When it comes to thinking up the best housewarming party ideas, you can consider games, housewarming party themes, and of course, food and drink are a must. You can even explore outdoor housewarming party ideas if your new home is still a work in progress. 

So, what do you do at a housewarming party? You can book an at-home cooking class to learn new recipes, throw a paint and sip event to create new art for your walls or host a game night with your friends and new neighbors. The idea is to celebrate your new homeownership and fill your new home with joy and positivity!

If you're wondering who throws a housewarming party, it is usually the owners of the new home. If that's you, then congratulations! We'll help you find the best housewarming party ideas for 2023 that are right for you. Let's get started!

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• Creative Housewarming Party Ideas
• Foodie Housewarming Party Ideas
• Game Housewarming Party Ideas
• Virtual Housewarming Party Ideas
• Themed Housewarming Party Ideas
• Cheap Housewarming Party Ideas
• Outdoor Housewarming Party Ideas
• Guys' Housewarming Party Ideas
• Women's Housewarming Party Ideas

Creative Housewarming Party Ideas

1. Paint Custom Home Décor (With Wine)

Open a bottle of wine and book paint and sip near you to celebrate your new home. With paint and sip in Tampa, paint and sip in Atlanta, paint and sip in Tuscon, and cities all over the nation, you can paint your own custom canvas to hang in your new home as a memento of this special occasion. 

2. Make Your Own Pottery

If you and your friends liked making mud pies as kids, get the gang together and take a pottery class. You can raise a toast to your new space after you wash up!

Find pottery classes in Boston, pottery classes in San Francisco, pottery classes in San Diego or pottery classes near you to add custom, handmade ceramic art to add to your new home.

3. Get Into a New Groove

Whether it’s ballroom or hip hop, dancing is great exercise and a good way to meet new people. Dance classes in the Bay area, dance classes in Las Vegas, dance classes in in Colorado Springs or online dance classes are a perfect housewarming party idea for friends. 

4. Show Your Talent

There are lots of different art classes to choose from for a housewarming party idea. Being creative together calms people down and helps them relax and have a good time.

According to the American Art Therapy Association, finding an outlet for artistic expression may help people deal with feelings of anxiety or depression, which can occur when moving to a new place.

5. Draw a Crowd

If your friends are artistic, drawing classes and online drawing classes are a great way to celebrate a new space and spend some time together.

6. Welcome New Hobbies

This housewarming event will give you some more things to hang on your new walls and fill your shelves. With fun arts and crafts for adults, you can even make crafts to sell!

Explore jewelry-making, sewing, floral arranging other creative hobbies to fill your home with one-of-a-kind, handmade items. 

7. Capture Memorable Moments

Encourage the new homeowner in your life to fill their home with their own custom photography with the help of a talented photographer.

Explore photography classes or book a photo shoot at home for a great housewarming idea for a friend who wants to learn more about taking artful and memorable photos. 

8. Improvise

Learn improvisation techniques and thinking on your feet with acting classes and online acting classes. This gift can help someone who is moving into a new area make friends! Who knows? You might help uncover some hidden talents.

Foodie Housewarming Party Ideas

9. Master a New Recipe

Look for cooking classes near you and get your friend a gift card to choose a class. This is a useful housewarming event for someone who is settling into their first home, and you might get invited to dinner later on.

Explore cooking classes in Boulder, cooking classes in Dallas, cooking classes in NYC and other foodie locales.

10. Explore a New Cuisine

If you and your friends love to cook, an online cooking class is a fun and useful party idea. You can explore a new cuisine, learn different skills, and make something delicious together in interactive online cooking classes.

11. Throw a Dessert Party

What is a housewarming party without food? A decadent collection of desserts can be a delicious housewarming party idea. You could ask guests to bring their favorite pies, cakes, and desserts, or you could try out a bakery in your new neighborhood. Don’t forget the coffee and tea.

12. DIY Taco Bar

Set out taco fillings, tortillas and toppings for a tasty serve-yourself meal. Be sure to put out plenty of plates and napkins. This is an easy, no fuss solution to housewarming party food when it comes to refreshments. Add a cooler with some Mexican beer and soda on ice to finish the theme.

13. Simple Charcuterie

A charcuterie board is a popular and easy housewarming party food idea. Just pick up an assortment of sliced cured meats, some different kinds of cheese, as well as some pickles and crackers and spread them on a large cutting board. Don’t forget a nice jar of specialty mustard.

