Theme nights

I love creating theme nights!!! These are great events to hold monthly in a normal youth group programme and build up hype and momentum with youth. Encourage them to invite friends along too. Each theme needs a few activities to go with each. Here are some ideas and I'll post more as I create them. Check out my Pinterest boards as well to find more theme nights and accompanying activities.

Olympics/Paralympics: Put young people in teams to represent countries (include national dress up if you want)! Play team and individual Olympic sports you can replicate (e.g. relay, long jump, shot put, seated volleyball, hockey, speed races, blind football) or make up games of your own. For celebration: award with medals, create a podium, use national anthems.

Feel the Pressure: Tension music, put young people in high tension games (think The Cube TV show, maybe even create the cube!)

USA: American football, baseball, basketball, cheerleading, hot dogs, fries, burgers, milkshakes (Lidl do a range of US inspired products), have a thanksgiving dinner, rodeo bull, US music playlist (Miley, Beyonce, Maroon 5, Nikki Manaj, Jay-Z, just be sure to use clean versions!).

UK: Fish and chips, football, cricket, tennis, rugby, strawberries and cream, tea and biscuits, practice your queen wave competition, royal family photo booth (royal family masks, crowns, maybe even a toy corgi!).

Europe: Frogs legs and snails (French eating challenge), boules, pizza, pasta, bratwursts, cycling (tour de France, use an exercise bike), rugby, Eurovision (have a singing/entertainment contest).

Festival: Put up pop-up tents (in or outdoors), bbq, live music (have several stages if you can), mud (for fun fights or general effect), water fight, wellies (turn into a welly throwing contests and sunnies.

Big Brother: Use separate rooms to create “houses”. Speak through an intercom or phones to communicate with the houses and give out challenges. Include plot twists (e.g. hold evictions, swap housemates, allow your leaders to become “annoying or awkward” housemates, give prizes or punishments for winners/losers).

Friends on Friday (or whatever day your night is on): Host a series of group challenges for groups of friends to win a big prize to share (e.g bowling, pizza).

Creative arts: Host performances or workshops of the following arts: playing an instrument, dance, drama, crafts, rap/spoken word, DJ, song writing, filming/vlogging/video production, photography, fashion designing/upcycling and animation.

Cinema: Use different rooms for different screenings of films (title the screens!) , use tickets and ushers to give that real cinematic experience and don't forget the refreshment stand! (Nachos, hot dogs, ice cream, drinks, popcorn, sweets)

Christmas: Perform your own nativity (make it alternative or modern, use leaders, youth or both!), snowball fight (use poleystirine balls or scrumpled up white paper balls), grotto, Christmas dinner or buffet, secret Santa.

UV night: Back lights (google to buy some), glowsticks, UV paint, UV games (check my Pinterest boards for inspiration), raving, encourage youth to come in colourful clothes.

Survival: Put young people through nature and challenge each other. (E.g. shelter making,”foraging” for food)

Beach party: Volleyball, paddling pool, sand box, sandcastle competition, ice cream, cool drinks, surf simulator.

Carnival: Stalls (hook a duck, coconut shy, tin knock down, target practice), candy floss, toffee apples, clowns.