Last week my twins turned nine and this week we celebrated with an outdoor color fight party that was a little messy and a whole lot of fun! We went all out with the color theme and added as much color to the party as we could. It was a bright and cheerful party and the afternoon was filled with giggles from the guests. We had a mixed party with both boys and girls and they all loved it equally!
How to Host a Color Fight Party
The hardest part of throwing a color fight party is finding a location for it. We were fortunate to be able to use a friend’s large country yard but I exhausted a lot of other possibilities first. If you’re planning on throwing a color fight, check the restrictions in your area first. No public parks in our area would allow the colored powder to be thrown because they consider it a chemical even though it’s made with natural products. To avoid problems, private land is your best bet.
I set up a colorful food table away from the action and hung some garlands in a tree. The bright colors really created a festive environment!
On the invitation, we told guests to wear old clothes. The color powder is washable but we didn’t want to be responsible for any staining that could potentially happen. We also gave guests white shirts when they arrived. I used my cutting machine and heat transfer to create a logo on the front of each shirt so the guests would have a keepsake from the party.
We took some pre-color group photos and then got the color party started by playing a dodgeball-style game with dollar store nylons filled with color powder. As the powder balls hit the kids, they left colored dust behind. It was a great ice-breaker, especially for a mixed group of kids, some who knew each other and some who didn’t.
When dodgeball had run its course, we handed out cheap goggles to act as protective eye gear and got the color fight under way.
I was going to give each guest a squirt bottle to spray the powder but the nozzle kept clogging during testing and I opted to give each child a plastic bag full of powder instead. They could grab a handful of powder, throw it at each other …
… then go back to the filling station for a refill. The filling station had large mason jars {topped with pour spouts} full of extra color powder. {The simple recipe for this DIY color powder can be found by clicking on the link.} Making the kids come back for refills helped make the fight last a bit longer as well.
The kids ran and chased each other …
… and threw powder …
… and ended up looking much more colorful than when they started!
The shirts ended up having a decent amount of color on them but the powder shook right out of hair …
… and we kept lots of wipes handy for cleaning faces and hands.
When the kids were tired {and the powder ran out} we spread some plastic tablecloths on the ground and handed out snack buckets. Since the party was outside, it made it easier to have everything packaged individually.
I served colorful drinks in a bright plastic crate …
… with bright paper straws, of course …
… and also had water bottles chilling in frozen water balloons.
Along with snacks, we gave the kids individually packaged cupcakes …
… that were bright blue inside but covered in plain white icing …
… and let the kids spray them with edible spray paint. It was a fun and simple way to tie the color theme in with the cake.
And the final detail? Each child went home with a filled balloon party favor … and instructions not to pop it till they got home!
Our color fight party was so much fun … and the perfect way to celebrate two colorful kids!
Wow! Sounds like a lot of fun!!! Kids will remember this forever!!
This looks like SO much fun!!! I am pinning this for sure!
Anna 🙂
I love these ideas! I have to know: where did you find the goggles and when they threw the powder, were there any issues with them breathing it in?? We are looking to do some similar things for a party and I’m searching for goggles and wondering about the powder (we will have some younger kids joining in).
If you’re thinking of doing a party like this, buy goggles now! You can find cheap ones at the dollar store and Walmart in seasonal goods. We made a rule that no one could throw the powder directly at faces and the amount of powder being thrown at one time was actually quite small … not much of a risk for breathing in. We didn’t have any problems with that.
Thank you so much for sharing this! My son turned 13 a few days ago. He has Autism and having a party for him is exhausting. He usually wants stuff that is geared either toward tech themes or My Little Pony. I want his friends to have fun and he has been talking about a slime balloon fight. Yikes. This seems like a perfect option. Stumbling upon this has saved my sanity and my sons party. I am going to follow your party idea step by step. Thanks again you are a life saver
How many kids were there and how much powder did you buy?
Click on the link in that post for DIY Color Powder and you’ll find all the detail about the powder we used and how I made it. We had ten kids at the party.
I really want to do this, but I have to do it in my in-laws yard. Will it make a mess? Can I just hose the stains away?
I was very surprised at how little mess we had after. You can easily hose it away. If you’re doing it over grass, it’ll just soak right into the grass.
How can you set the color in the shirts? Would soaking them in vinegar help? Would you wash them in cold or hot water? Thanks!
OMG!!!! I have made over 50 lbs of the powder and it’s starting to get mold! I put it in ziplock bags because of the quantity of the powder, what do I do? My daughters party is the 28th!????. Help me
It must not be fully dry. I would spread it out on baking sheets and dry it in batches then put it back in airtight containers. I hope that helps!
Hi, did you manage to get the powder fine? When mine dried it became crusty on the outside and “breadlike” on the inside. My blender couldn’t rid me if some hard little stone-like bits which don’t really color the white T-shirt properly. Any advice on how to get a fine powder that sticks?
I just used the back of a spoon to break it up.
Hi.
This is such a cool idea. I want to do a color war fight for an event I’m hosting for teens. Is there anything you can think of for doing this mess free and possibly indoors.
Thanks
If you’re going to do it indoors, you’d have to tarp the entire area, I think. It might be fine on floors but I could never guarantee it. It’s not really a mess free activity! 🙂
How much paint did you allow for each child?
What did you fill the party favor balloons with?
If you click on that link {https://dukesandduchesses.com/filled-balloon-party-favors/}, you can see the full tutorial and all the filler details!
Do you think this would be okay to go in a pool afterwards? We’re getting a house with a decent sized backyard and an in ground pool, so I was thinking they could just jump in the pool afterwards?
Definitely. I think it would be so diffused in the pool water that it wouldn’t be a problem at all!
I like the idea but I´m worry about the game. Kids definitely will breathe the dust 🙁