Have a basketball lover? A great way to add a special spin to a basketball birthday is to have a tournament style party. Pick your favorite teams and make a bracket for a little fun competition.

My son loves basketball and wanted a college basketball themed party for his 7th birthday. We asked family to help coach and chose the teams based on where the coaches went to college- IU, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Ball State. We had 16 kids at the party, with 4 kids on each team. Instead of treat bags, we ordered team t-shirts for the kids and had the coaches wear a shirt or jersey they had from college.

Each game was about 15 min, with a short half time break. While the first two teams were playing, the other teams were cheering on their friends from the sidelines. Each team played 2 games and we had mini trophies at the end for all of the kids. When the games were over, everyone was ready for cake. Cupcakes are much easier when serving a group so we usually go this route.

We hosted his party in our local elementary school gym- we didn’t have to worry about weather and the gym had basketball hoops that were a perfect height for kids. They also setup tables and chairs for cake, so it was a win win and perfect for easy hosting. To spruce up the gym, I ordered a basketball birthday banner, pennant flags to represent each team, and orange, black and white balloons.

Shop my basketball party essentials below and swap out the t-shirts for your favorite teams.