Have you decided to ditch the mistletoe and opt for a different Christmas party idea this year? If so, how about a Rio inspired carnival party? it’s a great way to mark the season to be jolly with a massive burst of vibrant colour, flamboyant outfits and catchy Latino rhythms. But just how do you dress the venue to celebrate the world’s most famous carnival? Well, never fear because we’ll show you how to do it all with our top décor tips! If you want to include some Rio inspired cocktails for your event too, then make sure you check out our Rio drinks guide!

Props

Bring the venue alive with some appropriate props! This could include anything from inflatables such as brightly coloured balloon arches, palm tree cut outs or why not go for some faux fruit displays or have some model parrots perched on the edges of the table to make everything feel that bit more tropical and like you’re not in the UK! Another idea is to introduce beautiful vibrant floral displays (you don’t have to go to the expense of real flowers – imitation will suffice!) they will definitely be an instant mood booster and get guests in that party mood for the evening. We also like the idea of introducing Brazilian bunting to make things more authentic!

Venue

Strictly not ideas for decoration, but probably the one of the most important points of the article – do consider the venue for your Rio carnival party. Ideally opt for a function room or venue that allows in plenty of natural light. Doing so will mimic the brightness of sunnier climates and prevent the venue looking too dark and gloomy which could dampen the cheery mood of such a vibrant party!

We also say do consider the shape of your proposed venue. A longer, slightly narrower venue could easily give guests the impression that they’re at a traditional carnival party as it could be decorated to reflect the setup of a typical Brazilian street scene for that authentic feel.

Signs

Introducing colourful signs to your Rio inspired party is the ideal way of creating instant excitement – especially if you place signs on the way into the venue which direct guests to the heart of the action! If you’ve got time and you’re creative, then why not have a go at creating and painting your own sign? If you’ve got the added bonus of a funfair or photo booth, then take advantage of this – you could even use LED arrow signs which lead the way to these exciting extras of the party!

Backdrop

Nothing beats an eye-catching and brightly coloured backdrop at the party. It’s the perfect way to really set the scene and create an incredible atmosphere. It will also make for a fantastic background for any photos you take throughout the evening, so round up your friends and colleagues and sport your cheesiest grins! We recommend a colourful carnival party scene, vivid peacock feather print, masquerade design or anything that’s cheerfully bright and stands out from the crowd!

Tableware

Don’t leave the tables out of the equation for your carnival party! You don’t have to go over the top, (but that’s absolutely fine if you want to!). You could pop a subtle colourful LED light prop in the middle of the table to keep things simple, or perhaps you’d rather go all out with a more flamboyant centrepiece such as a palm tree with feathers, tropical model birds or even an oversized novelty mask or stiletto shoe. A nice touch would be to also sprinkle glitter and colourful sequins on the table to round everything off!

Drapes

As far as drapes are concerned for a Rio carnival inspired party, just make sure you keep with the energetic and pulsating vibes and opt for strong bold colours. Do ensure that you keep with the existing colour scheme though and don’t just throw a bunch of random colours together, as that could make things appear messy. We think that orange, yellow and green make for the ideal coloured drapes

Make sure you don’t miss out on an incredible party this Christmas by checking out Fizzbox's Christmas party options right here!