14. Provide a Vegetarian Option

A tray of veggies and fruit is a good addition to the housewarming party food offerings. Someone is bound to be a vegetarian and even meat eaters enjoy vegetables and fruit alongside burgers or hotdogs.

15. Make It Mini

Mini sliders are delicious little sandwiches that people love to snack on. For a housewarming food idea, fill trays with different kinds of these bite-sized gems so everyone can try a couple of different kinds. 

16. Mix Up Some Dips

If you need a simple housewarming party food idea, an assortment of different dips is easy to put together. Line up some dips, like hummus, guacamole and salsa with baskets of chips, crackers and raw veggies.

If you want to get fancy, put together a warm spinach artichoke dip and serve it with toasted slices of baguette. 

17. Lay Out Some Tiny Bites 

A collection of small cookies, brownies or miniature cupcakes is an enchanting housewarming party idea. If you are too busy unpacking to bake, many bakeries can make tiny goodies for you. 

Game Housewarming Party Ideas

18. Schedule a Game Night

If you relocated across the country, far-flung family and friends don’t have to miss the fun. Throw a virtual housewarming party. Sign up for one of many available virtual game nights.

Whether it's a family group, couples or friends, virtual games are a blast. You can even set a menu together so you can all enjoy the same refreshments. It doesn’t matter if you are in the same room or in different countries, with a virtual housewarming party, everyone can have a good time.

19. Choose Trivia

Break into teams and enjoy some online trivia games. Who knows the most about current celebrities and pop culture? Who is an expert in food and drink?

This is a great way to share the party no matter where your friends live and let everyone join in this fun and educational housewarming party idea.

20. Go on a Scavenger Hunt

Sending your guests on a scavenger hunt is a great housewarming game. Don’t worry if you are planning a virtual housewarming party because there are online versions of this game, too. Virtual scavenger hunts let everyone play along, no matter where they are and it’s just as much fun.

21. Play House Bingo

This one takes a bit of preparation, but everyone loves a good game of house Bingo. For this housewarming party idea, you will need to print out cards and have guests mark spaces that have items like "sofa," "lamp," "magazine" and others. Give out small prizes to winners.

22. Test Your Guests’ Memory

Room memory is a great housewarming game. Split guests into teams and give each team a set time to go into a room and then sit down and make a list of what they saw. This can be a hilarious housewarming party idea.

23. Break Out the Boggle

If you and your friends a word games, this can be a fun housewarming game idea. In addition to Boggle, there’s Dabble (teams race to create words), Apples to Apples, Last Word and, of course, Scrabble. 

24. Sharpen Your Pencils

Pictionary is a great housewarming party idea. Can you draw well enough for your friends to recognize the word? This one will have you and your guests in stitches.

Virtual Housewarming Party Ideas

25. Mix Up a New Drink

Another fun housewarming event is to sign up for one of the many online mixology classes that are available. Learn to make fun new cocktails and practice your mixology skills.

26. Pop a Cork

What is a housewarming party without wine? Virtual wine tastings are a fun housewarming party idea. Have friends each bring one of the wines on the list provided and have a fun and educational evening. 

27. Escape to an Online Game

The best housewarming games are ones where you have to work together, and escape rooms are perfect for that, but what do you do if you can’t be together? Try an online version.

You can choose from virtual escape rooms that challenge villains or send you into a time machine or a cursed forest. There are even escape rooms that kids will love, so everyone can join in on this virtual housewarming party idea.

Themed Housewarming Party Ideas

28. Toast the Tropics

A tropical housewarming theme can be a fun housewarming party idea. When it comes to housewarming decoration ideas, you can go wild with colorful flowers, pictures of tropical birds, and jungle and beach scenes.

Serve tropical fruits and spicy dishes. You can even wear a Hawaiian shirt and explore more fun Hawaiian party ideas to get every detail.

29. Open the House

An open house is a nice, relaxed cottage, family-style or farmhouse housewarming party idea where a lot of coming and going isn't an issue. Invite guests to come between certain hours. People will come and go at staggered times and this will give you a chance to show people around.

30. Pick a Color

For an unusual housewarming idea, try color theme party ideas. Pick a favorite color and ask guests to dress in it. Make food of that color and serve it on colored plates with colored napkins.

31. Choose a Seasonal Theme

There are lots of housewarming decoration ideas based on the different seasons and holidays. Pick the closest season and have fun with it.

Fill the house with pumpkins and leaves for autumn, evergreen boughs and snowflakes for winter, tulips, rabbits and ducks for spring, and roses or a beach theme for summer.

