January Party Ideas

January is the start of a new year and mid-summer so costumes that are not too hot are best.

• Summer - The hot weather continues, so embrace it with beach parties or Hawaiian Parties.
   
• The Sundance Film Festival is held every January in Utah - Have your own movie festival, or walk the red carpet dressed as your favourite star.
   
• 6 January is Sherlock Holmes' birthday, according to followers of the fictional detective. Mark the occasion with a Whodunit party.
   
• 6 January is Twelfth Night, which is one of Shakespeare's plays, but also the last of the twelve days of Christmas. Traditionally, this is the deadline for getting your Christmas decorations down, so have an undecoration party.
   
• The second Monday of January is Coming of Age Day in Japan - a bit like a mass 21st birthday party, although in Japan the age of majority is 20. If you have friends in the right age bracket, you could all celebrate together (treat it as a warm-up for your 21st).
   
• 25 January is Burns Night, marking the birthday of great Scottish poet Robert Burns. The occasion is commonly observed in parts of the UK and NZ with a celebration of Scottish food (haggis, tatties and neeps, Scotch whisky) and culture (bagpipes, poetry readings). You could host your own Burns supper, whether you have Scottish ancestry or simply want to pay homage. See our Scottish party theme for more.
   
• 26 January is Australia Day - Celebrate with Australia Day Parties and Aussie Icons Parties.

Famous January Birthdays

• 3 January - JRR Tolkien, fantasy author and writer of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings.
• 6 January - Rowan Atkinson, comedian best known for Mr Bean and Blackadder.
• 6 January - Joan of Arc
• 8 January - Elvis Presley - Celebrate with an Elvis Party. (An annual Elvis Festival is held in Parkes NSW on the second week in January)
• 8 January - Shirley Bassey, singer. She recorded the theme songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker, so she'd be on high rotation at a James Bond party.
• 8 January  - David Bowie, musician. His chameleonic career covers the Seventies, Eighties, Nineties, and now, and plenty of outrageous stage personas like Ziggy Stardust and the Thin White Duke.
• 10 January - Rod Stewart, singer.
• 15 January - Dr Martin Luther King Jr, leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. His birthday is recognised in the US with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the third Monday of January.
• 16 January - Ethel Merman, actress and singer, best known for her musical comedy roles.
• 17 January  - Al Capone - hold a gangster party
• 18 January, 1944 - Paul Keating - hold a "political" party.
• 18 January - Cary Grant
• 18 January - A.A. Milne, author of Winnie the Pooh.
• 21 January - Benny Hill
• 25 January - Virginia Woolf
• 25 January - Robert Burns
• 27 January - Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland.
• 29 January - Germaine Greer

See themes for other months

• January Party Ideas January is the start of a new year and mid-summer so costumes that are not too hot are best.
• February Party Ideas
• March Party Ideas
• April Party Ideas includes Easter, plus lots of TV soap birthdays
• May Party Ideas
• June Party Ideas
• July Party Ideas
• August Party Ideas
• September Party Ideas Pirate Paaarghties and more
• October Party Ideas Oktoberfest and Halloween with lots in between
• November Party Ideas starts with the Melbourne Cup
• December Party Ideas more than Christmas