Housewarming Party Ideas

Housewarming parties have been a longstanding tradition for years and years. Friends and family come over to welcome you and yours into your new house and warm it up to a home. It’s also a good way for you to get an introduction to those faces you will be passing on the sidewalk (your new neighbors.) We’ve all been there and know that moving into a new home is hectic, to say the least. You may not even feel like you have the time to throw a party. That’s 100% normal and your guests aren’t going to expect you to have everything decorated perfectly or even unpacked all the way.

Use your housewarming party as motivation to get most of your belongings out of boxes or, you can set the date for the party and plan to have your guests help you out too. With just a few steps you will be on your way to planning a grand party filled with the best housewarming ideas.

house warming ideas

The first step to throwing a memorable housewarming party is to plan ahead of time. Are you thinking about doing a daytime socialization or a more formal nighttime dinner party? If you’re feeling adventurous you may even decide to pick a theme for your party. Once you have all of these big details and housewarming ideas in place, the rest of the planning will come naturally.

Well, what are you waiting for? We’re here talking everything you need to know about celebrating your new home which is just waiting to be shown off.

How to Throw a Housewarming Party?

Throwing a party of any kind is no easy task. What sounds like an even bigger task? How about throwing a party right after a big move? One thing that we know for sure is that all the party planning hard work is sure to pay off. A fun housewarming party is really the celebration of your new home and a way for you to expand your social circle. Here are three steps for throwing the most memorable welcome party.

  1. Make a Guest List- This list should include family and old friends, new neighbors and even friends of friends, remember that you’re goal is to expand your social circle.
  2. Pick a Date and Time- There is no perfect time to throw your welcome to the block party. Plus, like we mentioned, this is probably one of the last items on your moving to-do list. Pick a date and time that just feels right for you and your fam and also, don’t forget to keep the weather in mind.
  3. Housewarming Party Theme- Keep in mind if you want to make your party themed. If you’re unsure about ideas, take a peek at a few of our favorite party themes below.

What is Housewarming Party Etiquette for Host and Attendees?

A house warming party shouldn’t be a formal event like a wedding. It’s really all up to you, the host and your family, to determine how formal or non-formal you would like your welcome home celebration. Housewarming parties usually tend to be on the more casual side so again, don’t worry about having the house in perfect shape. As the host, go ahead and try to unpack as much as possible and have boxes in the proper rooms. Since your guests will likely be mingling in the living and dining areas of the home try and get these rooms unpack first.

It is tradition that attendees bring housewarming gifts to welcome you into your new home so make sure you have at least one table cleared off. Your guests will ultimately follow your lead and you can allude to gifts or no gifts on your housewarming invites so guests will know what to expect and bring.

Who Should I Invite?

Old friends and new friends should be welcomed to your Housewarming party. Now, with that being said, that doesn’t mean that you have to feel like you need to invite everyone. It’s also not a bad idea to share your good fortune with those close to you and get to know your neighbors. Don’t be so selective that you limit your experience. In addition to your friends, family and new neighbors, feel free to invite over your realtor and home builders as a final thank you for all their hard work.

How to Write a Housewarming Party Invitation?

It can be hard to know the etiquette surrounding Housewarming invite. From what to write on them to when you should send them out, these are all great rules of thumb to consider when throwing a housewarming celebration. The wording you select to print on your invitations will ultimately set the tone for the big day. You want your invitations to reflect the certain style of party you are going for. Again, think about factors like more relaxed or more formal. Are you going to be having your guests help you out with the unpacking? Are you going to show everyone around your new pad with a home tour? Will there be party games and fun? Whatever style of housewarming you are hoping to have it’s important to give your guests a sneak peek into what the big day will hold and you can do this through your housewarming invitation wording. A housewarming party invitation more often than not has three parts to it, the witty introduction, the details and an RSVP line. Below are a few housewarming party invitation wording samples that could be perfect for your invites.

Formal Wording Sample- 

We’ve moved into a new house

But to turn it into a home 

it takes good friends like you 

Because the warmth of your friendship fills our house and our hearts, too 

Please join us at a

Housewarming Dinner Party

June 10th at 7:00 p.m.

Street Address, City, State

Adam and Kelsea Woodhull

Dinner will be served at 8:00 p.m.

