Are you planning on throwing a magical mermaid party, a mermaid themed pool party or an under the sea party this summer? We have the ultimate guide for you!
We've got the cutest mermaid theme invitations, favor tags and decorations; the tastiest mermaid snacks and the coolest drinks; even the most fun mermaid games your guests can play in and out of the pool.
With these tips and ideas you will throw the best magical mermaid pool party that everyone will be talking about all summer long!
There are 7 steps to throwing the best magical mermaid pool party this summer:
- Send your mermaid theme invitations
- Decorate the party scene
- Plan your mermaid pool party drinks
- Think up mermaid theme games for the party
- Add some under the sea crafts
- Make mermaid theme party food and snacks
- Add mermaid theme favors to your party bags
Set the scene with mermaid theme invitations
Let everyone know the theme for your party with our adorable mermaid theme party pack!
Inside this pack you'll find beautiful mermaid theme party invitations asking your guests to come and Shell-a-brate the day!
Print onto cardstock and add any pool specific details on the back - make sure everyone knows to bring their best mermaid swimsuit.
We recommend sending invitation 4-6 weeks before the big day so little mermaids have time to get their outfit sorted!
How do you decorate a mermaid party?
Let’s get the mermaid pool party started with these fun sea-themed decorations!
Even if you don’t feel like you have the decorating touch or want to go all out there are some simple and fun mermaid touches you can add to your party.
One of the easiest decorations to add to your party are multi coloured mermaid balloons. They mimic bubbles and can be used in a wide variety of ways.
Fill up a net with them and drape at the front of a table. Or go the helium route and have floating bubbles all over your party.
Stick with a common colour scheme (blues and pastels tend to work well.) They can also be used for fun party games (see below).
Another fun and easy decoration idea is a photo booth.
Have a wide range of props and a fun background. This works double duty as the photo station but also takes up a large area as a decoration!
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Mermaid Pool Party Decorations
Try some of these gorgeous themed decorations to set the scene for your mermaid pool party:
Pick up this pack of decorations if you’d rather not spend on or don’t have the time to individually assemble decorations.
This pack comes with balloons and a backdrop as well as the materials you’ll need to set up and assemble.
Balloons, banners and all the table decor you need to pull of a mermaid-rific birthday celebration for your little one.
This is another option if you’re looking for a little different style.
These adorable honeycomb centerpieces are perfect for decorating your buffet table or tables around the pool.
There are enough in this set for families to take home too if you want to use them as party favors (see below for mroe mermaid party favor ideas).
For those that have space to hang items at your party these paper lanterns are a fun and easy decoration.
They’d be great over the party table or even hanging from hooks throughout the party area.
A mermaid scalloped tablecloth is a fun way to dress up your party tables.
When you top it with your mermaid tableware and mix in some seashells or gems you’ve got a great tablescape!
Not only do these cups look gorgeous, they make fun table decorations too.
What drinks can I serve at a mermaid party?
If you’re planning your mermaid pool party you can’t forget plenty of fun and cool drinks!
All of these drinks are family-friendly meaning they are non-alcoholic. But, if you plan on having adult guests and want something different, you can add your favourite alcohol to most of these drink ideas.
One other tip for planning your drinks is to have paper cups or reusable plastic cups with your guests name written on in advance.
It’s never a good idea to have glass near a pool party and this will also help cut down on waste.
Mermaid Pool Party Drinks
A lemonade that changes colour? What could be more magical than that?!
Kids will love this fun drink and you get to be the hero magician that makes the magic happen!
This bright blue punch is not only vibrant but popping with tropical flavours.
Serve it ice cold and in fun mermaid cups for an added twist!
A very easy to make recipe that uses just a few ingredients, this mocktail is great to make in large quantities.
Serve it in a drink dispensing jar and allow your guests to fill up as they need.
A bubbly strawberry flavored drink, this fruity mocktail mojito might make your mermaid guests feel like they’re on a land vacation!
Have plenty of extra ice on hand and serve in tall cups.
A frozen drink you’ll want to make sure to serve these to guests to drink right away.
These are a really delicious cold drink/dessert for pool parties on those extra hot days.
They also look really colourful and fun, so choose see through cups if you go with this drink idea.
Get some fruit in with your drink when you make these blue pineapple mocktails.
The pineapple at the bottom serves as the sand at the bottom of the ocean while the blue represents the water.
Pick up some of these sphere ice cube molds to mimic pearls or other gems at the bottom of the sea!
These are not only a tasty snack (yes the glass is edible!) but they could also make for a fun craft activity at the start of the party.
Then simply fill them with your favorite smoothie.
I also think they’d be great for a pool party when things might get a little cool, or go into the night to be filled with or dropped into a glass of mermaid hot cocoa!
If you’ll be serving drinks out of a can or even bottles of water pick up this blow-up chest cooler to keep with the mermaid theme!
You could also decorate your regular chest freezer to disguise it as a chest of treasure!
What games to play at a mermaid party?
When it’s time to get your party started you’ll need some games!
These mermaid pool party games are good for party-goers who both want to get in the water and those who would rather stay on land.
When planning a party it’s a good rule of thumb to have one activity or game for each half hour of the party.
Of course, if you are throwing a pool party for kids it may turn out they enjoy just being able to play and swim in the pool so you might not need quite so many other activities.
Whatever route you end up going, there are plenty of mermaid game ideas here to use for your celebration.
Mermaid Pool Party Games
Out of Pool Games
This is a very simple game that you can have set up near the party area.
