Every year for the past 7 years we have held an Indian Diwali the festival of lights or Bollywood Party. We like to warn people who are new to our parties that it’s like an Indian “shock to your senses” themed party. It’s fun, it’s crazy, it’s totally over the top and we love it that way.
Each year our party has grown in size and creativity. As I am currently the Party editor for CraftGossip,I thought I would post up another of my own real parties. (Here are some more of my others Beach, Mermaid).
Every year we change things a little to make it different and exciting. It takes around 1 week on and off (I work and have 2 kids) to set it up, mainly because there is lots of ceiling work and pinning to be done. It takes 1 day to pull it all down and 1 week to wash and iron everything ready for the next year.
This is a round up of Diwali 2012,2013 & 2014
I am not updating this post to contain some free printable Diwali, Bollywod party Printables.
This is my kitchen and the food area. We used a pop up marquee tent to close it in to feel like a Bazaar. We used hessian or burlap sacks filled with fruit and veggies to give it a market feel. I served Iced Chai and decorated by water decanter with a $5 Necklace that finished off the look. We used party food heaters to serve 3-4 curries, rice etc.
This fantastic cart was built by my parents – I love it! It filled in an empty corner and allowed me to serve the Entree from it. I decorated it with mini packets like a traditional Indian street vendor would have hanging from his cart. Some of these I bought whilst in Indian, others we simply stapled together and a few strands are just color copies to add depth and quantity.
This is my kitchen which has been converted into a food stall. The frame comes down and can be re-used each year. The beautiful toran around the room as custum made for me by KirtiTents.com. I would love to purchase a whole tent but the shipping would just be too great.
This was a new addition to Diwali 2013. It is a spice stall. I used real spices stuck to cardboard cones. I used a PVA glue to add the spices. These can be re-used year after year. I also made Chutney for everyone to take home.
For Entree we had tandoori chicken kebabs, poppadoms , samosas and more.
This is the “dining” area. It was created with standard party tables and chairs borrowed from everywhere. (We need to seat around 60 guests). The outside area had a seating area on the floor filled with cushions. (The children mostly sit here). I added some crayons and coloring sheets for some entertainment for the little ones. We also had a dedicated play room for the kids and a dance area.
What would an Indian party be without dancing? Lots of Bollywood dancing and singing and everyone gets up and has a go which is fantastic. My friend does henna for all the ladies and even some tattoo styles for the guys who want to get involved. One year we used Henna Paradise who did an amazing job.
These are my collection of lanterns and umbrellas which we hang from the ceilings. Every year I add a couple more.
This was a crazy idea that worked out well in the end. It did take me hours and hours to create. These rangoli flowers are stuck on to clear plastic sheeting. They can be used every year and just need flattening out a few weeks before hand. I bought the petals off ebay.com
Thanks to Ikea I have a hallway filled with Lanterns. I use LED battery lights for safety and bought them in bulk off ebay.
We are blessed to have a large outside courtyard so this year we draped it with sari’s to give it a warm cozy feeling by night. The square stools are up-turned milk crates that have been covered. The pink floor rug is borrowed every year from my mothers house and the red rugs I bought for $80 each off ebay. They make a huge impact and can roll away under a bed for the rest of the year. I actually think some people think my house always look like this. It doesn’t.
What do you think of this party? What should we do next year? Do you have a product you would like featured? Leave your comments!
Here are the free printable Boolywood and diwali themed food labels. These labels are Tent style, I suggest you print these free printables on cardstock or paper and laminate them for durability.
