How to host an American themed party

When it comes to party themes, ‘American’ is a classic. It’s pretty easy to throw together an American themed party – hang up some stars and stripes, go for a red, white and blue colour scheme, whip up some hot dogs and stick Party in the USA on Spotify. Done!

If you want to make your American themed party a bit more special though… we need to go to Vegas. Obviously - it’s the party capital of the USA!

What is a Vegas themed party?

There’s nowhere quite like Vegas – with its flashing lights, glamorous casinos and party atmosphere, it’s really in a league of its own. And you can recreate the Vegas magic at home with your very own Vegas themed party.

It’s all about flashy decadence – you want your guest to feel like high rollers from the moment they walk in. A Vegas dinner party is less about the food on offer and more about fun games, fantastic outfits and creative cocktails. So let’s get planning!

Food for a Vegas themed dinner party

Vegas food is a novelty – it’s a little bit gimmicky, but super fun and perfect for a party setting. We’re not sitting down at a dinner table in Vegas – think small, bitesize dishes that can be enjoyed while standing at the blackjack table (more on that later).

Vegas style food is also about spectacle. A centrepiece dish that gets your guests talking is a great idea, then you can build the rest of your menu around it by adding complementary canapes and side dishes.

Vegas inspired recipes

Guy Fieri’s trash can nachos

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup double cream
1 cup whole milk
2 oz mild cheddar cheese (plus more for toppings)
2 oz Oaxaca cheese
2 oz monterey jack cheese
2 oz smoked gouda cheese
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno juice
2 bags of tortilla chips
1 can black beans
16 oz chopped skirt steak (or beef mince)
Nacho toppings

Method

To make the cheese sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in the flour for about 5 minutes until combined.
Add the double cream and whole milk and whisk.
Add the cheese and stir to combine.
Add in the cayenne pepper, cumin and pickled jalapeno juice.
Stir and remove from the heat.
Preheat your oven to 180 degrees.
On a baking tray, spread 1 bag of tortilla chips out into a single layer.
Cover with half the cheese sauce, meat, black beans and grated cheese.
Repeat with a second baking tray and the other half of the ingredients.
Bake in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.
Here you’ll need a ‘trash can’ mould – start with a large base, like a platter tray, then find a tall cylindrical structure to create the ‘trash can’ shape.
Place the “trash can” mould on your platter then fill the mould with nachos, cheese, and additional toppings.
Repeat until no ingredients remain.
Carefully lift up your mould to reveal the nacho tower.
Garnish the top with coriander, red onion, avocado and sour cream.

Baked Mac n Cheese in the style of Gordon Ramsay

Ingredients

50g baguette, cut into small chunks
2 tbsp butter, plus 1 tbsp melted
350g macaroni pasta
2 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tsp English mustard powder
3 tbsp plain flour
500ml whole milk
50g parmesan

Method

Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Spread the baguette chunks over a baking tray, drizzle with the melted butter and season.
Bake for 6 mins until golden, then set aside.
Boil the pasta until al dente, then drain.
While it’s cooking, melt the butter in a pan. Add the garlic and the mustard powder, cook for a minute, then stir in the flour.
Cook for another minute, then slowly whisk in the milk until you have a lump-free sauce.
Simmer for 5 mins, whisking all the time until thickened.
Take off the heat, then stir in the cheddar and half the parmesan.
Stir the pasta and some seasoning into the sauce.
Tip into individual dishes then scatter over the bread and the remaining parmesan and bake for 20 mins until crisp and golden.

Martha Stewart’s peanut butter swirl brownies

Ingredients

For the batter

8 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for the pan
2 oz dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 oz milk chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract

For the filling

4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup caster sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Line a buttered 8-inch square baking tin with baking paper, with 2 inches hanging over the sides.
Make the brownie batter by adding the butter and chocolate to a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water.
Stir batter until melted and then allow to cool slightly.
Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl, then set aside.
Whisk the granulated sugar into the chocolate mixture. Add eggs and whisk until smooth.
Stir in the vanilla extract, add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
To make the filling, stir together the butter, icing sugar, peanut butter, salt and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.
Pour a third of the batter into the baking tin and spread out evenly with a spatula.
Place dollops of filling (about 1 tablespoon each) evenly on top of batter.
Drizzle remaining batter on top then gently spread to fill the tin. Add dollops of the remaining filling on top.
With a butter knife, gently swirl the filling into batter, running the knife up and down the layers.
Bake for 5 minutes until cooked through.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes before lifting out on to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting into squares.

For drinks, you’ve got to go flashy, fun and just a little bit tacky – the Vegas Bomb is a high rolling version of the classic Jaeger Bomb, made with whiskey.

Vegas Bomb

Ingredients

1 1/4 oz Crown Royal Whiskey
1/4 oz Peach Schnapps
2 oz cranberry juice
Red Bull or other energy drink in a separate glass
2 - 4 ice cubes

Method

Shake the whiskey, Peach Schnapps and cranberry juice with ice.
Pour into shot glasses.
Add the Red Bull to a separate, tall glass.
To serve, drop the shot into the tall glass and knock it back!

Set the scene for your Vegas style dinner party

To get that Vegas vibe in your home, look for gold accents, gilded details and plenty of bling. We love this art deco style tablecloth, accessorised with gold serving trays, napkin rings and even gold cutlery!

These gold-rimmed glasses are perfect for filling with bubbly, but if you really want to go all out… how about a gilded centrepiece sculpture to gather guests around as you toast? So Vegas!

If you’re hosting outside, a bit of (faux) topiary is very Vegas – we love this spiral topiary and this two ball topiary design for a touch of casino-style class.

Fairy lights are suitable for any party theme, in our opinion, but for a Vegas style party they need to be extra bright – look for super sparkly lights, big exposed bulb lights like these gold string lights and even a novelty lightbox to create that Vegas strip feeling.

Vegas style party games

You can’t have a Vegas themed party without some Vegas themed games… and what is Vegas without some casino fun?!

Blackjack is the most popular casino game and is very easy to set up – all you need is a pack of cards and some table space.

Roulette is really fun for everyone – you’re given coloured chips to place on a number of your choice, then the dealer spins the wheel and if it lands on your number, you win.

The easiest casino game of all though is baccarat – two hands are dealt, the ‘player’ and the ‘banker’ – and the hand with a total closest to nine is the winner.

Divvy up your guests into dealers and players, then set up a few different games stations around your party space so people can move between them. Let everyone play for an hour, then swap dealers and players over for another hour.

Your Vegas themed party playlist

Creating a Vegas themed song playlist couldn’t be easier – there are endless songs about the City of Sin. From Katy Perry’s Waking Up In Vegas to Elvis’s Viva Las Vegas, we’ve selected the best tunes to keep those Vegas vibes going all night long.