9 Bar Mitzvah Party Ideas Including Decor and Entertainment
Mazel tov! Your young Jewish man has reached a coming of age with his 13th birthday, and that calls for a bat mitzvah party. This special milestone in Judaism is marked by a religious ceremony and often, a more casual party afterward where he can dance and have fun with his friends.
Whether it’s your first time planning a bat mitzvah party and you’re looking for practical advice or you’ve done this before and want creative ideas to make the party memorable, this guide is here to help. We’ve included everything from guidance to help you adhere to Jewish traditions and modern ideas to make this celebration unforgettable.
9 Bar Mitzvah Party Ideas & Planning Advice
Turning 13 years old is a big deal, especially in Jewish communities. This birthday marks a coming of age that grants young men accountability for their actions and the right to publicly practice Judaism. It’s also the perfect time for a celebration to honor this momentous occasion. Here are our top bar mitzvah party ideas from traditional norms to entertainment and more.
1. Select a Venue
Design: Claudia Owen
One of the first things you need to do when planning a bar mitzvah is to choose a date and location. Typically, the event is held on a Sabbath just after the boy’s 13th birthday, but you can change the date to accommodate your schedule.
Once you’ve chosen the date, you’ll also want to pick out a venue. A bar mitzvah involves a religious ceremony that takes place in your Synagogue, but many families also choose to host a dinner or party elsewhere after the event. This is especially common for Jews who want to invite people of other religions to celebrate since many synagogues only allow Jews to attend the religious portion of the celebration.
Common bar mitzvah party venues include parks, restaurants, and country clubs. You can also host the party in your home or a family member’s backyard if the weather permits.
2. Adhere to Tradition
Depending on your Jewish community (Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox) and their interpretation of Jewish law, there are several traditions to follow when celebrating a bar mitzvah. In most cases, the event involves a Shabbat morning service where the young man will participate in an aliyah, where he will recite prayers from the Torah portion and conduct readings in Hebrew.
This is often followed by other events including a candle-lighting ceremony and speeches from family members. Many families also choose to include traditional dances like the hora, a popular circle dance that’s sure to energize guests.
To plan a traditional bar mitzvah celebration, talk to your synagogue leaders to create a program for the event. You can also discuss who is allowed to attend and go over any other expectations for the special day.
3. Consider the Proper Attire
Design: Signature Greenvelope
In Jewish tradition, the young man must wear certain attire during the religious portion of his bar mitzvah celebration. He’s not allowed to wear pants during the service and instead must wear traditional formal attire like a kapoteh, a long black coat.
Typically, he’ll need to wear a dress shirt that should match his suit jacket. Traditionally this shirt was white, but now there’s more freedom to choose colors including popular peach or light blue hues. In some synagogues, he’ll also be given the traditional tefillin and tallit for the ceremony.
After the religious ceremony, the young man can switch to more casual clothing, including pants, if he wants. It’s still a good idea to keep things relatively formal so skip the blue jeans and have him wear slacks or khakis instead.
4. Send Bar Mitzvah Invitations
Invite family members and friends from the Jewish community to celebrate this coming of age with bar mitzvah invitations. You should send your invites out about two months before the special day, particularly if you are inviting guests from out of town. Be sure to include the important event details including the date, time, location, and dress code of the event.
Want to make sending invites easier than ever? Consider digital invitations that you can customize and send out instantly with just a few clicks. No worrying about printing out invites, hassling with postage, or keeping track of paper RSVPs. With online invites from Greenvelope, you can easily track who’s coming in your digital dashboard and send invites in seconds via email and SMS.
5. Book Vendors
Design: Jessica Williams
If you want help planning the bar mitzvah festivities, consider hiring vendors for the big day. You can choose to book a catering company to provide a plated lunch in the afternoon following the prayer services. If you’re hosting the event at home, you may consider other rentals including tables, chairs, and linens for the rite of passage celebration.
It’s also a good idea to hire a professional photographer who can snap photos of the special day. Invite them to take images at the religious services as well as the after-party, just be sure to check with the rabbi to ensure you’re following any rules.
6. Plan Entertainment and Decor
Make your son’s bar mitzvah more fun by booking entertainment and decorating the event space. For decor, you can choose classic birthday party items like balloons and streamers as well as Jewish motifs like Hamsa hands and images of Israel. Have guests toss confetti on him when he enters the room to honor this milestone. If you’re serving a formal meal, you can also create or order floral centerpieces to dress up the space.
For entertainment, consider setting up a dance floor where the guests can dance together and have fun. If your son doesn’t like to dance, consider hiring alternative entertainment, like a graffiti artist who can make custom sneakers for him and his friends or street performers who can do a break-dancing show.
Capture memories of these moments with a photo booth where the boys can take silly snaps together. Don’t forget to add props like sunglasses, hats, and signs that say “Mazel tov!”
7. Make it a Themed Party
Design: Becky Nimoy Stationery
A bar mitzvah has a religious ceremony aspect, but it’s also a birthday party celebration. Make it more fun by turning it into a theme party. The bar mitzvah boy might love themes that center around sports, nature, or games. For the perfect theme, consider what your son enjoys and choose a theme that celebrates those things.
Some popular bar mitzvah theme ideas include:
- Surfer theme
- Soccer teams
- Technicolor or glow-in-the-dark party
- Star Wars or Outer Space
- Under the Sea
8. Create a Menu
Hosting a party of 13-year-olds means you need to keep them fed! Serve up classic Jewish snack fare like challah, bagels, lox, and matzah balls. Staple party foods like fruit salad and vegetable platters with hummus are also a great idea. For something the kids are sure to love, offer up hot dogs, pizza bites, and grilled cheese sandwiches.
If you’re hosting a more formal meal, you can serve whitefish or pickled herring and pair it with side dishes including a vinaigrette salad and couscous. Generally, alcohol isn’t served at these events—but you can include it for adults if you want!—otherwise, you can stick to things like lemonade and ginger ale.
9. Make a Photo or Video Montage
Design: Ashley DeMeyere Design
Your little boy is growing up and one way to celebrate is to create a montage of all the moments that have led to this milestone. Create a photo collage or video montage of all the special occasions from his brit milah to his kindergarten graduation. Match the photos to the tone of the event. For example, if you’re hosting a formal celebration, include photos of big events like his first steps. If it’s a more casual gathering, you can include funny pictures of him being silly or hanging out with his friends over the years.
Make Your Son’s Bar Mitzvah Memorable
Use these bar mitzvah party ideas to create an unforgettable celebration honoring this coming of age. From photo collages that are sure to bring tears of joy to your eyes to religious ceremonies that will make you proud of your son, there are tons of ways to mark this moment.
When you’re ready to invite guests, start browsing our collection of bar mitzvah invitations including photo designs that feature an image of the honoree. Plus, you’ll find styles to match any personality, whether it’s a delicate, floral invite or a colorful, vibrant design. Put your own spin on things with music or color scheme changes and then send the invites off, all without leaving your home.
Need more help planning the perfect celebration? Continue browsing our Stationers blog where you’ll find etiquette advice for bar mitzvahs as well as ideas for celebrating other Jewish milestones.
