The Paris Olympics are just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate than by hosting a party for your friends and family? The Mister here has a birthday this week, and we invited friends to celebrate. The summer Olympics are a perfect excuse to get friends together and host a fun party.
And, let me throw this out there now: maybe you don’t have time to pull off a Paris Olympics Party, but these same activities are something you could do together to have a fun family night or use the ideas below to plan your dinners over the next couple of weeks. Use this as an excuse to engage your kids in family dinners and create new memories together while opening the door for cultural conversations!
What do you need to host a Paris Olympics Party?
- Food
- Games
- TV to watch the Olympics
Anything else you throw together is just a little bonus. You can do this in your house, at a cabin, around a pool, or in your backyard. It’s summer, and kids are missing their friends. So, give them space to play and win some prizes, and when the kids are entertained, the grown-ups can finally talk to each other!
Like any party around here, I like to keep a few things in mind to make a Paris Olympics party easy:
- Set a plan and stick to it! Make your menu and lists and use them to build your plan. Pinterest and the internet have so many ideas; look through them and gather them, but make a final decision about what you are going to do and stay in your lane!
- Make some, buy some – no one wins for making all the dishes and being worn out when your guests show up. This menu is easy to buy partially at a wholesale foods store or from the freezer section at the grocery store. Part of it can be homemade and look fantastic. Others can just be stored by color and make a significant impact.
- Use what you already have – check your closet and pantry for food and game supplies you have on hand, use those first, and save yourself some money!
- Keep it simple so people enjoy themselves. Many times, if people feel intimidated by all the “extra” details, they feel bad that they didn’t do more. Own the details you love and make everything else super approachable!
- If someone asks to bring something, say yes. I firmly believe in handling the details as a hostess, but I also firmly believe that if someone has something to bring items, they are more likely to show up. My friend Abby taught me this principle. And, I’ve learned over the years if you give people part of the party, they have more buy-in and feel more comfortable, even if it’s not presented the way you would set it up or be the exact item the way you would do it!
- Bring the party – music, a positive attitude, snacks people like, and glow sticks make a party. So, bring the fun!
Planning a Paris Olympics Party
Now, if you want to be a little “extra,” here are a few tips to make your Paris Olympics Party a gold medal winner:
1. Choose a Theme
Choose a theme related to the Paris Olympics to set the tone for your party. You could decorate your home in the colors of the French flag or have your guests dress up as their favorite Olympic athletes. We are going to dress in our Red, White, and Blue for Team USA but eat a Parisian menu.
2. Plan the Food and Drinks
No party is complete without food and drinks! For your Olympic party, serve French-inspired dishes or assign attendees a country and ask them to bring a menu item native to that location. For drinks, you could have a champagne toast or serve French wine. Or, bring out the bubbly water and sodas. There is no need to have things people may not enjoy.
3. Set Up Games and Activities
To keep your guests entertained, set up some Olympic-themed games and activities. You could have a mini-track and field event, a trivia game about the Olympics, or a photo booth where guests can take pictures with Olympic props. We will set out yard games and do a few relay events for the kids. Bu Minute to Win it or water games are also perfect for summer.
4. Decorate Your Home
To create a festive atmosphere, decorate your home with Olympic symbols and colors. You could hang streamers and balloons in the colors of the French flag or put up posters of your favorite Olympic athletes. I’m choosing to reuse our July 4th decorations and grabbed a few extra things at the dollar store.
5. Send Out Invitations
Once you have planned your party, it’s time to send invitations to your guests. Be sure to include all the essential details, such as the party’s date, time, and location. You can use text messaging, create a Facebook event, or make it festive with a tool like Eventbrite.
6. Plan Ahead
You can make this easy for yourself so you can enjoy the festivities. After all, if you are hosting this kind of party, you probably appreciate the Olympics and your friends! So enjoy time with both. Prep ahead what you can and put up your decorations the night before. Have your groceries delivered, and get your kids involved in the set-up.
6. Enjoy the Party!
On the day of the party, relax and enjoy yourself! Your guests will have a great time celebrating the Paris Olympics with you. Make sure you get a cocktail, play the games, and sit and watch your favorite sports and the Opening Games.
Menu Items for Your Paris Olympics Party
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew – mimics and resembles beef bourguignon
- French onion Chicken Bake
- French Onion Chicken Meatballs
- French Onion Chicken Pasta
- Ham and Cheese Croissant Casserole
- Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Gluten-Free Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Monte Cristo casserole
- Monte Cristo French Toast Casserole
- Overnight Monte Cristo Casserole
- Croque Monsieur Sandwich Bake
- Croque Moisseur sliders (Hawaiian rolls, brioche rolls or baguette, ham, jarred Alfredo Saice and Gruyère on top) – cook like Hammie Sammies with less butter sauce, and put the cheese on top!
