Throw a medieval birthday bash for your brave little boy with our Knight Party Ideas! We have provided some general party planning tips as well as great knight-themed decorating, food, game, and activity suggestions that will delight all the gallant guests at your party!
Planning & Invitations
We suggest starting to plan 6-8 weeks in advance to allow time to purchase and mail invitations, receive RSVPs, plan the menu, etc. The first thing you will need to decide is where to have the party. You can throw a fabulous medieval bash at home, but if you would rather have the party elsewhere, consider a local park or recreation center. For additional ideas, see our When & Where to Have the Party article.
For additional party planning tips, our Party Planning 101 Guide includes birthday cake ideas, party etiquette tips, a printable guest list, and more.
What do I Need for the Party?
If you plan to use paper tableware and knight-themed party supplies, our Suggested Party Supply List may be helpful while you shop. Please note that you may not need everything on the list; it is intended only as a guide.
Along with the traditional party supplies like plates, cups, streamers, and balloons, you may also want to consider renting or purchasing the following:
- Plastic or inflatable swords and shields
- Goblets
- A knight-themed movie such as A Kid in King Arthur’s Court or The Sword in the Stone
- Toy stick horses
Knight Party Invitations
Creative invitations build excitement and set the mood before the party even starts! If you have time to make your own, consider these suggestions:
- Write your invitation details in cursive or calligraphy on a sheet of construction paper. Roll the paper and tie with a red or purple ribbon. Deliver these to your guests.
- Fold a piece of construction paper or card stock in half to create a card-style invitation. On the front, draw the shape of a shield and write “Here Ye, Here Ye” in the middle. Write your party details inside.
- Print out a picture of your child’s favorite knight character – like King Arthur, Sir Lancelot or Merlin – and paste this to the front of your invitation. Write “[character name] Invites You to [child name]’s Knights of the Round Table Birthday!
- Attach a card-style invitation to a small plastic or inflatable sword. Either hand-deliver or send in a padded envelope.
If you are pressed for time, consider our personalized knight initiations, which include your child’s name and all the party details on a background that matches your theme. We offer blank invitations as well.
Decorating & Food Ideas
Ideas to Set a Medieval Mood
- Lay a cardboard drawbridge at the door for the children to walk over.
- Cut a rock shape out of a large block of Styrofoam. Spray paint the faux rock gray, and allow it to dry. Embed a toy sword in the rock, and use it as an Excalibur centerpiece.
- Play a knight-themed movie in the background on mute.
- Cut crests out of poster board, and decorate them with different symbols and colors. Affix one to the back of each guest's chair to symbolize their coat of arms.
- Get a variety of large and medium boxes from your local appliance store. Cut a jagged edge on top and spray paint them gray so they resemble the walls of a castle. Arrange the boxes around the party entranceway, but leave an opening large enough for your guests to walk through on their way into the party area. You can secure the boxes to each other by poking small holes through them and stringing craft wire through the holes, twisting to secure.
- Create a knight in shining armor by covering pants and a long-sleeve shirt in tin foil. Put the clothes on a mannequin, or stuff them with newspaper and prop them up in the corner of the party area.
- Sprinkle all tables with faux red and purple gems.
- Make a “Happy Birthday” banner with your child’s name on it and hang it near the party entrance. To save time, consider one of our personalized knight banners.
- Make red, yellow, and purple flags out of fabric or construction paper and string them together, alternating colors. Hang them around the ceiling or from tables.
Medieval Munchies
When it comes to food, partygoers are usually perfectly content to eat pizza or hotdogs, which is certainly much easier on the hosts! However, if you have the time and would like to serve some snacks from the middle ages, consider these ideas:- For effect, serve all the party food in metal buckets or pans.
- Serve meatball and veggie kabobs on wooden spears.
- Make a label for a bowl of cheese-flavored tortilla chips that says “dragon scales”.
- Make red, purple, or green jello in a shallow cake or pie pan and once set, use a cookie cutter to cut out diamond shapes to serve.
- Serve your guests food "medieval style" - that is, with plenty of napkins but no utensils. Let them feast on giant turkey legs and corn on the cob. Or, for smaller partygoers, use chicken legs and French fries.
- Dragon's Breath Punch: Freeze orange- and red-colored ice cubes (a combination of Kool-Aid and cranberry juice works well) before the party. At the party, serve a lemon-lime soda or ginger ale, and let each child drop in the "frozen dragon's breath" ice cube that will turn their drink into a magical treat!
- Castle Cake: Bake two 8” or 9” square cakes, and stack them with frosting between the two layers. Frost the entire cake and four ice cream cones in gray frosting. Set the cones upside down by the four corners of the cake to create turrets. Stick miniature flags on toothpicks into the cones. If your child has tiny knight figures, stand them around the castle.
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