has to be the easiest. Almost everything was purchased at the dollar store and assembled within a couple of hours. Here is what we did:

Star Wars Party Menu

I pulled out our Star Wars: The Ultimate Visual Guide (you own one too, right?), and looked through the index in order to name the food. We had Chewbacca Chicken, Vader Veggies, Padme Potato Chips, etc. I also made “Cabonite Jello” an idea I saw on JustJENN recipes. We didn’t have Han Solo to imprison, so I just threw a couple of plastic army men in the jello before it set. The kids loved it (I suspect even the adults ate extra jello). {Don’t worry, we only served army men to children three and older due to the toys being a possible choking hazard. To my knowledge, none were eaten alive, although one did end up dying a violent death in the garbage disposal.}

Using downloaded Star Wars fonts, I made themed labels for the food.

Star Wars Party Decorations

For decorations I purchased black plastic tablecloths, black streamers, glow-in-the-dark stars, and black balloons. To add some galactic color to the tables, I sprinkled confetti stars, balled up aluminum foil (asteroids), and glow sticks that I decorated with duct tape and electric tape to look like light sabers. I also taped Star Wars themed coloring pages to the tables and put crayons out so that the kids could color while they ate dinner.

Using my husband’s extensive Star Wars knowledge, we labeled the different parts of our yard after a Star Wars theme. The trees were Endor, the back porch The Death Star, the kid’s playground The Millennium Falcon, and so on.

Star Wars Party Games

The children were young, so we didn’t play any organized games. But, I made sure that they had plenty of outdoor activities to keep them busy (not fighting). Using duct tape and black electric tape, I made light saber sidewalk chalk for coloring on The Death Star. We also set up the pool (The Trash Compactor) and the kids had a blast playing in it with balls and pool noodle light sabers.

Star Wars Cake

This cake doesn’t fall under the category of easy or cheap, but my Mother-in-law was kind enough to make it. Marrying into a family with a Mother-in-law who is an expert at cake decorating was smart (I just wish I would have known it BEFORE we got married!) Look at her beautiful cake that she made with a Star Wars cake pan. The best part is that she chose to make it chocolate. She even found a glow stick light saber.

Star Wars Party Favors

Unfortunately, my photo of my party favors disappeared into the cyber space.  But, if you are wondering, I made some extra glow stick light sabers (made from glow stick bracelets), glitter glue light sabers, and toothbrush holder light sabers that contained candy. {I meant to also give away the glow-in-the-dark stars and pool noodle light sabers, but I forgot. Probably none of the moms were too upset about not getting to take home the pool noodles!}

This party theme is easy to find inexpensive favors for because you can make anything that is colorful and shaped like a stick into a light saber. Although you could spend more time and tape making the light sabers look more realistic, none of the children cared that mine had a simple design.

And, guess what Ben received for his birthday: this Darth Vader outfit. We won’t have to find a costume for Halloween this year!  I am a little nervous though that I will be end up being the resident Jedi to attack. But, Vader better watch out . . . I can do some tricky pool noodle light saber moves.

I hope that this post encourages you not to be overwhelmed by elaborate Pinterest and blog party ideas. With a couple simple ideas and a trip to the dollar store, you can make a memorable party for your child that will be fun and inspire the imagination!

Related: Star Wars birthday party ideas

This post is linked to: Tuesday Tots, It’s Playtime, The Kid’s Co-op Link Up, and T.G.I.F.