Atti-Fest: A music themed birthday party for a very special 1-year-old
My husband and I both have a history in the music industry — he was a punk guitarist and frontman for years, and I toured the country with bands as a photographer — however, I want to be clear that we never tried to push Atticus to like music. He just really enjoys it!
It may have helped that we’ve been playing music for him since he was a newborn. And then I had to play instrumental music for him to get him to fall asleep (he still uses a little music box every night). We know his favorite songs because sometimes, they are the only thing to calm him down. Our lifesaving toy for meltdowns on the go is a battery operated rattle that plays classical music.
The Planning Process
We decided Atticus should have a music themed birthday party, but I wanted the steer from the the dark “rock ‘n’ roll” themes I saw on Pinterest and party stores. In my mind, this translated to a groovy/ 70s outside, summer music festival. The first step was to establish our festival branding, which sounds ridiculous but it really is the start to everything: a color scheme, logo, and general direction. After a few sketches, I came up with this happy, little, sunshine boy, who became the second face of Atti Fest (after Atticus, of course).
I wanted the invitation to look like a tour poster, and since we were hosting Atticus’ baptism on the same day and doing a combined party, I listed each location as a different “stage”. The invitations turned out so cute and I was able to base the design of the party around it.
The Design
I really wanted my guests to feel like they were walking into a music festival, so I immediately knew I was going to need to have a stage somewhere. This was a challenge logistically because I live in an apartment and this party was being held at a relatives house, so I wasn’t able to pop outside and check out sizes like I would have. Thankfully, I’m great at estimating. With the help of my father in law, and four pallets I got from my work, we built the stage from my dreams!
I sent my father in law a sketch of what I was imagining and the pallets and he went to town. He used two of the pallets to reinforce the others, creating 2 solid 4’x4’ squares and covered them in sturdy cardboard which wrapped over the edge so babies could crawl on and off the stage.
I also planned to make some cardboard speakers behind the stage and a big balloon arch in the teal and orange color scheme (it is a kids party after all!)
The plan was for the stage to be multifunctional — not only was it the main focal point of the party, I wanted it to be entertainment for the guests! I planned to have baskets of instruments up there, and when it was time for Atticus to have his cake, we would pull his highchair in front of the stage, too!
The Activities
Most of the guests at this party were adults, but there were a few kids of all ages in attendance as well, so I wanted to have a mix of activities for people to enjoy. In addition to the instruments set up on stage, I provided markers and stickers to decorate your own guitar! The blank guitars were such a simple project but so effective — I just cut different guitar shapes out of white foam core and drew the details with black sharpie! Guests of all ages had a blast decorating these.
I also used one area to set up a temporary tattoo shop. I designed tattoo sheets of Atticus’ face, the festival logo, and other groovy icons and printed them on tattoo paper! This was my first time using tattoo paper but the result was really wonderful, vibrant, temporary tattoos. Everyone loved putting these on!
The Food
For lunch, we served Costco pizza, fried chicken, & salads. My friend and coworker, Sally of Mosaic Charcuterie made beautiful boards for lunch and dessert. We served a Strawberry Shortcake from Ruby’s Bakery for the party, and Atticus’ smash cake was a homemade chocolate cake with white icing (I figured why not go all out). Everything was delicious and we had leftovers for days!!!
Party Favors
Keeping with the music festival theme, I made a few VIP lanyard passes for Atticus’ parents and grandparents and some custom rubber wristbands for “general admission”. I placed a bulk order online with Wristband Bros and the quality is amazing! These wristbands used to be all the rage when I was younger, so it was a fun and nostalgic feeling to order a bunch. I was even able to add an embossed message on the inside of the bracelet! Each one says “Thank you for celebrating Atticus’ first birthday with us!”
The party favors could be found over at the merch booth, of course. And it wouldn't be a festival without a commemorative t-shirt! I used the Cricut to create 35 custom iron-on shirts from sizes 2T-3X. I did a pocket sized design on the front, and a full size image on the back. The shirts were a total hit, so the tedious work definitely payed off!
This was the first party I’ve planned and hosted, and it truly brought out a passion for planning I didn’t expect! It was truly a joy to create such a wonderful celebration for my real life sunshine boy, and watching him having fun up on stage was the only thing that mattered.
Check out some more pics from the party below, then send me a message to talk about your kids’ next birthday ;)
