Festival Themed Party Planning: The Essentials

Summer is in full swing, and it’s the perfect time to bring that festival magic right to your doorstep with a jaw-dropping festival themed party!

Now, we all know festivals are an absolute blast. They’re like the ultimate playground for grown-ups, fuelled by good friends, great music, and the occasional questionable beverage.

Oh, and let’s not forget the mud!

It’s practically a rite of passage to get your wellies dirty while jumping around to your favourite tunes.

But guess what? You don’t need to rely on Reading, Leeds, or Glasto to get your festival fix. Nope, not anymore! You can create your very own exclusive experience with our festival party ideas.

Festival Idea: your event space transformed into a mini Woodstock or a company carpark turned into your personal Coachella!

Now, whether you’re planning a corporate Summer festival shindig to show your hardworking employees some serious appreciation, or you’re looking for a luxury VIP festival experience for a special occasion.

Our festival themed parties are the secret ingredient to take your event from ordinary to mind-blowing.

Festivals are a fantastic way of bringing people together, which is why they’re such a popular theme for company events and exclusive private parties.

With warmer weather on its way, 2025 is sure to be the year of festival themed events! Let’s start with the essential ingredients to getting them just right.

Table of Contents

• Step 1: The Location of Your Festival Themed Party
• Step 2: The Design Of The Festival Themed Party
• Step 3: Festival Party Ideas: Entertainment
• Step 4: Chill-Out Areas
• Step 5: Custom Signage & Branding for a Festival Event
• Essential Festival Event Considerations
• What Do You Need For A Festival Themed Party?
• Festivals Vs Festival Theming: The Difference
• Bring Your Party Festival Ideas to Life

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Step 1: The Location of Your Festival Themed Party

Alright, let’s talk about the perfect spot for your festival-themed extravaganza. Trust us, the location can make or break the party vibes, so we’ve got a few essential aspects you need to keep in mind.

First things first, size matters! Your chosen spot should be spacious enough to accommodate all your festival party ideas and activities. Think:

• Plenty of room for dance-offs and live performances
• Space for those impromptu jam sessions
• An essential designated chill-out zone for guests to relax (between epic dance moves!)

Also, you don’t have to spend a lot on a venue; many of our events have taken place in our clients’ land, such as the image above. Or for a corporate festival party, they can be hosted in the car parks and green spaces.

If your garden feels a bit too cosy, consider:

• Outdoor event spaces that can accommodate large guest numbers and structures
• Venues that have open fields and are adaptable to festival setups
• Transforming an indoor space with bespoke festival venue styling

Perhaps you are hosting a summer corporate festival party and need some general ideas for the occasion? Look at our summer event transformation ideas to get started.

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Step 2: The Design Of The Festival Themed Party

Let’s talk event design, the secret ingredient that will bring your festival-themed vision to life! Now, here’s the deal: when your guests walk in, you don’t want them to mistake your epic festival bash for a quaint tea party.

No offence to tea parties, of course, but we’re aiming for a whole different level of awesomeness here!

You want your guests to step into your world, your interpretation of the iconic Burning Man, the legendary Woodstock, or the electrifying Download Festival.

It’s all about creating an experience that screams your unique taste and leaves a lasting impression on everyone who attends your festival themed party.

Original Festival Concepts

Our event company creatives are super creative when it comes to our festival designs! We don’t believe that you have to go small, even if your event space isn’t the largest!

In-house designer Michael can create some large concepts for you that can be scaled to your event space. Take a look at some festival concepts we absolutely love for 2026, designed by us.

Bringing Your Festival Party Ideas To Life

Working with our creative team, we can ensure that we bring your company festival party ideas to life. In the past, we have worked on all sorts of corporate and private festivals, both indoors and out, including:

• All-White Festival Theme Influencer Event
• Woodstock Style Festival
• Company Carpark Festival For All The Family
• Enchanted Garden Festival On a Private Island
• Corporate Carnival Summer Festival

If you’re unsure which theme or concept would work best for your event, we have a guide dedicated to festival themes just for you!

Designing for Corporate Festivals

When it comes to the festivals we’ve organised, we’ve hosted events ranging from 100 to 2,000+ guests.

And here’s the best part: by booking us, you’re ensuring a festival party that’s not only visually fantastic but also boasts a cohesive theme throughout, providing ample opportunities for your guests to capture that perfect festival selfie.

Festival Party Ideas: Design Highlights

• Customisable Themes: Tailored to reflect your corporate brand or specific event goals.
• Branding Integration: Seamless integration of your brand’s colours, messaging, and aesthetic.
• Interactive Experiences: Engaging activities like live art installations, photo booths, or themed activations.
• Corporate Networking Opportunities: Ensuring the festival experience fosters networking and team bonding.

