Our family had so much fun creating this At-Home Movie Theater party for our son Ezra's 8th birthday. All you need is a projector and an outdoor space, but I wanted to jazz it up just a little bit more. I created a ticket booth and concession stand for a full movie theater experience to ensure that our movie night felt like our guests were actually going to a movie theater and not just our house. In an attempt to achieve that, we set up a ticket booth at the front door using our kids’ old puppet theater. My daughter handed out tickets for guests to use to “purchase” their popcorn, candy and drinks at the concession stand. I cut out red stars (from foam sheets) and stuck them to the floor (with adhesive putty) to lead guests through the house to the concession stand and back outside to where our movie was going to take place. Before entering our theater (aka our backyard), I set up a shadow box for guests to place their entry ticket. Finally, our guests could choose their seating on chairs or blankets around our yard. I also set up a little bug-spray table for people to grab as needed. Dramatic play, even as an adult, is so much fun! Who says staying home can’t be just as entertaining?
I hope you have as much fun at your party as we did! In reflecting on the party, my son said that "the best part of the night was eating candy with my friends." After all, people are what matter most!
Pegboard Display Wall
I love displaying food in a creative way at our parties. I made this simple DIY Popcorn Display Wall as a statement piece in our concession stand. We have also used it in many other ways for other parties such as a donut wall, bagel wall, pretzel wall and more. You can easily recreate your own for your next party.
- Pegboard (I chose the 4ft square size at Lowes for $10 and spray painted it white)
- Optional frame (I bought two 1x4’s for $5 each, cut 2 pieces 4ft long and 2 pieces 3.5ft long, stained minwax walnut, attached to pegboard with screws through the back).
- Twine to string popcorn bags (or if you’re using the pegboard display for donuts, bagels or pretzels then use golf tees hot glued into holes from behind!)
- Clothes pins to hang popcorn bags
- Popcorn bags
Ticket Booth
- Tickets
- Ticket Booth (optional)
Concession Stand
- Popcorn Machine (optional)
- Popcorn
- Popcorn flavors (for guests to get creative!)
- Candy (boxes rather than bags for movie theater vibes!)
- Soda (bottles rather than cans)
- Napkins
- Cupcake toppers & Plates (if its a birthday celebration)
- Reused boxes and spray painted them white for guests to easily carry their snacks