Good decorations can make or break a party. If you want to create the best vibes possible at your dorm room party, here are the coolest college dorm party decorations.
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How Do You Throw A Good Dorm Party?
If you’re throwing a party in your dorm, you definitely want to make sure everyone will have fun! Here are our top suggestions for how to throw a good dorm party:
- Get to know your RA first – you can’t have a good dorm party if it just gets shut down right away. Make sure you’re on your RA’s good side so there’s less of a chance they bust you for throwing a party.
- Create an awesome playlist – the best parties have good music that everyone can enjoy. Throw together a great playlist full of crowd-favorite hits.
- Keep it small – don’t invite a ton of people you barely know. Friends and acquaintances are much more likely to respect your belongings.
- Have a theme – some of the most memorable dorm parties have themes. One of our favorite party themes for college is the anything but clothes party.
These are just some of our tips for how to throw a good dorm party. If you want even more ideas, we have a full post about throwing an epic dorm room party in college.
The Best College Dorm Party Decorations
College parties are generally pretty casual, so you don’t need to go too overboard with decor. Some of our favorite decorations for dorm parties are solo cup light strips, funny tapestries, neon lights, and posters.
Here are the top college dorm party decorations that you need for your room:
1. Solo Cup String Lights
These solo cup string lights are the perfect decoration for a college dorm party! They’re also functional for lighting up your room for a party.
The red solo cup is basically the mascot of everyone’s college experience lol. These solo cup string lights would look so cute in your dorm room for a party.
2. Funny Tapestry
No college dorm room is complete without a funny tapestry. There are TONS of options for funny tapestries online, but we think Amazon has the best selection.
[RELATED: 35 Cheap Tapestries Under $25 To Hang on Your Dorm Room Wall]
3. Let’s Party Banner
Let’s party b*tches! There’s no shortage of funny party banners on Amazon, and this is one of our favorites.
These banners are great because there’s no assembly or DIY’ing required. Just take them out of the package and hang them on the wall with tape or command hooks.
4. Let’s Get Weird Neon Light
A neon light is another college dorm decor staple. There’s something about a neon light that just creates a super cool vibe at any party.
I love neon lights for dorm rooms because you can get them in so many different styles. They’re also much more affordable than you’d think! This “let’s get weird” neon light is one of our top picks for dorm party decorations.
5. Welcome To The Sh*tshow Flag
Flags are another popular wall decor item that would be perfect for a dorm party. This “welcome to the sh*tshow” flag is hilarious, but there are tons of different flag options on Amazon.
6. Leave By 9 Banner
Are you an party animal who also loves being in bed early? This banner is a hilarious way to remind people that they can party here, but not all night!
This would also be perfect if you’re using your dorm room to pregame. It’ll remind everyone that it’s time to move along to a different party.
7. No Weenies Allowed Poster
Pretty much every dorm room I saw in college had a funny poster somewhere in the room. Especially the guys’ dorm rooms.
This poster would be hilarious on your dorm wall or even on the door of your dorm.
8. Star Banner Dorm Party Decorations
Want to make a more magical experience for your college dorm party? Hang some stars from the ceiling!
Be aware that these will probably get pulled down or damaged if your party is a little bit rowdy. But they’re super affordable so it doesn’t really matter!
9. Foil Curtains
Foil curtains are one of the best decorations for dorm parties because they’re cheap, easy to hang, and are perfect for taking photos in front of.
10. Balloon Arch Dorm Party Decoration
A balloon arch may be a little bit extra for a dorm party, but who doesn’t love going all out sometimes?
Grab a cheap balloon arch kit from Amazon in your favorite colors. You can set it up at the entrance to your dorm room or over your windows.
11. Disco Ball Strobe Lights
Lighting is probably one of the most important parts of a good party! The right lighting can make or break the whole vibe of a night.
These disco ball strobe lights would look so cool in any college party. Turn off all the overhead lights and just use these with some string lights.
12. Record Coasters
If you want to protect your belongings in a cool way, these record coasters would be perfect. They’ll help save your furniture from spills and cup rings.
13. String Light Curtains
String light curtains are one of our favorite dorm decor items. They just look so cool and magical in any dorm room!
Hang these over your windows or under your lofted bed for a really cool vibe.
14. Let’s Party Neon Sign
Another really epic neon sign to add to the list! This one gets straight to the point and is perfect for a college dorm party.
15. LED Light Strips
We’ve already talked about how important lighting is at a dorm party, but we’ll say it again. Mood lighting is absolutely key for good vibes at parties!
These LED light strips are a super affordable way to add some colorful mood lighting to your dorm room. And they don’t just need to be for parties! A lot of college students leave these up in their dorm room all the time.
16. Student Athlete Flag
There are SO many funny dorm flags on Amazon, and this is one of our favorites. Show off your pong skills by hanging this hilarious flag on your wall.
17. Disco Ball Dorm Party Decor
Disco balls are so trendy right now, so you definitely can’t go wrong with having one in your dorm room.
Just be careful where you hang it so you don’t cause any damage! I recommend attaching it to the bottom side of a lofted bed.
18. Beach Balls
Depending on how big your dorm room is, it may be fun to have a few beach balls laying out to toss around. This would be especially cute at a beach themed dorm party!
Things To Know About College Dorm Parties
You’ve already seen the absolute best college dorm party decorations, so now it’s time to go over a few things to know about dorm parties.
If you’re a freshman in college, you may not have been to a college party before. Here are our top tips for surviving college dorm parties:
Don’t Party Too Hard
Our number one piece of advice for college parties is to always know your limits and don’t party too hard. This is for safety reasons and because parties are no fun when someone has had way too much to drink!
Also, no one likes waking up the next morning and realizing that they lost control the night before.
Parties in college can be pretty wild and chaotic so you never want to get to the point where you feel like you’re out of control.
Also, your friends don’t want to have to look after you all night. There’s nothing more annoying than when you’re trying to have fun and your friend is being obnoxious.
Hide Your Valuables
If you’re hosting a party and you think there may be people there that you don’t know, make sure you hide all of your valuables!
Dorm theft is actually much more common than you’d think. When you’re partying, you’re probably not keeping a super close eye on your stuff.
Someone could sneak out with your valuables before you even realize it.
[RELATED: 5 Best Dorm Room Safes To Protect Your Valuables In College]
Let Your Neighbors Know
One of the most important steps when you’re having a dorm party is to let your neighbors know ahead of time. If you tell them exactly what time you’ll be having people over and when it will end, they’ll be much less likely to call the RA on you.
If you’re friends with your neighbors you can even invite them to the party! You’ll get to know them even better and you’ll know that they definitely aren’t complaining about the noise to your RA.
Look After Your Friends
While college parties can be super fun, bad things do happen. Make sure you keep an eye on your friends and have friends there that can keep an eye on you.
If your friend is talking to guy and looks uncomfortable, step in! If she’s heading to the bathroom make sure you hold her drink for her or come with her.
Always make sure everyone you came with has a safe way home or a couch to crash on at the party.
Keep An Eye On Your Drink
This is an important tip for anywhere you go! Whether you have an alcoholic drink or just a soda, you need to keep an eye on it at all times.
Unfortunately, spiking is an extremely common occurrence on college campuses. It can also happen in the blink of an eye if you’re not watching your drink.
Make sure you make all of your drinks yourself or watch closely if someone else is making it for you. Bring your drinks with you to the bathroom or have a trusted friend hold them.