Surfer Themed Birthday Party

This past summer our son turned 5 and we wanted to throw him an epic pool party. We decided on the perfect theme "Five is a Vibe" and went all out on planning his surf themed birthday party!

For the "Five is a Vibe" invitations, I designed them myself leaning into the teal and tan colors I wanted to use throughout the party elements. The pop of black gave the retro tones a modern pop.

Since we were inviting his preschool class, I included a little insert with instructions that we would have a deep pool so please bring a floatie if needed. And I also let parents know we would have an official lifeguard on duty. Which this is my new MUST for future little kid pool parties because it made is so much less stress for myself and my husband.

We made this beachy wayfinding sign and placed it on the porch to great guests. We painted the wood and then I used vinyl Cricut letters for the signs. I stuck with the same font I used on the invitation.

We made another for the backyard which was the party space. It pointed accurately to all the areas of the party we had set up!

What we put on our surf party wayfinding sign:

Waves (pool)
Surf Shop (the favor station)
Beach Grill (the food table)
Sand Bar (the drink station)
Restrooms

I added a few surf party decor elements in our shaded cabana area. I attached a fishing net to the top corner and added a few beach balls and a "5". I also made some hanging fringe ny using colorful plastic tablecloths and twine to hand them. So simple!

In this area I also set out some sunscreen and colorful zinc. This was a hit with the kids! They all ended up with neon stripes on their faces.

This area was shaded so we also set up our "Sand Bar" which was really just the drink station.

Aross the yard was our "Beach Grill." I wanted to level up the food table so it felt more in the surf party theme. Who doesn't love a beach grill? I brought out the food after about an hour of swimming. The "line up" was pizza, cheeseburgers, fruit, veggies, and chips. Anytime I can hang bags of chips I do, it's so easy for guest to grab. I kept a tub to refill under the table. In this case, Hawaiian and Sun Chips were right on theme.

Food we served at our surf themed party:

Pizza by the slice
Cheeseburgers (we literally just ordered 2 dozen from Mcdonalds and kept them warm!)
Fresh fruit
Fresh veggies + dip (single serving sizes of ranch)
Chips

To make the beach grill, we painted a huge piece of wood and secured it to the wall, then we build a "cover" to go around a 6ft folding table. The tablecloth on the table matched the paint we used so it was all seamless. I simply stapled some thatch for the beach roof look and added a sign!

Here is our pool deck sign, right on theme for a surf birthday party! I had found a teenager in our local facebook group who offers private lifeguarding in the summer and he was perfect! Not only did he give us, the hosts, peace of mind .... honestly his lifeguard outfit added to the party decor! :)

I turned the playhouse into a "Surf Club" and we added some pool-sandboxes for the kids to have an option to play if they wanted a break from swimming. The thatch decor came in handy several times for our surf party decor!

The "Surf Shack" was essentially our favor station. I love using these white racks for parties and they were perfect for this set up. We had neon sunglasses, hats and swim goggles for each kid to use at the party, and then to bag up and take home!

It also made the whole party so colorful with all the kids running around in their hats and sunglasses!

Bonus: They kids got to use them all summer, which I think is how a good party favor should be.

I made the birthday dude a custom hat using vinyl iron on!

I made myself one that said "Reid's Surf Club" and Dad got a custom "Reid's Surf Club" tank.

We borrowed some paddle boards from friends which ended up being a great photo spot. technically not surf boards–but none of the kids noticed!

The birthday dude had a custom "Five is a Vibe" tee along with board shorts to match the party colors.

The desserts were set up inside where it was cooler. I used a neon surfer sign and Reid's sun hat as decor and a letterboard. The desserts were cute on their own though!

Other elements at our Surf Themed Party:

A kid-friendly surfer playlist was our background music all day
On the big screen inside, we had on a surfing competition. This was my oldest daughter's idea, since they used to do that at a brewery she worked at on the beach (brilliant!)
Extra towels were outside near the pool in baskets in case guests needed them
We put out a couple extra life vests and floaties in case parents forgot their or a kiddo needed a little break from swimming
We didn't need any party games because the kids were so busy swimming!
We had floating sharks in the pool for the kids to play with as they swam
A few beach balls in the pool was a great idea!

Surf Themed Party Favors:

Let me know if you have any questions if you're putting together your own surf themed party, five is a vibe birthday, or just want to host a fun summer pool party theme!

For a look back at Reid's previous birthdays, check out The Big One, Chugga Chugga Two Two, Modern Race Car Third Birthday!