This summer my oldest son turned 11. I can’t really wrap my head around this new preteen era that we have entered! I am guessing that my years of planning themed parties for him are slipping away. Lucky for me not yet! This year when I suggested a Sandlot movie night party he was all onboard. It was such a fun, simple party to plan and put together, and he and his buddies had a lot of fun. This party would be a really fun summer gathering idea- no Birthday needed! Just invite over some friends for a fun summer movie night!
Decorations
I kept the decorations minimal. I created some fun Sandlot themed printables that I used to decorate the snack table. As well as some fun Sandlot baseball cards that I scattered about. I also used a few baseballs and a mitt. I really wanted to order a vintage baseball cap, but decided it was an extra that I didn’t NEED.
To keep things cohesive I went with a red and blue color scheme. I love that these colors sort of gave it a vintage baseball feel. I just love the nostalgia of baseball! I grabbed THIS table runner super cheap on Amazon which I thought complemented the vintage feel.
FOOD
Since we were having an evening party we served dinner. We kept it super simple- burgers, dogs, chips and watermelon. If my birthday boy liked hot dogs I probably would have done just dogs, because that would have been even easier and cheaper! We have lots of THESE food baskets which fit the color scheme and made clean up super easy!
I also had fun baseball snacks for them to enjoy during the movie, which were a hit. We did:
- peanuts
- popcorn
- cracker jacks
- Baby Ruth candy bars
- twizzlers
- bubble gum
If you don’t serve a meal you could add some other fun items like:
- Soft pretzels
- nachos
For dessert we went with classic s’mores because they are featured in the movie. I didn’t feel like we needed a cake because the party was after his actual birthday and we’d done the whole light the candles and sing gig already.
If cakes are non negotiable for you at a birthday party then check out THESE super cute S’more cupcakes that fit the theme perfectly, or a baseball cake like THIS would be pretty easy to execute!
Overall this party was so simple and easy to put together. It wasn’t over the top themey which was perfect for my preteen guy.
Here are a few posts that I used for inspiration if you are looking for a few more ideas:
Southern Grown Vintage A Sandlot First Birthday
A Vintage Baseball Birthday from Catch My Party
Here are the printables if you want to host your own Sandlot movie night!
Happy Celebrating!
Megan
