Fabulous Festival Themed Hen Party Ideas

The BIG Pre-Wedding Weekender

The summertime is always the most popular time of year to plan a hen party. And it also makes a great excuse to host your own henfest. If your friendship group are lovers of all the classic British festivals and aspire to one day end up at Coachella, making your own unique festival will be perfect. And you can create this dream anywhere, in your own back garden or even a cottage you have rented for the weekend. All you need is your imagination and creativity and you can bring your iconic event to life!

What included in this article

• Festival Hen Party Activities

• Furniture, Decorations & Accessories

• What to Wear to a Festival

• What Food for a Festival Themed Party at Home?

• In Need of Festival Drink ideas?

Festival Hen Party Activities

So you know where your having your henfest, but now you have to think about how to keep all the girls entertained. And the easy answer to that is with some party activities. Whether they’re just some classic games, crafts and creative hen parties or something a little bit different. All of the party activities that we have listed below will definitely get you in the spirit for your themed party.

Flower Crown Making

Pros - Helps to develop the festival mood, plus you get to keep your creation.
Cons - If your not creative, then who knows what it will look like!

You can’t really have your own henfest without some flower crowns, they are probably one of the most iconic pieces of headwear that you can have for a festival. You can buy your flower crowns online or get creative and add our flower crown hen party into your celeb­ra­tions. You could use this experience as a way to start the celeb­ra­tions.

DIY Photobooth

Pros - Super cute way to create memories on a budget.
Cons - When the drinks are flowing, hopefully you still have a steady hand.

You have to make sure you capture the henfest for the bride-to-be as she will probably be too busy enjoying herself. A DIY Photobooth is a great idea to ensure there are plenty of photos, get a few polaroid cameras and props to snap all the memories. We love these floral party props from Party Pieces and these Instagram photo props from Etsy!

Twister

Pros - Gets everyone in the garden, good for a cheap laugh
Cons - Some older family members might not be as supple as they once were

Whether you’re having an indoor or outdoor henfest some sort of games will always go down a treat. Especially a classic like Twister, this iconic game will have you and the girls in stitches. It’s the perfect game that everyone can get involved in too especially if you have a group of mixed ages. You can buy your game on Argos!

Bunting Making

Pros - All the girls will contribute to the festival-themed party.
Cons - Depending on how much you need, it can be time consuming. Might be worth just buying some.

A classic staple to any type of festival is some bunting. And this is a great way for you to get creative with the girls. Hobbycraft have put together a great step by step on how you can DIY your own bunting. Or you can get a crafty expert in to help you along the way and add our bunting making hen party to the henfest.

Silent Disco

Pros - Party into the night without causing to many neighbour complaints.
Cons - The headset might clash with your outfit.

When have you been to a festival and not came across a silent disco? If you are wanting your event to be the ultimate festival experience adding a silent disco as an activity would be a great idea. The Silent Disco Company are a great place where you can hire your own silent disco headphones to use throughout the day and night!

Quin­tes­sen­tial Garden Games

Pros - Good budget activity that creates an outdoor feel
Cons - You'll need plenty of good lawn space.

A selection of different garden games might be a great addition to add to your henfest. Games like big jenga, skittles, giant snakes and ladders, connect four, you get the idea. If you are looking for ways to keep your guest’s busy things like this would be perfect. And if you have enough space why not play a game of rounder’s bare footed?

Furniture, Decorations & Accessories

Create Little Chill Out Nooks

RECLINE AND RELAX

Even at ordinary festivals, everyone can appreciate a place where they can sit and chill out. So it is important that you create little chill our nooks around the henfest area. These could be in teepees, tents, underneath a tree. All you need is some sticks, blankets, plenty of pillows, cushions and maybe a few fairy lights so it doesn’t get too dark in that area. 

Lighting

MAKE IT MAGICAL

Lighting is something that will completely transform your henfest. In the day you probably won’t see the effect of them but as soon as the evening comes around your garden or wherever your hosting will be transformed. Think of jam jar lights, fairy lights etc.

Open Fires & Chiminea’s

KEEPS THE PARTY GOING INTO THE NIGHT

If you are planning on keeping the festival going into the evening it would be a good idea to add an open fire with a fire pit or some Chimineas. This will keep everyone warm as the weather gets cooler and it will be a great focal point for when the evening draws in. You could also have some marshmallows with skewers to roast and some blankets.  

Seating Ideas

RUSTIC AND WHIMSICAL ATMOSPHERE

There can never be too much seating at a festival, and there are so many amazing ways that you can make your seating unique for the henfest. You could get some hay bales and throw some blankets over the top of them, find some stripy deck chairs, giant bean bags or even some outside cushions. There are so many ways you can get creative with your seating ideas.

Bunting & Flags

STARTING TO LOOK LIKE HENFEST

If you are just looking for some decoration ideas, we would highly recommend some bunting and flags to put around your festival. Not only is this a great way for people to identify where the event is but it is also a great way to make a statement. Check out these amazing banners, tassels and bunting sets!

Balloons

NOT JUST FOR KIDS

Another great way to make an impact with your decoration is with balloons. Whether you are wanting them to decorate your festival by hanging them from the trees or dotting them around the area. And there are so many different balloons that you can choose from to decorate. Here are some amazing balloons.

Outside Projector

CLASSIC MOVIE IN THE BACKGROUND

If possible having an outside projector would be a great idea for your henfest. All you need is a blank wall or even a white cloth draped between two trees and your good to go. It would be perfect for playing the bride-to-be’s favourite movies throughout the day and night. Or use it as a way to put on a slideshow of different photos of the bride-to-be and all the guests.

