Bowling Party Ideas

Strike … this bowling party is going to be a hit. Spare … any heart ache and make sure you ask for a lane with the bumper rails.  Split … the fun. Everyone enjoys a great party!

Strike … this bowling party is going to be a hit.

Spare … any heart ache and make sure you ask for a lane with the bumper rails.

Split … the fun. Everyone enjoys a great party!

Bowling Party Invitations

There are many options for making homemade bowling party invitations, but here are two ideas:

• The Bowling Ball - cut out a circle in colored paper and draw on three big dots, shading one side of the circle to add a three-dimensional effect, creating a bowling ball to write your information on. 

• The Bowling Pins - draw sideways bowling pins on a rectangular piece of paper and add a different piece of information on each bowling pin. To make the bowling pins pop, outline them in your favorite colors of marker. 

Make sure to add fun, bowling related saying on each card including:

• “Let’s roll into an awesome bowling party”
• “If you find some spare time, please come to _______’s bowling party”
• “It’s time to strike up some fun for _______’s very own bowling party”

Bowling Party Supplies and Decorations

Hosting a bowling party can take place at a bowling alley or in your very own backyard. The choice is up to you! 

Bowling Alley:

• A traditional bowling alley is decoration enough.

• Plan your party to be at a time when cosmic bowling is taking place (the use of black lights creates a glow in the dark theme and everything, including the bowling lanes glow). 

• At a bowling alley, they often have a party room and you can possibly bring your own decorations (ask beforehand as sometimes there are multiple parties happening one after another).

• Some people may think it is fun to get matching party shirts or custom bowling socks to add to their bowling attire.

At Home:

• A backyard bowling party is always fun and you can create your own bowling pins. Fill plastic water bottles about one-third or half-way full. Then, paint the outside to create matching sets. Use a small painted soccer ball in place of a real bowling ball. 

• Try to plan your party when there will be sunshine and no rain.

• If your party is going to take place in the dark, put glowsticks in the water bottles and wear glow sticks. Additionally, you can line the backyard bowling lane with colored glowsticks. As well, you can hang twinkle lights around to add light to the party space.

• At a snack table use bowling balls and bowling pins as decorative signs.

• Play fun, appropriate music to create the feeling you are at a bowling alley.

Bowling Party Games and Activities

• Play a traditional game of bowling with your guests

• Set of bowling variations with obstacles, more or less bowling pins, and teams.

• Bowling Bingo - create your own bowling bingo card with a five by five grid, having the middle one a free space and have the winner call STRIKE! So, watch your friends closely to see if you will win. For example, knock down 1 pin, knock down 2 pins, get a spare, get a strike, get a gutter ball, and more.

• Mystery Bowling - write out bowling related tasks on pieces of paper and put them in a jar. Then, when each player goes to bowl, they have to incorporate the task written on the card. For example, bowl with your non-dominant hand, do the “granny” (bowl with two hands), stand on one leg, sing a song, and more. 

Bowling Party Food

• Bowling Cookies - bake cookies in the shape of bowling balls, and bowling pins. Then, allow your guests to decorate the cookies with icing and sprinkles. Any leftover cookies are a great addition to your party favors. Also, chocolate chip cookies are a hit, having the chocolate look like the bowling ball holes. 

• If planning a backyard party, fill a large bucket with ice and add soda, juice boxes, and water.

• Have a snack bar with a bowl of Coca-Cola gummies that look like bowling pins and say "mini bowling pins" and a bowl of chocolate covered almonds and say "giant bowling balls". As well as a healthy option of red and green grapes, saying "power-up to roll".

• Bowling Cake - bake a circle cake and use black icing to add the three dots or bake a rectangular cake and cut the outside to look like a bowling pin. Print off cutouts of bowling related items and tape them to toothpicks and add them to the cake as cake toppers. 

• Cake Pops - these are easier to make than you may think. First you create a cake ball. Set them onto a skewer so they can be high in the air. Dip each into either a melted chocolate or melted candy melts (we used a mixture to add different colors). Place them into metal pots that I found at the dollar store to dry. Then, when dry add three dots of black icing or three sphere sprinkles to the top. These look amazing at a bowling party as both decorations and delicious treats.

• Ice cream

• Bake or order your favorite kind of pizza

• Hamburgers / hotdogs

• French fries / onion rings

• Chicken fingers / chicken wings

Bowling Party Favors

• Bowling cookies
• Glow sticks
• Bowling themed socks