RSVP by May 31st

Informal Wording Sample-

The drywall is hung 

and we’ve wired the lights 

So, now we’re constructing a 

Housewarming Party

Saturday, July 25th at 8:00 p.m.

Natasha and Steve Jones

Street Address, City, State

Light snacks and drinks served

RSVP by July 15th to

Natasha 987.5334

No Gifts Please; Your Presence is Your Gift

When to Send Housewarming Party Invitations?

If you are planning a formal dinner party or something around those sorts it’s important to be safe and make sure that you can get a head count of how many people will be attending the party. This means that you’ll need to send the invites out more on the early side. By early, think anywhere from three-four weeks in advance.  On the other hand if you’re opting for a more casual housewarming celebration you have a little wiggle room for getting your invitations into the mailbox. Anywhere from three days to three weeks in advance will do the trick.

Housewarming Party Themes

Help Us Out Themes

There are no rules that says you can’t put your guests to work when they come over for a housewarming party. Of course, guests won’t expect your house to look 100% decorated or even 100% unpacked. So, if there are still items you need to check off of your moving to-do list, put your housewarming guests to work.

  • Paint-a-Room Theme Your new home or apartment may have some rooms that need a fresh coat of color. Before you unpack everything go ahead and get the painting done and get it done with the help of a few extra hands. This will make the job a lot more fun and full of laughter.
  • Unpacking Party Break in the new home by tearing into some of these boxes. Make sure that all of your moving boxes have proper labels on them so guests know where they are unpacking what. We don’t know how much better your neighbors can get to know you than by unpacking your personal belongings.
  • Stock-The-Bar Theme- Have your guests help you turn your house into a home. with a stock-the-bar housewarming party theme. Each guest gets to bring over his/her favorite liquor and cocktail recipes. Not only do you get to stock-the-bar, but you also get to try some yummy drinks with new friends. What more could you ask for?

Traditional Themes

  • Potluck-Nothing says welcome home quite like a neighborhood potluck. Tell your guests to bring over their fav dishes and supper is served.
  • Garden Theme-If your moving date is sometime during the spring or summer months then a garden party is right down your ally.
  • Open House- An open house themed housewarming is definitely a little more on the traditional side. As the host of the party, if you choose to go with this theme, plan to set aside a block of time to keep your house ‘open’ (hence the name.) Guests can come and go as they please. The best part about this theme is that you allow your guests options, they can come over to check out your new digs whenever their schedule permits.
  • Block Party- Instead of just opening up your home to guests, why not have everyone on the block open theirs too. This is a great way to become a part of your new community.

Games to Play at a Housewarming Party

Although your big welcoming night will be full of house tours, food and conversation. If you have time, this could be the great chance for a game night. It will help you get to know your new neighbors better and celebrate with your close friends even more.

  • Scavenger Hunt-Hide items around your beautiful new home and create a map for your guests to follow. Look, the game allows you to give a house tour without doing any of the talking.
  • Design a Room- A new home means a blank canvas for decorating (and we love décor around here.) Give your guests the challenge of designing a room around your new home. Hey, you might even get some great design ideas (let’s hope your new neighbors are interior deco crazy…)
  • House Tours-It wouldn’t be a true housewarming party without a few house tours; need we say more?

Housewarming Party Decorations

For this part of the party planning go with the idea that less is more. The easier the better. If you do want to spruce up the place a little make sure you do it in ways that won’t require a lot of work. We recommend setting out flowers and candles.

Party Favors

Traditional housewarming gifts or favors for guests usually include things like gift bags or food items as a cute way to say thanks and/or pay your guests for all their hard work. It’s also a great way to thank your guests for any of the gifts you’ve received. Go ahead and include magnets or personalized notepads with your new address on them, this way all of your friends and family will know how to stay in touch with you. On the other hand, you can never go wrong with yummy treats. Think popcorn with a little ‘thanks for popping by sentiment,’ or how about your favorite local treat?

You only get to formally ‘warm’ your house up once, so make sure to do it the right way with these fun and easy housewarming party ideas. As the celebration dies down and you’ve unpacked the rest of your boxes if you’re looking for some home decorating ideas check out our best home décor blogs for some inspiration. If that doesn’t inspire you then these 600 home decoration ideas may help you out a bit.