15 Awesome Glow in the Dark Party Ideas!

We're always looking for games and activities that would be fun to do with friends at one of our kids birthday parties! And tweens love parties where they can run around outside and even sleep in a tent with their friends- so here are 15 awesome glow in the dark party ideas!

Glow in the Dark Party Ideas: Party Invitations

I think kids parties are made even more special when you send out printed invitations (or even just attach these and send it out via text or email). I created these cool glow in the dark party invites which fit the theme perfectly! You'll find a download link to a blank invite you can use (for free!) at the end of this post.

You can either fill in the party information by hand using a white or silver sharpie pen This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. , or upload the image to PicMonkey This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. to add text (fill out your party details using the Lakki Reddy font!). (Check out my tutorial on how to use PicMonkey to create birthday party invitations!)

Glow in the Dark Party Ideas: Party Set up and Decorations

This party really lends itself to being held outdoors- where kids can run around in the dark, play games using glow-in-the-dark accessories, and even sleep outside in a tent ( this is the instant pop-up tent that we use for all of our parties This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. ) where they can talk and laugh until the wee hours of the morning without disturbing you!. So the first thing you'll want to do is to get the party location “glowing”!

These awesome glow balloons This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. can be filled with air or helium (fill with a disposable helium tank) and tied to trees, tables, and chairs to create a festive atmosphere! They also can serve as barriers to define yard boundaries, or to mark low-hanging or stationary objects that you don't want the kids to run into!

We also strung outdoor lights This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. around the tent area and leading into the house to make sure that the kids had a lighted path all night long (just in case the glow sticks started to fizzle out).

And of course, we provided dozens and dozens of glow sticks This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. which the kids used to decorate themselves- necklaces, armbands, belts, crowns, glasses- and we also dropped them inside of plastic water jugs to further light the food table!

Glow in the Dark Party Ideas: Games and Activities

Glow Battle

Glow Battle This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. is a game kit that plays a lot like laser tag! Up to 10 players are divided into teams and battle it out with soft foam swords that light up. Players wear bracelets on their arm to indicate their playing status- a solid light means that they can be tagged. Once someone is tagged, they have to head to their Regen Station, change their bracelets to a blinking status- and then they can return to play. If they are tagged one more time- they are out. The last player left standing is the winner!

My kids love playing this game with their friends!

Capture the Flag

This classic outdoor game is made all that much better with the addition of glow in the dark components! Players start by picking teams and then mark off their territories and jails. Then each team hides their orb (“flag to be captured”) and play begins! The capture the flag kit This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. provides materials for up to 16 players on 2 teams- but you can buy expansion kits This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. to allow for more players- or even a kit to add in an additional team This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. !

Headlamp Tag

Another easy game to play with a group of friends is headlamp tag! These headlamps This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. come in a 6-pack (for less than $25) and have multiple light options- so the person who is “It” can switch to a red light while other players can have the white light turned on.

Glow in the Dark Basketball

All kinds of games that kids love to play with their friends can be made even more fun by adding in the glow in the dark element. Use glow sticks under your basketball rim (just attach with clear tape) and this glow in the dark basketball This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. and let the kids light up the court!

Glow in the Dark Spikeball

If your kids are into spikeball This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. (mine love to play it at the beach!), use these glow in the dark spikeballs This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. to play at night!

Glow in the Dark Volleyball

Attach a few glow sticks onto the top and bottom of your volleyball net, divide the kids into teams and play glow in the dark volleyball This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. !

Glow in the Dark Party Ideas: Menu and Birthday Cake

I love it when we can coordinate our party menu and dessert to fit the theme of the event!

This rainbow pasta made with neon food coloring This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. would be the perfect thing to serve at a Glow in the Dark party! Offer sauce, meatballs, garlic bread, and a salad- and your guests will be fueled up for game time!

This arctic aid (also made with the same neon food coloring This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. ) is a yummy drink that fits the theme!

These glow in the dark cupcakes from Hoosier Homemade are so cool! Liz shows us that the trick to getting the icing to glow is to use a combination of jello mix and tonic water! You can use this same technique to create icing for a glow in the dark birthday cake! Combined with my tip of adding some yogurt in your cake batter to make your cake colors “pop” (as we did with this rainbow cake!) and neon food coloring This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. – you can create an awesome glow in the dark cake!

Glow in the Dark Party Ideas: Party Favors

For a glow in the dark party- some of the items used for the party- headlamps, glow sticks- can become part of the party favor.

But my absolute favorite favor to give out at my kids birthday parties is a framed photo of the attendees. At the beginning of the party- I gather everyone together and do a short “photo shoot.” Then while the kids are eating or playing one of the games- I'll go through the photos- pick the one that looks best, and print off enough copies on photo paper for each guest. I give the ink a little extra time to fully dry and then place the photos inside of frames. To make glow in the dark frames to fit the party theme- you can use some glow in the dark spray paint This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. over inexpensive picture frames like these This is an affiliate link: MomOf6 earns a commission if you purchase, at no additional cost to you. !

Ready to Download The Free Glow in the Dark Party Printables?

Awesome! Simply sign up below to join the MomOf6 community, and you'll be directed to a thank you page with access instructions! The download includes the glow in the dark party invitation and thank you note.

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Here's Everything You Need to Throw a Glow in the Dark Party!

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15 Awesome Glow in the Dark Party Ideas!

Glow in the Dark Party Ideas: Party Invitations

Glow in the Dark Party Ideas: Party Set up and Decorations