Thread: When do you release your theme?

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I know many of us who host annual parties have a list of potential themes we think about and add to all year long. My question is, when do you release the theme of the next party?

Of course people start asking DURING each party what the theme will be for the next year. I keep mum at that part, I don't want to take away from the current celebration. Someone mentioned wanting to shop the day after sales for costumes, but I'm just not willing to leak it THAT early yet

As far as releasing the theme now though, I'm stuck for when to do it. I don't want people to lose interest or get bored with it, though I do appreciate people who want to plan ahead and spend time thinking of costumes. Last year I think I announced it in May or June via a facebook "save the date" group. I had to wait until I was ready to commit to a theme as well This year I'm really settled on the next theme, but I don't know how long to keep it a secret - what do you all do?

When people ask us what's in store for the next party, we don't tell either. Although we do give a a hint or two (provided we know what our theme is going to be).

MsM

We try to keep it a secret until the invitations go out at the end of September. We prefer to see people use their own imagination in creating costumes and not to come dressed as our party/haunt theme. We award for The Best Over All, The Funniest, and The Scariest. This year, 2010, we might add The Most Original Home Made Costume to encourage those creative juices!

We know our party plans/theme/date about 1 to 2 years in advance. So we do make a "save the date" card and place it in each grab bag for the guest. It makes the RSVP process a no brainer for our regular party crew. Folks actually plan vacations and time off from work for the party. Some even have friends/family members come over so they can make the party.

Last year we talked about it with everyone and had helpers with some stuff; so it wasn't a secret. By August everyone was talking about what type of Alien costume they were going to do. We tried to encourage everyone to dress as other things. We began to worry that we would end up with a party full of Aliens. Thankfully, people changed there minds and we had a great variety of costumes.

I've never had anyone ask...

I think I'd be all glazed over and confused if someone asked during the party since I am usually on party overload at that point.

I wouldn't tell anyone even if I had an idea until we'd be getting ready to send out invites anyway. More fun spending all that time planning it.

We have released our themes around the 1st of the year. That way everyone knows what our theme is, we can post pictures of our progress on projects, no one can throw another party using that theme (that we know) and say "oh i didn't know you were doing that theme", and we start getting people excited early in the year! For our Wonderland Party we allowed guests to "sign up" for a character roll, and then announced who was chosen. It was great fun, and allowed people to spend time making creative costumes instead of having to wait until the last minute and buy something off the rack. We try to encourage people to enjoy and participate and volunteer to help us as much as possible!

Even the pictures we post of progress of props etc, hold NO CANDLE to what the end result looks like. If you enjoy keeping it a secret, I say more power to you, but I cannot keep quiet about the stuff I enjoy most in life. It's hard enough keeping it a secret for 2 months til the 1st of the year!!

Originally Posted by Mandathewitch

We have released our themes around the 1st of the year. That way everyone knows what our theme is, we can post pictures of our progress on projects, no one can throw another party using that theme (that we know) and say "oh i didn't know you were doing that theme", and we start getting people excited early in the year! For our Wonderland Party we allowed guests to "sign up" for a character roll, and then announced who was chosen. It was great fun, and allowed people to spend time making creative costumes instead of having to wait until the last minute and buy something off the rack. We try to encourage people to enjoy and participate and volunteer to help us as much as possible!

Even the pictures we post of progress of props etc, hold NO CANDLE to what the end result looks like. If you enjoy keeping it a secret, I say more power to you, but I cannot keep quiet about the stuff I enjoy most in life. It's hard enough keeping it a secret for 2 months til the 1st of the year!!

So what is your theme this year?

My theme is a twist on Pirates... I am going to kill and lock up all the pirates, and be the vile, evil East India Trading Company. I am going to build a Pirate Ship, or rather what's left of a Pirate ship after it's been blown up by the EITC, and have skelepirates and cages all over. The Pirates definitely won't win this battle. I am going to try and create a british soldier costume for myself, and be in charge of executing the pirates. My front yard will be the pirate graveyard as a warning to other pirates who may attempt to enter my city. The side of my house will be a dark scary sidestreet that no respectable person would enter, and the backyard... ahh the backyard... my patio will be my "office" decorated with maps of known pirate hangouts, and fancy british tools and maybe even some confinscated treasure. Around the backyard will be various cages and prisons and perhaps even a small scaffold with a pirate or 2 hanging. The spa will be used as a "dip of acid". =)

I has a plan and it is evil and brilliant!
Now to just pull it all off!

I have the past couple of years let the theme be known by the end of Halloween night, mainly for the ones who want to do the after halloween sale shopping. They know the theme however I still have other surprises come the big night.

Usally with in the first week of October. We send out the invites with two till the party then people can make plans to come to ours.

People ask, but we don't reveal the theme until our invitations go out. THis year our theme was "The Birds", so the invite design was based on the movie's opening credits, with very graphic black birds on a stark white background. Of course, there were a few black feathers inside.
Last year's theme was Sweeney Todd, so the invites were boxes with severed fingers with reminding strings tied to them - ala Martha Stewart, but bloodier.
The year before that was young Frankenstein/Mad Doctor. Our invitations were in the form of doctor's appointment reminder cards.