- Croique Monsieur Savory Bread Pudding
- Croque Monsieur Casserole
- croissant sandwiches – keep it easy and just use croissants and put whatever you love on a sandwich, or use chicken salad
- Tarte au Soleil | Sunbraid Sandwich – a favorite from our Eclipse festivities
- Steak frites and fries – steaks and french fries
- Falafel or Cava Falafel Bowls
- Crockpot Croq au Vin
- Slow Cooker Beef Bourguignon
- French Onion Soup
- Savory Crepes
- Croissant Breakfast Bake with Orange Marmalade
- Cheesy Croissant Casserole
Snacks for your Paris Olympics Party
- Olympic ring color-coded snacks – put out five bowls and fill them with a snack that’s the colors of the Olympic rings logo
- Pinwheels – dried beef, pickle, and ham, or try adding dry ranch and colored bell peppers to cream cheese
- Baked Brie and apples
- Cheese platter – a mix and variety of new cheese or new pieces you’ve wanted to try
- Hanky panky – seems like an edible version of pate on a baguette
- Salad – greens, asparagus, beets, feta, shallots or red onion thin, walnuts, Dijon vinaigrette – spinach, bacon, tomato, shaved parm
- Cucumber salad – Greek yogurt, radish, mint, red wine vinegar, cucumbers,
- Patriotic Fruit Salad
- Patriotic Deviled Eggs
- Patriotic Charcuterie Cups
- USA Fruit Platter
- Kid-Friendly Patriotic Charcuterie
- Patriotic Cheesecake Fluff Salad
- Patriotic Muddy Buddies
- Patriotic Layered Taco Dip
Desserts for your Paris Olympics Party
- Chocolate Sunbraid tart
- chocolate croissants and muffins
- Luscious Lady Finger Lemon Delight – lady fingers, cheesecake pudding, Cool Whip and lemon zest
- Nutella crescent rolls – spread Nutella on a crescent roll before rolling it up
- Chocolate croissant pastries – spread out a layer of puff pastry. Event spread with Nutella. Top with another layer of puff pastry. Cut into strips or squares and press the edges together with a fork.
- Guava cheese turnovers
- Macaroons
- Chocolate Chip Croissant Bread Pudding
- Overnight Chocolate Chip Croissant Bake
- Chocolate Croissant Breakfast Bake
- Salted butter caramels
- Salted Caramel Butter Bars
- bunch crunch or caramel corn
- Olympic Torch Cupcakes
- Olympic Rings cupcakes – ice cupcakes with white icing and use fruit loops to make Olympic rings on top
- Olympic Rings Sugar Cookies – ice sugar cookies with white icing and place Fruit looks in the Olympic Rings pattern
- black and white Twix no-bake cheesecake
- Opera cakes
- Eclair Opera Cake – take traditional Eclair Cake and make it in four layers instead of two!
- Crepe cake
- Eclairs or Cream Puffs – make it really esy and buy the frozen kind from the grocery store or pick a batch up at the bakery
- Sam’s desserts buffet – cheesecake bites, eclairs, macarons
- Red, White and Blue Shortcake Dip
- Patriotic Twinkie No Bake Dessert
- Patriotic Berry Cake Delight
- Patriotic Rice Krispy Treats
- Patriotic Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert
- Patriotic Cookie Dough Dip
- Patriotic Poke Cake
- Patriotic Popcorn Cake
- Patriotic Pudding Pops
Activities to enjoy at a Paris Olympics Party
- Yard games – see what you already have at home
- Summer Outdoor Activites
- solo cups – fill with a water gun or a cup over your head. Make it more fun by dipping a cup with holes punched in it and run to another end of a line to fill the bucket.
- fruit roll up eating race – place the end of the fruit roll up in your lips and eat it without using your hands.
- cookie on face – move a cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands.
- Shaving cream cheese balls – cover a face with shaving cream or cool whip and try to throw cheeseballs at the face to stay.
- sponge relay race
- javelin toss – pool noodle
- discus toss – frisbee
- balloon paddle – paper plates on tongue depressors and ping pong balls or cotton balls
- glue Olympic rings medal – fruit loops on a piece of cardboard covered with foil.
- Any set of fun minute to win it games
- You could do a parents vs. kids basketball game
Fun activities to try at home as a family to celebrate the Paris Olympics
- Check out books at the library on Paris or French Culture and cuisine
- Cook through a French Cookbook
- Watch Julia Childs on YouTube and try to make some of her dishes
- Make French flag cards and mail them to a friend
- Write notes to Team USA
- Try water paint crafts
- Go for a walk together on a local track
- Have a bread baking party together
- Use that bread machine in the closet
- Grab a “baby” starter from a friend and start making your own sourdough
- Take a deep dive on a favorite athlete in the games
- Make Handprint Flag Shirts
- Glow in the Dark yard games like Tic Tac Toe or Ring Toss
- Patriotic Kaleidoscope with a Pringles Can
- USA Yarn Letters Craft
Whatever you do, The Olympics are an easy opportunity to engage your kids and create new memories together as you finish the final days of summer break.
