Arabian Nights - Summer Party Ideas

Themed Summer parties all have a different focus and a different aspect that it emphasises. If your company is one that embraces the extravagant and exotic, that loves to explore different cultures and different worlds then the Arabian Nights theme will be ideal. The wonders of North Africa are transported to your summer event. The stories of Ali Baba, Sinbad and Aladdin are brought to life for a night of mystique and spectacle. The richly textured Arabian history and culture provides huge amounts of inspiration for an event theme from the spice markets of Marrakech to the tents of the Bedouin people. The Arabian Nights theme is a firm favourite due to how incredible it looks when it’s done right. If you want to throw THE do of the summer, it’s time to put your party hat on and read on for some incredible summer party ideas to really impress those attending your fab party.

Why choose an Arabian Nights theme for your Summer party?

Theming is always better suited to certain venues than others. And for a truly authentic experience, Arabian Nights is best suited to an outdoor venue much like a Bedouin tent in the desert. You can construct a temporary structure like a marquee, and have it fully decorated with all the touches that create a truly North African inspired space, for example Persian Rugs and Moroccan lanterns.

Alternatively, you can adapt the Arabian Nights theme to indoor spaces, even if they do lose a little bit of the authenticity. But we recommend that it’s a blanker space such as a hall. The reason for this is that an Arabian Nights theme is a strong one and is best applied to a ‘blank page’ – the quirkier venues may struggle to get their character across when decked in all the beauty of Morocco.

Think of how it’ll look as the venue’s draped in wall tapestries, rugs and floor cushions as your guests arrive and feel the full impact of being transported to another world for the night. Making a ‘shoes off at the door policy’ is a great way to further implement the theme as guests walk on the rugs, sit on the floor cushions with low tables to match.

The spectacle of your theme doesn’t just include the decoration. One of the things that makes an Arabian Nights theme so fun is the amount of entertainment that can be included. Your music could come from an authentic live drumming circle, lulling you into the magic of the evening. Belly dancers and contortionists move around the venue, dazzling you with their movements. For the truly extravagant we can even arrange fire dancers and snake charmers! Anything you can imagine making it feel as authentic as possible will really wow your guests and be the summer party everyone’s talking about.

Will there be a dress code?

That’s totally down to you. With a themed party generally comes a themed dress code. Whether you want to keep it formal or go all out fancy dress, the choice is yours. Just make sure you give your guests enough time to pull an outfit together! Not everyone has Arabian Nights themed clothes in their wardrobe waiting to be brought out. You can find outfit ideas from watching Aladdin, reading or watching Sinbad, and of course searching further into the stories from ‘1001 Nights’. With a themed party, it’s a great opportunity to show everyone what you’re made of and come up with a jaw-dropping outfit. Whether you’re going all out or would prefer to add a few accessories such as decking yourself in jewellery – the choice is yours.

What food and drink will we have?

With the venue or tent dressed to impress you’ve got to have the right food and drink to match. Think opulent dinnerware, with gold, silver and bronze tones for guests to eat their dinner with. Why not serve dinner on low table and have guests sit on floor cushions to keep with this themed party. In terms of food you could serve tagines, tabbouleh, falafel and many more North African foods. For dessert try out baklawa with tea and coffee to really finish the meal off in style and let guests continue chatting around the tables long after the food has been cleared away. Serve your drinks in opulent cups and have indulgent cocktails to match that include date syrup and coffee. Also, a selection of wines never goes amiss.

What’s next?

Now you know all there is about themed Summer parties, in particular Arabian Nights, it’s time to get your party planning hat on and make your dreams come a reality – if only you could rub a lamp three times for a genie to grant all your party wishes! Unfortunately, it’s down to you to ensure your party is in tip top shape and ready for your guests to be wowed by all the thought and effort that’s gone into this theme.