A Fun Guide to Novelty Party Accessories

The first brilliant photo at a party usually happens before anyone has touched the cake. Someone puts on a silly face mask, another guest grabs a party hat, and suddenly the room loosens up. This guide to novelty party accessories is for making those moments happen on purpose - without turning party planning into another full-time job.

The trick is not buying every shiny thing in sight. It is choosing a few accessories that give guests something to do, something to wear and something worth photographing. Whether you are sorting a birthday, hen do, office social or family gathering, the right finishing touches can turn a nice get-together into the one people keep talking about.

Start with the moment you want to create

Before choosing colours, characters or slogans, think about the party’s big moment. Is it the surprise entrance? The cake table? A chaotic group photo? A game that gets colleagues chatting outside their usual work circles? Your accessories should support that moment rather than compete for attention.

For a milestone birthday, printed face masks can turn the guest of honour into the star of every photograph. For a hen or stag party, cheeky masks, hats and bright banners help set the mood before the first drink is poured. At a children’s party, themed toppers and straws make the food table feel special without requiring an afternoon of crafting.

A smaller gathering usually suits one strong idea. A bigger event can handle a more complete look, with coordinated table details and room décor. If you are hosting in a compact flat or a booked function room, be realistic about space too. A few well-placed accessories look far better than decorations battling for elbow room.

Guide to novelty party accessories that guests use

The best novelty items do not sit quietly in a corner. They invite people in. Look for accessories that are instantly understood, easy to pick up and funny without needing a long explanation.

Face masks make instant ice-breakers

Celebrity-style face masks are brilliant for mixed groups. Guests do not have to know each other well to enjoy posing as a familiar face, and they give shy attendees an easy reason to join the fun. Put them near the entrance, drinks table or photo area rather than leaving them buried in a bag.

Think about the crowd when choosing designs. A group of close friends may love a full set of deliberately ridiculous faces. A workplace party might work better with recognisable, light-hearted options that everyone can enjoy. For a birthday, masks featuring the birthday person can be a guaranteed laugh, especially when they appear in the background of every photo.

There is a trade-off here: masks create a bigger reaction than many decorations, but they need enough quantity for the group. If your guest list is large, choose a handful of designs and buy multiples so nobody is left watching from the sidelines.

Party hats bring the energy up quickly

A party hat may be simple, but that is exactly why it works. It signals that this is not just another meal or meeting. Put hats on the table before guests arrive and the room looks ready from the start.

Match hats to the overall feel rather than chasing a perfect theme. Bright, bold styles suit children’s birthdays and loud celebrations. More playful, character-led hats are ideal for a hen do, stag party or fancy-dress gathering. For an office event, a coordinated colour can keep things festive without making the décor feel overdone.

Bunting and banners do the heavy lifting

If you only have time to decorate one area, make it the place where people will take photographs. A banner behind the cake table, drinks station or sofa creates an instant focal point. Add bunting across a doorway, mantelpiece or wall and even a familiar room starts to feel like a proper occasion.

Banners are especially useful when the reason for the party needs saying loudly: happy birthday, congratulations, good luck, farewell or just “we made it to Friday”. They also save guests from asking where the photos should happen. The answer is obvious.

Table details make the theme feel finished

Party straws and cupcake toppers are small, but they earn their place when food and drinks are part of the display. They pull colours and characters onto the table, where guests spend plenty of time chatting and snapping pictures.

Do not feel you need to theme every single plate, napkin and cup. Pick one or two table accessories, then let the cake, drinks or serving dishes do the rest. This keeps the look fun instead of fussy, and it is kinder to your budget.

Build one theme, not five

The quickest way to make party accessories look considered is to choose a simple thread and repeat it. That could be a colour pairing, a celebrity joke, a decade, a favourite film or a phrase everyone in the group recognises. You do not need matching everything. You just need enough repetition that the room feels connected.

For example, a pink-and-gold birthday party could use a bold banner, matching hats and a few cupcake toppers, with novelty masks adding the surprise. A football-themed gathering might focus on face masks and table decorations in team colours. An office party can work around a tongue-in-cheek awards-night idea, using a photo corner and character masks to get people involved.

If the party has a very specific theme, it is tempting to keep adding items until every surface is covered. Pause before you do. One hero feature, two supporting accessories and a photo-friendly detail are often all you need. Your guests should notice the party, not feel like they have walked into a storage cupboard.

Make a photo spot without hiring a photographer

You do not need a backdrop stand or complicated props to create a photo moment. Choose a wall with decent light, clear away visual clutter and add a banner or bunting. Place masks and hats in a basket or on a nearby table so guests can grab them without asking.

A photo area works best when it is easy to find and easy to use. Avoid putting it next to the speakers, where nobody can hear each other, or beside the buffet, where it will get blocked. If you are hosting at home, a clear wall near a window is often enough during the day. For evening parties, use the brightest part of the room and keep the backdrop simple.

Personalised or photo-enhanced items can make the moment even more memorable when they suit the occasion. They are particularly good for milestone birthdays, leaving dos and celebrations where the guest of honour is happy to be gently teased. Just make sure the joke is one they will enjoy too. Funny is the goal; awkward is not.

Plan for the last-minute rush

Most parties are planned in stages: the date is booked, the guest list grows, then suddenly the event is this weekend and the room still looks suspiciously ordinary. That is where ready-made novelty accessories earn their keep. They create an immediate impact without cutting, printing, gluing or hunting through several shops.

Start with the essentials you know you need, then add the fun bit. A banner or bunting for the room, accessories for the table, and masks or hats for guests is a sensible order. If time is tight, prioritise the items that will appear in photos and get passed around. They give you the biggest lift for the least effort.

Before placing the order, check your guest count, the venue rules and how much room you have to decorate. If you need supplies in a hurry, ordering before midday for same-day dispatch can take a lot of pressure off. Ukpartymasks.uk is built for exactly those “how is the party tomorrow?” moments.

A quick pre-party check

The evening before, lay out your accessories rather than keeping them in their packaging until guests arrive. Hang the banner, test where bunting sits best and place face masks where people will spot them. Put cupcake toppers in just before serving, and keep spare hats handy for anyone who turns up late.

Most importantly, do not save the fun items for a carefully planned moment that never arrives. Put them out early. The first guest who picks up a mask gives everyone else permission to be a bit daft, and that is often all a good party needs.