Check out these 8 chick flicks for a hen party

Teepees & Bell Tents

RAIN RAIN, GO AWAY

Obviously when you’re planning your event it will all be weather dependent for if you are having it outside. But it is always a good idea to have some teepees or bell tents for the whole experience. Not only does it make your celebration the ultimate experience, but they’re also great for using as your chill out areas where people can sit and relax. 

What to Wear to a Festival

Probably the most important part of the henfest and what you and the girls will be talking about for months before is what you will all be wearing. Festival outfits are probably some of the most iconic ways to dress, hen fancy dress and of course for the last night of freedom. Here are some ideas and inspiration on some of the things you could wear for the occasion.

Tie-Dye

Tie-dye clothing is the perfect way to dress for a festival, its colourful, its bold and you will fit right in with this popular pattern. You could easily make your own tie-dye clothing too if you are looking for a little bit of DIY. All you need is white clothing and your dyes and you’re good to go. Here is a simple step by step on how you can tie-dye your own clothes from Instruc­tables.

Bandana & Flower Crowns

When it comes to accessories you can do something as simple as putting a flower crown or a bandana on your head. It’s an effective way of getting into the spirit if you don’t want to go all out festival with your outfit. You can buy these online or get creative and make your own like we previously mentioned above.

Dresses

This will probably be one of the first things that you decide on when you have been invited to a festival. Dressing up for a festival can be an extremely fun thing to do. Usually outfits are flowy, full of patterns and has a boho style to it. So look around for some maxi dresses and swing dresses. But don’t worry if dresses aren’t your thing you could opt for some shorts or a midi skirt.

Why not take some amazing photos with the help of our guide to Instagram-worthy hen party photos.

Glitter

Another thing that can transform your outfit into something amazing is glitter. Although it’s an extremely simple addition it looks so effective for your henfest. You can use glitter and put it through your hair if you have braids or on your face. If you are conscious of the effect glitter has on the environment you can buy biodeg­ra­dable glitter from Eco Glitter Fun!

Crazy Sunglasses

If you are looking for a statement piece that will completely transform your outfit this could be the thing that you have been wanting. Usually at festivals you see plenty of people with the classic round style of sunglasses but you don’t have to stick to the usual trends. Instead look online and see which sunglasses best suit the style that you’re looking for.

What Food for a Festival Themed Party at Home?

Buffet Station

With everyone enjoying the henfest you don’t want them going hungry. Which is why a buffet station is such a popular option of food to have at a themed garden party. It’s an easy and hassle free way to enjoy a selection of food. You could cook something in the slow cooker like a chilli or a curry along with smaller nibbles.

Pizza Oven

Sometimes you just can’t go wrong with some pizzas. They’re extremely easy finger food that everyone will enjoy. If you wanted to get really authentic you could hire a pizza oven from The Pizza Oven Shop. Or get the profes­si­onals to make them for you so that you can enjoy yourselves and hire the Mobile Bistros who cover the North West!

Fruit & Snacks

Since you are hosting a henfest you will probably be planning it for the summer months. If that is the case having some fruit and other healthy nibbles would be a great shout. Sometimes fruit is the nicest thing to eat whilst the sun is shining. You could prepare fruit bowls for your guests so they can just pick up a bowl of mixed fruit already done.

BBQ

A great food idea would be planning a BBQ. There are so many delicious foods that you can cook on the BBQ and you can cater for a range of different diets and needs this way. We have found an amazing recipe on how to cook and shred pulled pork on The Kitchn. But of course think about Vegan too with the best Vegan BBQ recipes from Vegan Society.

Sweets

Everyone has a sweet tooth and it will go without saying that everyone will be looking for the table of sweet treats during your henfest. You could get a cotton candy machine or a popcorn machine ready for people to serve themselves. Or have some marshmallows at the ready with some skewers so that people can roast them on the fire.

Street Food

Something that is quite popular now is street food, and there are some amazing varieties of food available that you can make or buy for your guests. Street food is always great if you want something delicious, a little bit different yet still pretty easy to make. BBC Good Food has some amazing ideas for street food options.

In Need of Festival Drink ideas?

You want to put the theme in everything you do, and that means with the drinks. It’s important that you get the drinks part of the experience sorted before anything else because you don’t want to be spending your whole day running around after everyone to make sure they’ve all got drinks.

Create a Drink Station

Creating a drinks station will be your best friend during the henfest. This will help reduce waste, with a drinks station put it separate to all the food so it doesn’t get too crowded. You could buy clear glass dispensers like these from John Lewis and fill them with different pre-made cocktails. And keep your beers in a wheel barrow with ice and water to keep cool.

Ice Luges

If you want to make sure the event is one to remember adding an ice luge might be just the thing you need. It will definitely make a statement and with so many different shapes and sizes to choose from you will find one that is perfect for your celebration. Vodka Luge is a website that sells a variety of different luges for all occasions.

Hire a Cocktail Bartender

If you want to have a larger variety of drinks for your festival it might be a good idea to hire a cocktail bartender hen party. It will transform your event as you have a trained cocktail bartender on hand to shake up some amazing drinks for you all. It’s another great way that you can enjoy the whole exprience too.

Disposables

You don’t want to be left with loads of things to clean up once everyone leaves henfest right? So why not have some eco-friendly disposables. This way everyone can enjoy using all the cups and plates etc without worrying about the environment or cleaning up. We have found some great cups from Vegware and plates from Party Plastics.

We offer 40+ hen party enter­­ta­­inment ideas across the UK for hen parties looking to have their party at home, in cottages, lodges, glamping sites, apartments or AirBnb.