Farewell Party Ideas

If you are planning a farewell party for a friend or family member, we have TONS of great ideas for you! Whether the guest of honor is changing jobs, or moving to a different city, you’ll want to send them off with a fun party! Here are some of our best farewell party ideas.

Throw a theme party
What’s more fun than a theme party? Choose something that corresponds to their new city, or their new job – Are they moving to Texas? Have a BBQ and invite everyone to wear western duds. Moving to the East Cost? Maybe a crab boil is in order. Or, have a “Hometown Favorites” theme and bring in the local foods they love. Then invite guests to wear shirts from local high schools, sports teams, restaurants and the like. Another super-cute theme that works for moving or changing jobs is “Desserting Us” – serve an awesome buffet of desserts!

Send out fun invitations
Why not invite guests to the party in style? Send out e-vites, set up a Facebook Event, or send traditional paper invitations. However you choose, convey your theme in the invitation. If the party is a surprise, make sure you clearly note it on the invitation so somebody doesn’t spill the beans!  

Get creative with the food
While you want the food to be simple, so guests can mingle, you can also get creative and make it go along with your theme. Set out a buffet, and don’t forget about how it’s displayed. I think you’ll agree that everything tastes better when it looks good. If you get takeout or store-bought food, put it in your own bowls and platters to spruce it up.

Take it easy on the Décor
Since it’s a farewell party, you’ll want the focus to be on the guest of honor, so decorate with photos and memorabilia, but keep the streamers and balloons at a minimum. To display photos, you can decorate a table with lots of different frames, or string ribbon along a wall and attach photos with clothespins. If you have photo albums or scrapbooks, lay those out so guests can look through them during the party.

Make it a fun farewell
Make it a party for the guest of honor(s) to remember for a long, long time. You can do this by creating a makeshift photo booth where guest can take pictures with the guest of honor. Simply hang a sheet for a backdrop, put your camera on a tripod, and have someone man the camera to take pictures photo booth-style. You can also set up a video camera where guests can record a farewell message. And here’s another great idea: provide note cards for each guest to write a message to the guest of honor – whether it be a memory, words of advice, or a sweet note, it’s something that can be held onto and cherished. You may even consider buying an address book and asking guests to write their contact information in it – then give it to the guest of honor. 

If you’re into games, here’s a fun one: divide guests into teams and give each team a suitcase and random items. Each team packs the suitcase and the guest of honor chooses the best packer. Here are some others: do a scavenger hunt around town to visit local joints one last time, or play a trivia game with questions about the guest of honor’s new city, or with facts/memories about him/her.