Ideas for a Buffy-Themed Party
Food, Games and Decoration Ideas for a Vampire Slayer Party
Nov 9, 2009
Some Buffy partiers prefer to narrow the theme of the party. A party could be Initiative-themed, staged like a Wolfram and Hart bash or focused on Once More, With Feeling. Adapt the ideas below as required!
Buffy the Vampire Slayer-Themed Party Food
Serve buffalo wings and onion flowers, the favourite food of Spike and Andrew, for a Bronze-styled dinner. “Doublemeat Palace” burgers and fries, pizza with anchovies, mini-pizzas, chocolate chip cookies and mixed doughnuts are all appropriate Buffy food. For a grislier touch, serve “blood” (red wine or grape juice)... along with a nice cup of tea for Giles fans.
Music for a Buffy-Themed Party
The Buffy series sountrack includes some lovely theme tunes suchas “Close Your Eyes”, and the soundtrack to “Once More, With Feeling” is peppered with fun songs; but for a more party-themed mix try “Radio Sunnydale”, a collection of songs by various indie artists who appeared in the show. The most famous titles include “Blue” by Angie Hart, from Season 7's episode “Conversations with Dead People”, and “Goodbye To You” by Michele Yeoh (from Tabula Rasa in Season 6).
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Themed Party Games
- Other than the obvious “pin the stake on the vampire” games, there are plenty of Buffy-inspired games to choose from.
- Attack a vampire pinata with a stake (or a scythe!).
- Blindfold a guest and play a version of “Are you there, Moriarity?” with a basketball based on Giles' training exercise with Buffy. The other guests move around the room; when the blindfolded guest calls a name that guest must reply, and if she can successfully hit the guest with the ball she wins and the guests swap places. Bonus points for any guest who can bounce the ball off an opposing wall and still hit her target, like Buffy did!
- Play a Buffy trivia game, with guests either divided into teams or writing separately on a piece of paper.
- Improvise “Once More, With Feeling” karaoke.
- Stick a label to each guest's forehead as they arrive with the name of a Buffy or Angel character. The guests must mingle and ask yes-no questions in order to figure out their character.
Buffy Party Decorations
Decorate the party venue to honour “She-Who-Hangs-Out-A-Lot-in-Cemeteries” by planting cardboard or polystyrene tombstones around perimeter of the room. Include Joyce's tombstone, Jenny Calendar's and Buffy's Season Five gravestone; for a more adventurous project, make the entrance to Angel's mausoleum as well. Use paint and paper to decorate a sideboard like the “bed” in Spike's crypt, and display the food on it in earthenware and pewter dishes. Fake cobwebs can add to the effect, but try to distinguish between generic Hallowe'en scariness and the Buffyverse.
If you or a friend collect weaponry, make a weapons wall. Cover some thick books with fake old dust jackets bearing titles about magic and demons.
For background entertainment as well as Buffy visual appeal, turn the TV cabinet into a “shrine” and play a DVD of Buffy, muted, throughout the party. Alternatively, play the Buffy movie – many Buffy fans haven't seen it and it is likely to provide great amusement!
Costumes for a Buffy Themed Party
Many of the costumes worn by the Buffy cast were fairly low-key and everyday. Buffy's signature leather pants, spaghetti-strap tops, boots and jackets allow for a lot of interpretation. For a more overtly “dress-up” party, require guests to dress in a specific costume from the series. These could range from Willow's Eskimo costume to the Vamp Willow dominatrix look; Buffy's Hallowe'en “damsel in distress” dress to Anya's wedding dress; Xander's camo garb to Lorne's trademark look.
A Buffy Party Surprise
Parties Buffy attended were known for ending in death and mayhem. As an elaborate joke, commission a friend to dress as a demon and crash the party an hour or two in, wreaking havoc on the guests.
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