Up to this point, my kids have always requested pretty easy themes for their birthday parties: Star Wars, Mickey Mouse, Superheroes, etc. This year I received my first request for a hybrid birthday party. My daughter loves going camping and she still adores Frozen. We put those two things together for a birthday party tailored just for her. Welcome to Camp Arendelle!
CAMP ARENDELLE: A FROZEN/CAMPING PARTY
How Do You Throw a Hybrid Birthday Party?
We go camping every summer, so we own plenty of camping gear that we could use for the party. I risked the unpredictable Michigan weather to have our first outdoor birthday party. We set up my parents’ screen room to shelter the food and drink tables.
I found that I had quite a few party supplies in teal and pink, so I ran with that as the party’s color scheme. I took a few woodland decor pieces from my Christmas stash and painted a few of them with Plutonium‘s Vegas color to tie them into the party. Free themed decorations! I can always paint them red or green again once Christmas comes. That’s the beauty of spray paint.
I made a few small tents from craft sticks and felt, but I was too busy to take process shots for a tutorial. Maybe in the weeks to come I will sit down and make another one to show you the step out. It’s very simple, I promise.
I found small flashlights on necklaces and fake compass rings online, and they went into the favor bags. We gave the favors out at the start of the party this time, so the kids could use the toys as they played.
We had a real campfire going so that guests could roast marshmallows or make smores. The fire provided a place to warm up too since it was a chilly day.
DIY Camping Party Games
I placed camp signs made from cardboard around the yard marking out the different things guests could choose to do. I had a picnic blanket laid out where the kids could thread glow-in-the-dark perler beads onto plastic lacing to make necklaces. Stringing the necklaces was great; tying the lacing off into a necklace shape was less successful. Lots of strung beads were dumped onto the ground.
DIY Camping Party Decorations
I found the idea for the camp signs and this tissue paper fire from The Busy Broad. We put a few sleeping bags inside of our tent so the kids could pretend they were camping. The tent also served as handy shelter when IT STARTED SNOWING. In October, at an outdoor Frozen party. God has a sense of humor.
Hybrid Birthday Party Desserts
I loved this idea for a campfire on top of a cake, but I needed to incorporate Frozen into it somehow. I used my remedial marshmallow fondant skills to decorate the cake with rosemaling-inspired shapes. The cake itself was chocolate with crushed graham crackers mixed in the frosting in between the layers. Together with the marshmallow fondant, it was a pretty tasty smores cake, if I do say so myself.
I also baked up a few dozen chocolate cupcakes which I “frosted” with melted marshmallow. This… was not a tidy process. Right before the party I used a torch to toast the marshmallows to add to the campfire look and taste.
I think my first hybrid party was a success. My daughter loved all the little details and thought the unexpected snowfall was magical. Sometimes the best surprises are the ones you don’t plan for! If you like to see more of our past birthday parties, please visit my birthday party gallery!
I have gathered links to the supplies I mentioned in this post. They are affiliate links, so I will receive a small commission if you choose to purchase. Thank you!
Take a look at these other Frozen party ideas:
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