Shark birthday party: Birthday Shark Invitation, a pair of sunglasses, and some shells

There are so many rainbow, princess, pirate, and character-themed kids’ parties — and they’re all perfectly fun. But there’s one party theme we don’t see as often: a shark birthday party! This jawsome party theme idea is simply fin-tastic — especially when the guest of honor is a fan of those famous shark singalong songs or “Shark Week” programs.

If you want to throw an incredible shark birthday party, you’re in the right place. Here are some of our favorite shark-themed birthday party ideas so you can plan your decor, food, and entertainment to create a sharktacular event.

9 Shark Birthday Party Ideas

Shark birthday party: shark-themed birthday cake

Use these fun shark party ideas to help you transform an ordinary, everyday space into an under-the-sea adventure. Whether the guest of honor is turning three or 13, these shark party ideas are sure to make a splash.

1. Shark-Themed Birthday Party Invites

Shark birthday party: Blue Sharks Invitation Design: Mint Parcel

There’s no better way to invite your guests to a shark birthday party than with themed birthday invitations. Not only do these invites look incredible, but they’ll generate plenty of anticipation with their eye-catching design.

Fortunately, Greenvelope offers plenty of shark-themed invitations — from sweet illustrations ideal for a baby shark birthday party to more grown-up designs like this Blue Sharks invite. Each design can be customized, so you can make it your own with different colors, layout changes, and your own wording.

Our online invitations are easy to personalize so you can choose a design from any collection and make it perfect for your shark birthday party. This means your favorite baby shower invite or pool party invite can become your go-to shark-themed birthday design in just a few clicks.

2. Shark-Themed Party Decor

Bring your shark birthday celebration to life with the help of themed party decor. Whether you want to create an immersive celebration or keep things minimal, you’ll want at least some party decor to set the scene for your get-together.

Shop around for shark party supplies that match the tone of your party. For younger kids, cute illustrated shark birthday party decorations like birthday banners, shark balloons, and giant cardboard cut-outs are a great idea. For older kids or adults, more sophisticated decor pieces like shark fins, rustic rope garlands, teeth-baring shark banners, and danger signs will help set the tone.

3. Ocean-Style Table Decor

The Ocean is Calling Invitation Design: Signature Greenvelope

Continue with the under-the-sea birthday party theme throughout your event — including your tables. Create a dreamy sea-themed tablescape or opt for some simple themed tableware to complete the look.

As you shop for birthday party supplies, look for tablecloths, paper plates, napkins, straws, and cutlery to complement your theme — whether that’s adorable and brightly colored motifs or more “grown up” shades of blue and natural tones. Decorate your table covers with elements you’d find in the ocean, including shells, seaweed, starfish, and rocks. Choose an ocean-themed party invite like The Ocean Is Calling invitation, which you can update with all your party details.

4. Shark Birthday Party Games

If you’re hosting a kids’ party, entertainment of some kind is a must-have. Any party games will likely be a hit with your guests, but if they’re shark-shaped, that’s even better!

For younger guests, this Find Sharky’s Teeth printable game is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Pin the Fin on the Shark is another fun option that offers a lively twist on the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey game. Shark bingo and a shark piñata are other great choices for sharktastic entertainment.

5. Make It a Pool Party

Birthday Shark Invitation Design: Jessie Steury

If you have the space and resources to make it happen, a shark-themed pool party will be a truly splashy event. Plan the party for your backyard, a friend’s, or find out if you can book a local community pool for an hour or two for the celebration.

Invite your guests along to enjoy the weather and splash around with plenty of pool party favorites like pool floaties, pool games, and refreshing poolside drinks. Let your guests know they’re invited to a poolside party with this vibrant Birthday Shark invite.

6. Themed Photo Backdrop Area

A photo booth ensures you and your guests can capture all the memories of the celebration. But if renting a photo booth is out of your budget, you can DIY your own photo backdrop area. 

Simply grab a bed sheet or butcher paper in a blue shade, then add sea-themed elements. Iridescent streamers, clear balloons, tassel garland, and cardboard cut-outs of fish, sharks, and coral reef will bring the space to life. Give your party guests some fun photo props to hold and encourage them to take and share photos from the day.

7. Shark-Themed Birthday Cake

Shark Attack Invitation Design: Jen Montgomery

Every birthday celebration needs delicious cake — after all, it’s the moment when everyone gathers to sing “Happy birthday!” With this birthday party theme, you can surprise your guest of honor with an amazing shark cake that’s not only impressive to look at but tasty too.

While you could bake your own using some of these DIY shark cake ideas or this cute Shark Attack invitation as inspiration, it might make more sense to order a custom cake. That way, you can make it as elaborate as you want. 

For a child, you can keep it light and fun with a playful shark cake topper or a photo of the birthday honoree. For a teen or adult birthday cake, consider a nod to “Jaws” with a shark baring its dangerously sharp teeth.

8. Themed Party Food and Drinks

There are classic party food items that you expect to see at a birthday gathering, but now’s the perfect opportunity to switch things up and serve your guests a buffet of sea-inspired delights.

Wow your guests with shark-themed food like shark bark candy, shark popcorn, and seaweed dip. You can also serve shark-themed cupcakes. Don’t forget about the drinks — blue-colored punch and shark-themed ice cream floats are sure to be a hit.

9. Shark-Themed Party Favors

Party guests of any age love walking away with a little gift to remind them of the day — especially if they’re thoughtful, useful, or memorable. Surprise your guests with gift bags filled with goodies that match your birthday party theme.

The key is to give age-appropriate party favors. For younger guests, coloring books and crayons, stickers, shark figurines, or shark plushies are fun options. For older guests, a shark tooth necklace, DIY shark model, or a shark-themed keyring all work well.

Host a Jawsome Shark Birthday Party with These Fun Ideas

Yes, sharks are scary. But planning a shark birthday party is anything but with these ideas! Whether you’re designing a cute character-based shark party for a little one or a more grown-up shark-themed bash for a special someone, there’s so much space for creativity, fun, and excitement. Use these shark birthday party ideas to help you plan a memorable celebration for the guest of honor.

When it’s time to spread the word about your celebration, use our shark birthday party invites. Choose your favorite online invitation design, customize it to make it your own, then send the invites out to your guests via email and text. They’ll be chomping down the days until party time!