Cheap Housewarming Party Ideas

32. Lend a Hand

One of the best housewarming ideas is to get help with the move! Have friends wear comfortable clothes and help unload the truck or carry boxes into the house or apartment.

This makes for an especially thoughtful divorce party idea for a single friend who is moving into a new place. You can order takeout for after the heavy lifting is done. Remember, many hands make light work. 

33. Save the Furniture

A set of coasters is a thoughtful yet relatively cheap housewarming party idea. Get something in a theme or color your friends like, and whenever they set down a drink, they will think of you.

34. Bring a Dish

What food do you serve at a housewarming? A potluck supper is a nice housewarming food idea. Have everyone bring a favorite dish to share. If they are willing to part with recipes, even better.

This is a nice way to introduce yourself to new neighbors. Make it a funny housewarming party theme by inviting everyone to name their signature dish. The one with the best name wins!

35. Paint a Room

Most places need a freshening up when you move in. Another helpful housewarming idea is to get help with painting. Be sure to warn guests ahead of time so that they can wear old clothes instead of dressing up for a party.

Tip: Provide lots of snacks and order pizza when everyone is finished because no one will be fit to go out to a restaurant.

Outdoor Housewarming Party Ideas 

36. Garden Party

A good outdoor housewarming party idea for nice weather is a garden party. If the new place has a nice yard, you can set up outside and enjoy the garden.

A fire bowl is a nice touch for a housewarming party and sharing some s’mores is a great way to relax and unwind. You can’t be too uptight with marshmallow all over your fingers.

37. Encourage a Green Thumb

A housewarming gift for people who moved into a new house with more room for plants is to ask guests to bring a plant with them. This will add some green to the new home. If they have a yard at the new place, guests might bring plants to help improve the landscaping.

38. Fire Up the Grill

If the weather is cooperative, a grilling party is a nice outdoor housewarming party idea. You can do burgers and hotdogs, or get a bit more creative with some grilled vegetables or a whole grilled fish. Something about cooking on a grill feels friendly and puts everyone at ease.

Guys' Housewarming Party Ideas

39. Pick Up the Tools

If you and your friends like working with your hands, woodworking classes are a fun farmhouse housewarming party idea for guys to get a little rustic. Try your hand at a cutting board in a unique shape. 

40. Heat Things Up

Glass blowing classes are a different and fun housewarming party idea for guys who would like melding fire and art. Get a group together and schedule a glass blowing session and come away with a unique glass for your new home.

41. Stock the Bar

Have guests bring a bottle of their favorite alcohol to start a collection. It’s helpful to let people know what you like, too. Be sure to provide plenty of snacks, plus glasses, mixers and ice.

42. Personalized Sign

A family name sign is a great housewarming gift idea and a thoughtful way to help friends feel more comfortable in their new space. They will think of you whenever they see it hanging on the wall.

Women's Housewarming Party Ideas

43. Arrange Some Blooms

Classes are a great way to celebrate moving to a new home. Everyone loves flowers, so virtual flower arranging classes are a fun and useful housewarming party idea.

44. Learn to Sew

Sewing classes are very popular right now, and an evening of learning to sew could be an enjoyable housewarming party. You and your guests could make pillow covers, aprons or market bags to use at home.

45. Host a Spa Night

A bathtub tray and bath bombs are a lovely housewarming gift idea. Throw in a bottle of your friend’s favorite wine and some candles for a relaxing spa evening.

46. Give Some Cheerful Color

New kitchen dish towels in your friend’s favorite color, quotes and designs are a welcome and affordable housewarming present. Have everyone bring a cute dish towel for a useful gift for new homeowners that add flair to their kitchen.  

47. De-stress With Essential Oils

Moving and setting up a new house is stressful and one useful housewarming gift is an essential oil diffuser. This can help your friend relax after unpacking stacks of boxes.

48. Start a Wine Collection

The gift of a wine rack with a bottle to go in it is a nice housewarming idea for a friend who likes vino. Ask around and find out what kinds they prefer. Some nice wine glasses are a good idea, too. 

49. Cleanse the Air

Some people believe that Himalayan salt lamps improve air quality and raise energy levels. Whether or not this is true, the lovely orange glow is cheerful and calming, making these lamps nice housewarming gifts.

Whether you have friends over to help you unpack or stand around and chit-chat next to the barbeque grill, the important thing about housewarming parties is for you to feel comfortable showing your friends around.

Keep the preparations simple, relax and have a good time. They are there to support you and celebrate this new phase of your life.

For even more fun party ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!