Structure a competition or just leave it as a free play area for your guests.
There’s no right or wrong way to do this and the best part is it requires very little set up or effort on your end!
A fun pinata makes every party more fun! This mermaid tail is perfect for a themed party.
Depending on how many guests you’ll have you may want to get more than one.
Make it into a competition when you have the group divided into two teams to see which can take theirs down first!
Just like the original pin the tail on the donkey game, this one is for pinning the tail on the mermaid.
Set up a face painting and tattoo station for your guests to get dressed up like mermaids!
This is probably an activity best left for after swimming has been completed.
Keep it as simple or elaborate as you’d like. This is also a great way to pull in an older sibling or a friend who is artistically gifted!
This is a great mermaid eye face paint tutorial or you could just grab this mermaid glitter gel to make it easier.
A done for you treasure hunt!
This great item is a download so if you’re in need of a last minute activity, you can purchase, print and go in minutes!
A great activity for older kids who are able to read on their own.
Get some suplpies together to make these adorable mermaid wands!
While you could make these in advance for your guests they also would make the perfect addition to a craft or activity table.
Let each of your young guests create their own wands that can be used at the party or as take home favours.
Have slime obsessed kids? Then this DIY mermaid slime is going to be a hit!
It’s another great option for a craft table. Each child can personalize their slime creation.
Make sure to have containers or Ziploc bags available to take it home.
In the Pool Party Games
There are plenty of fun games kids can play in the pool too:
Set up diving races for stronger swimmers (or free play) with these mermaid dive sticks.
You may also want to have goggles available for the contestants.
Every good pool party needs a fun float or two! And this one is a giant ring with a mermaid tail!
You may only be able to get one into the pool depending on how much space you have, though!
Have a mermaid swim race with these monofins! If you only want to purchase one it could be a timed swimming race.
If you choose to get more, make it a showdown!
Another fun idea would be to set up a photo shoot area where each person gets their picture taken as a mermaid in the tail and with additional props.
What food can I serve at a mermaid party?
Planning the perfect mermaid pool party means having plenty of tasty snacks. Whether you’re having a full cookout or you want to have bites and nibbles for your guests there are plenty of ideas for all of your food needs.
Mix and match for a full spread or simply put out a few different snacks if you’re planning to keep things low key.
Mermaid Pool Party Snacks
You can go all out with fun mermaid party food and snacks to really make the party.
We have plenty of easy to make and some mroe intricate bakes and ideas:
No Prep Snack Ideas
For a mermaid party, there are a few different snack ideas you can simply purchase and put out.
Some of these ideas include:
- Rock candy on sticks
- Goldfish crackers
- Oyster crackers
- Chocolate rocks
- Chocolate coins - make a treasure chest to put them in
Easy to Make Snacks
You can make some very quick and easy snacks too that your kids would be happy to help with.
For example, set Jello in a baking tray and use under the sea shapes to cut out different under the sea creatures.
Dip pretzel rods in melted white or milk chocolate then roll in mermaid sprinkles for a fun effect.
We made heart ones for Valentine's Day and they turned out really well!
Read on for more snack ideas that are all very easy to make so you don’t have to spend all your time in the kitchen before or during the party!
By using some ready made ingredients, you cut your prep time in half!
These muddy buddy snacks are delicious and look super cute too.
You could present them in a little treasure chest or in a fun decorated bowl.
Of course they’ll probably be gobbled up in no time, so don’t stress too much!
This snack doubles as a craft too.
You can either make them in advance and have them ready to eat or put out all of the ingredients and have every guest decorate their own. Fun and tasty!
This ideas uses nila wafers but you could use any round cookie to make them.
Use a mixture of cookies to create an ocean floor of clams!
Cupcakes are a great pool party treat as guests can grab and go as they want.
These look impressive and are really easy to make using ready made cupcakes.
The addition of these cute little seashells and Dinglehoppers make them even cuter!
You can make even easier mermaid theme cupcakes with our printable cupcake toppers.
This is another no cook option that’s even good for you.
It would be even better paired with a spinach (seaweed!) dip!
Cool down with these wonderful looking, fun mermaid popsicles.
You’ll know exactly what’s going into your kids' popsicles when you make them and can customize based on any dietary restrictions or needs that your guests may have.
Whip up these yummy parfaits for a gorgeous and delicious dessert.
In this recipe they’re blue, but you could make them in any colour you like - rainbow colours would be cute too!
Sandwiches are always a good idea, you can make several different fillings and decorate them all to look like crabs!
All you need are some croissants, sandwich fillings and some cute googly eyes on toothpicks.
You can purchase seaweed chips in most grocery stores but they’re also easy to make with nori sheets.
Whichever option you choose these are a fun and healthy snack for your party guests.
Another easy to make sandwich option. These can be cut into giant stars or other underwater animal shapes.
I think the star options is the easiest to make but go with what you’ve got!
Mermaid Theme Party Favors
No beautiful mermaid pool party would be complete without suitable mermaid themed party favors!
Grab some of these adorable mermaid favor bags or these cute sealable under the sea theme candy bags and add some fun treats for little mermaids to enjoy at home.
Make sure everyone knows whose party bag is whose by adding one of these adorable favor tags to each bag or to a cupcake bag or mini craft kit.
To fill your mermaid party favor bags, these cute little mermaidy pieces are perfect:
And there you have it, everything you need to plan the ultimate magical mermaid pool party this summer.
Have fun!
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