I need Inauguration party ideas
January 19, 2021 8:21 AM Subscribe
It's going to be super small..5 people...and after the inauguration in the evening. I want to celebrate Trump going out of office and Biden coming in. Got ideas? I'm crafty and can make party favors too.
Biden apparently loves ice cream so you could have a make your own sundae bar!
posted by Mizu at 8:57 AM on January 19, 2021 [8 favorites]
posted by Mizu at 8:57 AM on January 19, 2021 [8 favorites]
You could make some rollupable flimsy black tissuepaper and celophane wayfarers and rw&b party hats and put them in rw&b crackers. https://www.oldenglishcrackers.com/how-to-make-christmas-crackers/
My friend did parties for Obama's inaugurations but she had more time and, frankly, way better graphic design to work with. She farmed out the cake and the bakery did a fondant representation of the Obama sun on the top. Tasted awful because fondant, but memorably beautiful. You could instead just make a lasagnapan sheetcake (or brownies?), frost it white, and do (offseason so probably crazy expensive) blueberries and strawberries to make a flag.
If it's going to be alcohol-ey, have a theme drink. rw&b layered shots? bar with three drinks options, one red, one white, one blue?
Or just all blue. All blue drinks. all blue food. blue streamers. Blue fairylights and blue lightbulbs in all the fixtures. And mandated blue clothes for guests. A feature: the monochrome is likely to exhaust people and encourage them not to linger, which will limit the time you're all rebreathing one another's exhalations.
posted by Don Pepino at 9:10 AM on January 19, 2021 [5 favorites]
My friend did parties for Obama's inaugurations but she had more time and, frankly, way better graphic design to work with. She farmed out the cake and the bakery did a fondant representation of the Obama sun on the top. Tasted awful because fondant, but memorably beautiful. You could instead just make a lasagnapan sheetcake (or brownies?), frost it white, and do (offseason so probably crazy expensive) blueberries and strawberries to make a flag.
If it's going to be alcohol-ey, have a theme drink. rw&b layered shots? bar with three drinks options, one red, one white, one blue?
Or just all blue. All blue drinks. all blue food. blue streamers. Blue fairylights and blue lightbulbs in all the fixtures. And mandated blue clothes for guests. A feature: the monochrome is likely to exhaust people and encourage them not to linger, which will limit the time you're all rebreathing one another's exhalations.
posted by Don Pepino at 9:10 AM on January 19, 2021 [5 favorites]
IMHO the ultimate celebration food for this occasion is dumplings. Why? To celebrating the dumping of Trump with a traditional food of China.
posted by oceano at 9:17 AM on January 19, 2021 [9 favorites]
posted by oceano at 9:17 AM on January 19, 2021 [9 favorites]
Don't forget to include the new White House dogs, Champ and Major! Maybe cookies in the shape of dog biscuits with their names on them.
posted by Glinn at 9:20 AM on January 19, 2021 [6 favorites]
posted by Glinn at 9:20 AM on January 19, 2021 [6 favorites]
Cheetos and baby carrots?
"Bye, Bye, Bye" by NSYNC on repeat in the background.
Tequila Sunrises to celebrate the dawn of a new era.
Sign up to be poll workers for the next election or pledge to vote again in future elections. Gotta keep this sweet momentum going :)
posted by NewShoo at 11:14 AM on January 19, 2021 [5 favorites]
"Bye, Bye, Bye" by NSYNC on repeat in the background.
Tequila Sunrises to celebrate the dawn of a new era.
Sign up to be poll workers for the next election or pledge to vote again in future elections. Gotta keep this sweet momentum going :)
posted by NewShoo at 11:14 AM on January 19, 2021 [5 favorites]
Get a helium tank and make a blue balloon ceiling. I tried to do a green balloon ceiling for my Emerald City Party back in 2003 or whenever it was but unfortunately my delegate who was assigned the chore of filling the balloons and tying them off and releasing them to float up and create the ceiling opted instead to pass said balloons to groups of guests unknotted so that those guests could more effectively represent the Lollipop Guild in their famous song about how they represent the Lollipop Guild. I criticized this insubordination at the time, but I think in the end it was a better use of the party supplies and people had more fun.
posted by Don Pepino at 12:15 PM on January 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
posted by Don Pepino at 12:15 PM on January 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
I was going to suggest a Trump piñata to whack (sounds cathartic to me!) but they seem to be sold out in many places, which is perhaps not surprising.
If you are crafty maybe you could make one?
posted by ananci at 12:57 PM on January 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
If you are crafty maybe you could make one?
posted by ananci at 12:57 PM on January 19, 2021 [3 favorites]
Pin the [x] on the politician... ooh pin the Pinocchio nose on Trump?... pin the heart on Biden? Never have I ever [during Trump's presidency/ during quarantine]. Food representing tiny body parts/ Delaware/ Georgia. Some sort of trivia game. (e.g. what does the vase of skittles represent? racial composition of congress]. An inauguration themed bingo card.
I also think that anything science is an appropriate theme as well.... I would also encourage you to follow Dr. Fauci's guidelines as closely as possible so that your "little gathering" doesn't pull a rose garden event.
posted by oceano at 3:06 PM on January 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
I also think that anything science is an appropriate theme as well.... I would also encourage you to follow Dr. Fauci's guidelines as closely as possible so that your "little gathering" doesn't pull a rose garden event.
posted by oceano at 3:06 PM on January 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
See this election night question.
I might start out burning down a few orange candles - cut them short, good candles burn a while, and ceremonially light new candles, maybe in lots of colors. Maybe open windows and bang pots to release bad energy. I'm not usually superstitious, but Trump has brought out primal fears.
Harris is Indian, so that opens up some great menu options.
Really, focus on how hopeful we are again, and looking forward. I'm making shrimp and pasta and drinking bubbly wine because it's celebratory.
posted by theora55 at 4:19 PM on January 19, 2021
I might start out burning down a few orange candles - cut them short, good candles burn a while, and ceremonially light new candles, maybe in lots of colors. Maybe open windows and bang pots to release bad energy. I'm not usually superstitious, but Trump has brought out primal fears.
Harris is Indian, so that opens up some great menu options.
Really, focus on how hopeful we are again, and looking forward. I'm making shrimp and pasta and drinking bubbly wine because it's celebratory.
posted by theora55 at 4:19 PM on January 19, 2021
I learned today that Harris often wears pearls because it's a symbol of her sorority at Howard, and that thousands and thousands of women across the US are planning to wear pearls tomorrow in solidarity. You could ask your guests to wear pearls if they have them, or maybe try to source some cheap costume stuff.
posted by The Librarian at 4:34 PM on January 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by The Librarian at 4:34 PM on January 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
I made a red white and blue banner that says "You're Fired!"
posted by MillyMath at 4:40 PM on January 19, 2021
posted by MillyMath at 4:40 PM on January 19, 2021
Joe Biden doesn't drink, but Kamala Harris—who is from California, after all—is reported to have excellent taste in wine. Thrillist even put together a "How to Drink Wine Like Kamala Harris" guide!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 8:05 PM on January 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 8:05 PM on January 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks everyone. I am going to use some of these. I love you're all creative.
posted by DixieBaby at 10:25 AM on January 20, 2021
posted by DixieBaby at 10:25 AM on January 20, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by bbqturtle at 8:36 AM on January 19, 2021 [2 favorites]