Need the perfect festival event design? Contact our team to find out more.

Step 3: Festival Party Ideas: Entertainment

The heart of any great festival is the entertainment! Let’s break down some epic festival party ideas.

Live Music & Bands

Probably the most crucial of all festival party ideas is music! There is certainly no shortage of incredible musicians and bands.

While cover bands are a popular choice for nostalgia (think Oasis or Elton John tribute bands), consider mixing it up with these ideas:

Alternative Music: Explore genres of music that may surprise your guests, from EDM to Drum ‘n’ Bass for a high-energy vibe.

Unique Music Options, Such as our bicycle drummer or a thrilling LED DJ with dancers!

Read our handy 2024 festival entertainment guide for more festival party ideas.

Buskers

Buskers are the unsung heroes of festival party ideas. We’ve had the pleasure of bringing these talented street performers to our events for years, and they’ve never failed to make a massive impact.

What makes buskers truly special is that their performances are tailor-made for your event and your event alone.

Why you should hire buskers for your festival themed party:

• Bring local talent and authenticity to your party.
• Offer guests an exclusive experience with personalised performances tailored to your event.
• Give your festival that special “unexpected” touch.

Alternative Entertainment Ideas

Think beyond the music and consider additional entertainment options that will enhance the festival experience.

• Fire Dancers: Dramatic and mesmerising performances.
• Acrobats: Gravity-defying acts that will leave guests in awe.
• Walkabout Entertainers: Stilt walkers, roving magicians, and more can add a touch of whimsy and surprise.

You’re guaranteed to deliver an experience that will leave everyone with a smile on their face and memories that will last a lifetime.

Interactive Workshops

Add an extra layer of engagement to your festival-themed party by incorporating interactive workshops such as:

• Hula Hoop Lessons
• Drum Circles
• DIY Craft Sessions

These workshops provide opportunities for guests to learn new skills, connect with others, and deepen their festival experience.

Photobooth

Add an extra touch of nostalgia and create lasting memories at your festival themed party with the inclusion of photobooths.

With photobooths, your guests can take home physical images as mementoes of your spectacular event.

It’s a tangible way for them to reminisce about the good times and ensure that your festival-themed party becomes an unforgettable chapter in their personal story.

Alternatively, consider hiring a professional photographer to capture the essence of the event. They’ll document all the best moments, from candid laughter to breathtaking performances.

Looking for more festival entertainment inspiration?

You can find 10 high-impact festival ideas here.

Or take a look at all our Festival Themed Entertainment.

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Step 4: Chill-Out Areas

Make sure when planning your festival themed event, you consider chill-out areas for your guests.

How to Set Up a Chill-Out Zone:

• Comfortable Seating: Use bean bags, hammocks, or lounge furniture.
• Soft Lighting: Add fairy lights, lanterns, or warm ambient lighting.
• Relaxing Music: Play soothing tunes to create a laid-back vibe.

These dedicated chill-out zones offer a sanctuary within the festival, providing a space for guests to unwind, recharge, and find solace amidst the exhilarating atmosphere.

It’s the ideal setting to foster connections, engage in conversations, or simply enjoy a moment of tranquillity!

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Step 5: Custom Signage & Branding for a Festival Event

For corporate festivals and high-end parties,tailor-made signage and branding play a crucial role in navigating your guests, creating a polished finish to your event space.

By incorporating consistent branding across multiple areas of your festival themed party, you reinforce your company’s identity and elevate the whole event with a professional appeal.

Utilising Branded Signage Across Your Festival:

Entrance & Wayfinding: Create an entrance to remember with custom-branded welcome signs and directional signage.

Stage & VIP Areas: Incorporate vibrant branded banners, backdrops, and even digital screens showcasing logos and your event theme.

Bars & Food Stalls: Create customised menus, eye-catching bar wraps, and hand-made food signage for an authentic festival atmosphere.

Creating professional signage with tools such as:

• Digital & Print Solutions
• LED & Projection Mapping including Stencils
• Sustainable Options such as Handmade Wooden Signs

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What Do You Need For A Festival Themed Party?

You elevate any event space to have the feel and vibe of a festival themed party.

Bring these elements in and you’re well on your way:

Tents and Marquees

The first step is bringing festival-style tents and marquees into your event space. They create an iconic festival feel and offer space for various activities.

Depending on your event size and budget, consider:

• Large marquees with space for a bar, seating, and entertainment.
• Multiple smaller marquees to create different zones (dance area, food stall, VIP area).
• Adding a stage for live music or a DJ to enhance the experience.

Additionally, if you are hosting a large-scale festival party or event, consider hiring marquees to create different zones at your event.

For example, you could have a dance tent, chill-out tent, food tent, VIP tent and so on. The ideas are endless!

