How to Throw the Ultimate Gilmore Girls Party

Are you the one rewatching Gilmore Girls every fall? Or have you binge-watched the entire series in just days??? Well, if you are, a Gilmore Girls celebration might just be the thing for you! This one is perfect for a watch-party, Gilmore Girls fan celebration, autumn gathering, and more!

Our Gilmore Girl party is very autumn-centric and has a few nods to Stars Hollow. We also had TONS of easy-to-set up activities with several references to the show. Read on to check it out!

DECORATIONS

While we would all LOVE to recreate Stars Hollow in our own living rooms, there just isn’t enough space!! For our party, we set out a few Gazebos and Decorative Fall Leaves as a nod to the town 🙂 And, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, have a few autumn bouquets!

We also spread out a few Girls TV Inspired Stickers on the tables.

THE PHOTO AREA

Photo backdrops are a great way of setting a theme and double as a nice and easy activity! Pick a backdrop that functions as decorative, add a few props to the scene and you’ve got a great place to hang out!

We, unfortunately, could not find a town gazebo or Stars Hollow-like backdrop. So, we opted for an autumn setting. There are quite a few you can pick from (Fall Photo Backdrop, Autumn, Fall Maple Leaves Backdrop). And, while there aren’t any photo booth props that you can purchase (at least we couldn’t find any), you can always set out some iconic costume pieces – like pink boas, rodeo outfits, or Luke’s signature outfits 🙂

Note, you don’t have to go all out with a photo backdrop stand either. Grab a few pieces of tape and an empty wall & you’re all set!

THE TABLE

For our table, we opted for a more basic table setting, but you can definitely go all out and set it up like a DragonFly Inn or Grandma/Grandpa style table.

We found some awesome Luke Diner Mugs in the Target Spot Shop, but they don’t appear to be there now. You could find some online, as well; however, they are bit pricey if you need to buy in bulk: Luke’s Diner Mugs.

We also set out some Girls TV Inspired Stickers around the table and added a Gazebo in the center.

PARTY FOOD

No party is complete without some party food! You can always serve some typical (or fancier) party food, but you can also keep in theme with a few clever labels or snacks 🙂

Gilmore Girls has NO shortage of inspiration for food with the constant coffee drinking, snacking, Friday night dinners, and chefs whipping up culinary masterpieces! There are tons of cookbooks (Gilmore Girls: The Official Cookbook) and sites with recipes that you can find easily. And, if you can’t find a recipe or snack in one of the cookbooks or online sites, you can always take a look at the full list of food shown on the show: Refinery29 has actually logged every single snack, meal, and beverage that’s shown on the screen: I Logged Everything Rory & Lorelai EVER Ate On Gilmore Girls!

For our party, we picked a few of our favorites & added some fun nods to the dishes with Gilmore quotes 🙂

Drinks:
1. Coffee Bar
2. Founders Day Punch
Appetizers / Sides
1. Deviled Eggs
2. Salmon Puffs
3. Rolls
4. Mac & Cheese
Dishes
1. Cheeseburger
2. Pizza
3. Tofurkey
4. Turkey
Snacks
1. Pop Tart
Desserts
1. Cake
2. Chocolate turkey
3. Ice Cream
4. Apple Tarts

ACTIVITY TABLE(S)

We typically set up an activity table for kids to keep entertained while everyone arrives AND after all the games are done. These activities are simple and easy and typically don’t require too much supervision.

Reading List: Set out Rory’s complete reading list & see how many books all your guests have read!
Newspaper Hats: instead of party hats, set out a table of newspaper Make a Hat (out of newspaper)
“Buy a Book Fundraiser” (S2E15) “It’s for charity Kirk!” – Gypsy. Okay, so this one is really a book swap, but close enough 🙂

For the craftier bunch:

Build a Gazebo (bird feeder). The town gazebo is central to Stars Hollow, with so many events taking place there or with the gazebo in the background. Pick up a bunch of Wooden Gazebos (bird feeders) and have your guests design their own!

GAMES

What’s a party without some fun and memorable games??? Kids will definitely have fun just running around and coming up with their own games, BUT adding in a few themed games will definitely be a hit with your guests! Here were a few of ours.

Luckily, life in Stars Hollow is filled with activities, fund-raisers, and events to pick from! And, if any of the town events don’t work for your party, you can always pick from any of the other shenanigans the Gilmores get into!

Snowman building contest: In Season 2, Episode 10, Rory & Lorelei are trying to make an award winning snowman. If you don’t have snow on the day of your party, don’t fret. You can still have a smaller snowman building contest with marshmallows or fake snow!
Movie Night in the Square: In Season 2, Episode 19, the town hosts a movie night where Lorelei is challenged to find a cost-effective, appropriate movie to show. Luckily, you don’t have to pick a movie to watch or have on in the background – have the Gilmore Girls playing in the background for guests who prefer to sit & relax!
Dance Marathon: In Season 3, Episode 7, the town has an all night dance marathon. Challenge guests to dance for as long as they can! (or set a timer and see who can keep moving for that time frame)!
Festival of Living Pictures: In Season 4, Episode 7, the Stars Hollow snatches the Festival of Living PIctures from a neighboring town. Participants have to ‘reenact’ a still live painting but standing perfectly still in a similar setting. Have a few sample portraits printed out or on the screen and get your guests to stand still for a few minutes. Those who don’t move, win!
Knit Marathon: In Season 7, Episode 9, the town hosts a knit-a-thon fundraiser. Even those who can’t knit (Lorelei) get in on the fun! Challenge guests to knit or crochet OR for the non-crafty, turn untangle the yarn or turn it into a ball!
Spring Fling Festival: In Season 7, Episode 18, Taylor turns the entire town into a hay maze for the Spring Fling Festival! While most can’t reconstruct a town-wide hay maze, you can print a few out & see who gets to the end!

And while we didn’t have these games at our party, you could also add these in for some more party fun.

Bob-It: The game the Gilmore’s pull out in awkward situations 🙂 Though hopefully your party isn’t filled with tense guests, this one could still be a fun nod to the series 🙂
Trivia: See who is actually a TRUE Gilmore Girls fan with some trivia questions! You can find multiple ones online
Quizzes: It’s always a fun activity to take a few harmless quizzes to see which character you’re closest to, how much you know about the series, and more. Luckily, Buzzfeed has a collection of quite a few of those in one place. Check out I’ll Give You 24 Doses Of Coziness And Nostalgia In The Form Of These “Gilmore Girl” Quizzes, and pick one (or a few) that works for your group!