How to Throw an American–Themed Party

Co-authored by Anna Braff

Last Updated: June 7, 2022

Throwing an American-themed party is a great opportunity for you and your friends to have fun and celebrate American culture. Not only does throwing an American-themed party give you the opportunity to enjoy your favorite American food, but it will be a great opportunity to listen to your favorite American tunes. Before you have fun, though, you'll have to plan the type of music you'll play, the food you'll serve, how you'll decorate, and how your guests will dress.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Choosing Music

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Listen to country music. Country music is a really fun genre of American music. By choosing to play country music, you'll give your party a particular American flare. You'll also be able to pair your music choices with certain food choices, decorations, and more. Some popular country musicians include:
- Johnny Cash
- Willy Nelson
- Waylon Jennings
- Trace Atkins
- Blake Shelton
- Brad Paisley^{[1]
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Play rap music. Rap is a uniquely American form of music that grew from its roots in blues and R&B before the 1970s. If you play rap music, you can dance and rap along with the cool beats.
- Include rap and hip hop from the 1990s like Snoop Dog or Eminem
- Think about newer songs by Pit Bull or Lil Wayne^{[2]
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3
Jam to rock and roll. Track down some of the best American rock and roll tunes of the 1960s, 1970s, and to today. Playing American rock and roll music will give your party an authentic and fun feel. In addition, you and your guests can play air guitar to awesome solos. When creating your playlist, consider:
- The Grateful Dead
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- The Allman Brothers
- Guns and Roses
- Stone Temple Pilots
- Pearl Jam
- Bruce Springsteen^{[3]
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Use free internet services to play your music. Rely on your favorite internet music streaming service to play music for your American-themed party. These services can create randomly generated lists of songs, or you can customize your own playlist. Some popular services include:
- Spotify
- Pandora
- YouTube

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Decorating and Providing Paperware

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Decorate as if you are in a certain state or region. The easiest way to decorate is to do so as if you are in a certain part of the United States. By picking a state or a region, you'll be able to give your party a much more authentic feel. In addition, you'll have a blast decorating. Some of the easiest regions to decorate for include:
- The American South. You can hang things that look like Spanish moss, print off pictures of old Southern houses, and put out white flowers that resemble magnolia flowers.
- The American Midwest. The Midwest will be a farming theme. Put out bales of hay, corn, wheat, and other farm goods. Consider placing your drinks or food in galvanized steel containers.
- New York City. This is an urban theme that would be great paired with sports jerseys (think New York Knicks). Put up pictures of the New York Sky line.
- Southern California. Put up fake palm trees, cut out letters to spell “Hollywood” on your wall,” and maybe even make a Hollywood Walk of Fame with your friends' names on it.
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Put up American flags. Place American flags everywhere. These flags don't need to be actual flags, you can have American flags or American flag themed cups, plates, napkins, banners, balloons, and more.^{[4]
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Use solo cups. Solo cups are widely recognized as one of the most important components of American college parties. As a result, make sure you use red solo cups at your party. Serve soft drinks in them, mixed drinks, or anything else.^{[5]
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- Consider playing beer pong with your solo cups.
4
Provide paper plates and plastic forks. Americans are always on the go, and don't have time for cleaning or using fancy plates – that's at least how you can rationalize your use of paper plates and plastic forks. If possible, supply paper plates with American flags on them. Also, find red, white, and blue forks, spoons, and knives to supply your guests with.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Serving Food

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Grill or BBQ. Grilling is one of the most enjoyable aspects of American get-togethers. It gives you the opportunity to drink your favorite beer, listen to tunes, and talk to your friends. Light up your gas or charcoal grill and throw on your choice of meat. Consider some of the following American favorites:
- Hamburger meat
- Hot dogs
- Ribs
- Pork loin
- Chicken
- Beef steak^{[6]
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Put out soda. No american party will be complete without American soft drinks. Make sure to provide popular soft drinks that people consume in the United States. This way, you and your guests will be able to enjoy an American beverage with their American meal. Consider:
- Coca Cola
- Pepsi Cola
- Dr. Pepper
- Mountain Dew
- Sprite
3
Serve American beer. While American beer might not be the best quality or most sought after, no America-themed party will be complete without American-produced beer. As a result, stock your fridge and coolers with a selection of popular American brews. Consider:
- Miller High Life
- Bud Light
- Pabst Blue Ribbon
4
Have a red white and blue cake. Serve an America flag-themed cake for desert. You can choose to bake and decorate your own cake or buy one from a store. The only thing you should make sure of is that it is red, white, and blue.^{[7]
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- Substitute red, white, and blue cupcakes for a cake.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Dressing the Part

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Wear American sports jerseys. Ask the people you invite to wear American sports team jerseys. Sports-themed jerseys will help turn your party into a sporting event, American style. The great thing about a sports jersey party is that you can pair it with any music, food, or drinks.^{[8]
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- Think about putting an American sports game on your TV.
2
Dress up as country people. Require the people you invite to your party to dress as if they are farmers from the American Midwest. This costume choice is great paired with country music, hot dogs, hamburgers, and Miller High Life. Some things people could wear include:
- Boots
- Cowboy hats or baseball caps
- Jeans
- White t-shirts
- Flannel^{[9]
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Put on America shirts, hats, or shoes. There are a wide array of wardrobe choices you can pick from to show your red white and blue. Just about any article of clothing that features an American flag, is red, white and blue, has an eagle on it, or anything similar will work.^{[10]
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- If you're throwing a pool party, consider buying some American flag bathing suits or floats.
4
Avoid culturally inappropriate and/or racist costumes. Don't dress up as a specific American ethnic or cultural group. Chances are, you'll get it wrong and make a mockery of someone else's culture. You might even insult some people while you're doing it. Some of the worst ideas include dressing as:
- Native Americans
- African Americans
- Minority religious groups (Mennonites, the Amish, Mormons, or Jewish people)

Expert Q&A

Question

How should I make my house for a party?

Anna Braff
Event Decor Specialist
Anna Braff is an Event Decor Specialist and Founder & Designer at Provenance Rentals. With over five years of experience, she specializes in providing clients with a range of modern, bespoke, blended, and design-forward furniture and props tailored to their event needs. Provenance Rentals' award-winning work has been published in numerous prestigious magazines such as Vogue, InStyle, People, and Mingle. Anna is a former attorney and earned her Bachelor's Degree from New York University.

Anna Braff

Event Decor Specialist

Expert Answer

Make sure that your place is clean, because you don't want to have guests come over and you feel judged. So it's always important to get a good housekeeper and get things pretty clean and presentable.
Question

What other food options are a good idea to consider?

Anna Braff
Event Decor Specialist
Anna Braff is an Event Decor Specialist and Founder & Designer at Provenance Rentals. With over five years of experience, she specializes in providing clients with a range of modern, bespoke, blended, and design-forward furniture and props tailored to their event needs. Provenance Rentals' award-winning work has been published in numerous prestigious magazines such as Vogue, InStyle, People, and Mingle. Anna is a former attorney and earned her Bachelor's Degree from New York University.

Anna Braff

Event Decor Specialist

Expert Answer

Well, people love wings, nachos and good beer. Just do your best to find out what your guests want. Taking a poll to see what people's tastes are and what they're expecting is always a good idea. It doesn't have to be super traditional, so feel free to experiment!