By adding bright decor like colourful drapes, florals, balloons, and vibrant seating, you can elevate any corporate setting, such as the above company event pictured.

Pallet Furniture (Outdoor Furniture)

Pallet furniture will bring an element of the outdoors to your event. The modern hipster vibe works well with almost any colour and is perfect for laying your drinks down on!

Not only is pallet furniture super functional and stylish, it’s also:

• Sustainable and cost-effective (since it’s upcycled).
• Easy to move and customise for your festival theme.
• Ideal for creating casual seating arrangements, bars, and tables.

Look at bringing a variety of pallet furniture, such as a pallet bar, stools and other seating arrangements.

Design and Build a Stage

What would a festival be without music? Or better yet, LIVE music!

For your own Festival Themed Party, consider hiring in professional set and stage designers.

As an event production company, we can cater to any size space, meaning that however big or small your event space is, we can work within those parameters to create an amazing stage for your bands to perform on.

We can even create and install a bespoke set and stage catered to any theme you like!

Indeed, our focus is on providing affordable and high-impact festival-style staging to your company and private events!

We know just how essential this element is to recreating the larger festival vibes, and we don’t believe there’s any reason why you shouldn’t be able to have this at your own festival themed party.

Lighting

That brings us to the lighting at your event! Lighting (and sound) is absolutely crucial for creating the vibrant ambience at your own Festival Themed Party.

Inside your marquee, around the stage and in the general event space, use lighting techniques to your advantage so there are no ‘plain’ spots in sight.

For effective festival themed lighting consider:

• Bright, colourful lighting during the day and warm, ambient lighting in the evening.
• Festoon lights for pathways, spotlights for performances, and projection lighting for extra effects.

Our AV team can design a bespoke package of lighting for your festival themed event to ensure we meet all your needs.

Fun Drinks and Cocktails!

Why not present your guests with some unique ways to drink their beers, wines and cocktails?

Some festival ideas include:

• Wheelbarrow Drink Stations – A cool way to serve drinks and get people interacting.
• Mobile Vintage Bars – Hire a vintage bar for a quirky, mobile drink station.
• DIY Glassware – Repurpose old jars and containers for fun, festival-style drink vessels.

If DIY isn’t quite your style, we provide fully serviced mobile bars, skilled mixologists, and roaming drink stations! Shot anyone?

Some of the drink options our clients have loved in the past are:

• A welcome drinks wall, where guests help themselves upon entry to your festival themed party.
• Roaming Pimms wagon, walking around your festival and offering guests refreshments.
• Walkabout LED table hostesses with shots, drinks and canapes!

BONUS: Ask Guests To Come In Festival-style Clothing!

Ask your guests to come in festival-style clothing! We’re talking floral shirts, sunglasses, bucket hats, shorts, the lot!

Or take it a step further and go for the 60’s hippie style as above!

With all of these elements together, you’ve nailed the design and style of your own Festival Themed Party.

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Essential Festival Event Considerations

To ensure your festival runs smoothly, don’t forget these logistical aspects:

• Power & Generators: Make sure there’s enough power for your entire event, especially if it’s on private property.
• Toilets: Provide luxury options to keep things comfortable for your guests. Clean, well-equipped toilets are a must!
• Parking & Waste Management: Organise sufficient parking and waste cleanup to avoid chaos. Health & Safety: Have qualified first-aid staff on hand, and ensure easy access for emergency services.

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Festivals Vs Festival Theming: The Difference

Sometimes our clients ask us what the difference is between a festival event and a festival themed event?

Well, you can have a festival, which is essentially an event type, and then you can have various event types such as conferences and gala dinners, which are themed with festival decor and have food, drinks and activities to reflect a festival vibe.

Take, for example, this Magna Carta conference where we provided festival themed entertainment.

Hiring Festival Theming For Corporate Events

Mini-festival hire has become increasingly popular with companies looking to innovate their employee gatherings.

You can find out more about corporate festivals here.

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Bring Your Festival Party Ideas to Life

We have been privileged to plan some amazing festivals for private and corporate clients all over the UK and Europe.

From private festival themed parties in clients’ gardens to fully-fledged festival corporate fun days with thousands of attendees, we’ve done it all!

If you’d like to find out more about our Festival Themed Parties and Events, feel free to get in contact with a member of the team.

Get in Touch

Alternatively, take a look at our Festival Themed Events for even more inspiration!

Or you can read more on planning your event right here: Corporate Summer Festivals | The Ultimate Planning Guide

Related Reading:

• 25 Tips and Ideas for Organising a Corporate Family Fun Day Event
• Best Festival Theme Ideas
• The Top Fun Day Event Themes For Companies
• Team Thrills – Organising the Ultimate Corporate Family Fun Day Experience for Your Company