
Up Party Planning Guide
Up Party
A step-by-step checklist for an Up birthday. Quantities are for 8 kids, plus a few grown-ups.
Scan this with your iPhone camera to open the checklist on your phone.
Invitations & guest list
- Set the date, time and headcountA 2-hour party is the sweet spot for kids. Count the parents who'll stay too.
- Send invitationsAsk parents to RSVP 1 week out and to note any food allergies.
- Optional: dress codeKids can come as Wilderness Explorers in a scout shirt and a sash.
- Pick the spaceA backyard is perfect for a balloon-filled sky. Indoors, tie balloon bunches to every chair.
Order your party supplies
- Tableware for 8The Standard or Deluxe Pack Prime Party covers this. To build your own, get 8 dinner plates, 8 dessert plates, lunch and beverage napkins and a table cover.
- Placemats (8)Placemats Prime Party, one per seat. They mark each kid's spot.
- CupsThere are no Up cups, so plan on solid sky blue or red cups from the store.
- Forks & spoonsGrab 20 of each: sky blue forks and sky blue spoons, or red forks and spoons. Prime Party
- StreamersTwist Caribbean blue, red and yellow together for a sky full of balloons. Prime Party
- Latex balloonsGo big with balloons: red, yellow, orange, green and powder blue. Prime Party
- ConfettiScatter balloon confetti down the table. Prime Party
- DécorThe fabric wall banner and jointed flag banner Prime Party.
- Cupcake wrappers (12) and water bottle labels (16)Cupcake wrappers and bottle labels Prime Party. These set how many cupcakes and bottles you buy. See the food section.
- GamesPin-the-Tail Prime Party.
- Favors (8)Up favor boxes Prime Party, one per kid.
Plan the food & drinks
- Order or bake 12 cupcakesYou have 12 cupcake wrappers, so get cupcakes, not a cake. Rainbow sprinkles and balloon-colored frosting dots, like the balloons over Carl's house.
- Buy 16 bottles of waterYou have 16 bottle labels, so that's 2 per kid. Standard 16.9 oz bottles are the easiest to wrap.
- Plan the main courseA "Wilderness Explorer" picnic: hot dogs, mac and cheese and fruit.
- SnacksTrail mix (check for nut allergies), grape soda candy and popcorn.
- Plan the drinksMake Paradise Falls Punch (the recipe is after the store list), plus grape soda. Plan for 2–3 drinks per kid.
- IceAbout 1 lb per person, so one 10 lb bag.
- Check allergiesConfirm against your RSVPs.
Games & prizes
- Buy prizes for every gameWinners pick from the prize basket (see the DIY games below). Plan on 20–30 small prizes so every kid wins something.
- Pin-the-Tail: blindfold + tapeHang the poster at kid eye level with painter's tape. Blindfold with a bandana, spin twice, and the closest pin wins.
- Photo boothSet up a photo spot under a big balloon bunch with the photo booth props Prime Party.
- Wilderness Explorer badgesMake paper badges for every game a kid finishes, just like Russell.
- TriviaPrint this guide and leave the trivia page on the table. It's at the end of this checklist.
Bonus DIY games (free to make)
- Number Scramble: make the numbersWrite one big number per guest (1–8) on half sheets of 8.5 × 11 paper and tape them to the floor around the house. Write the same numbers on slips of paper and put them in a bowl.
- Number Scramble: how to playAbout every 15 minutes, ring a bell or play "Married Life" on a speaker. Everyone scrambles to stand on an open number. Draw a slip from the bowl, and whoever is standing on that number picks a prize. Set the winning slip aside so every kid gets a turn.
- Lucky Plate: mark one plateBefore you set the table, draw a small balloon on the bottom of one dinner plate.
- Lucky Plate: the revealHalfway through the meal, announce that everyone should check under their plate. Whoever finds the small balloon picks a prize.
- Prize basketFill a basket with inexpensive prizes for winners to pick from: movie-theater candy boxes, balloon-shaped candy, mini compasses and stickers. Use it for every game. Buy more than you think you'll need. Leftover candy and toys make great thank-you prizes for your clean-up crew. 😉
Favors
- Buy favor fillers for 8A mini compass or flashlight, grape candy and a sticker.
- Check for choking hazardsUse age-appropriate fillers if younger siblings are coming.
Prep & set up
- Wrap the water bottlesPeel off the store labels, wrap with the Up labels and chill.
- Fill the 8 favor boxes
- Make the Number Scramble signs and slips; mark the lucky plateTape the numbers down on party day so they don't get kicked around.
- Hang the banners and wall décorPut the wall piece behind the food or photo area, and drape the banner over a doorway or the food table.
- Inflate balloonsMix red, yellow, orange, green and blue. Air-filled clusters last longer than helium. Hang the streamers and scatter the confetti on the table last.
- Set out serving dishesFood goes in bowls and on platters, not on the printed plates, so the artwork stays visible.
Run of show
| 3 hrs before | Pick up the cupcakes and order the food. |
| 2 hrs before | Table cover and 8 place settings. |
| 1 hr before | Fill the cooler, set up the games, and tape down the Number Scramble numbers. |
| Arrival | Music on and drinks out while everyone arrives, photo booth open. |
| Every 15 min | Ring the bell for a Number Scramble round. |
| +30 min | Food. Lucky Plate reveal while they eat. |
| +1 hr | Pin-the-Tail and Wilderness Explorer badges. |
| +1 hr 40 | Cupcakes, candles and "Happy Birthday." Read trivia while they eat. |
| Goodbyes | Hand out the favors at the door. |
Your pick-up list
Everything here comes from the grocery or dollar store.
- Food
- 12 cupcakesfor the wrappers
- Hot dogs + buns
- Mac and cheese
- Fruit + popcorn
- Trail mixcheck nut allergies
- Drinks
- 16 bottles of waterfor the labels
- Paradise punch ingredientssee the recipe below
- Cupssky blue or red solids
- Iceabout 10 lb
- Games & favors
- Prize basket: 20–30 small prizesget extra, since games go lots of rounds
- Paper, tape + markerfor Number Scramble
- Bell or speaker
- Bandana or scarffor the blindfold
- Favor fillers for 8
- Supplies
- Painter's tape + removable hooks
- Balloon pump or helium + ribbon
- Serving bowls & platters
- Birthday candles + lighter
- Cooler or tub
Paradise Falls Punch
Ingredients
- 4 cups pineapple juice, chilled
- 4 cups orange juice, chilled
- 4 cups chilled lemon-lime soda
- Splash of grenadine or cherry juice
- Ice
Steps
- Mix the pineapple and orange juice in a punch bowl.
- Top with lemon-lime soda and ice.
- Add a splash of grenadine. It sinks like a waterfall.
- Serve in clear cups.
Tip: Grape soda was Ellie's favorite. Set out a few cans with a pin-on "Ellie badge" bottle cap.
12 Up Trivia Questions
Leave this page at the table and read them out between bites. They make for fun conversations at the table, and kids love stumping the grown-ups.
- What is the name of the old man who flies his house?
Show answer
Carl Fredricksen - What is the name of the young Wilderness Explorer?
Show answer
Russell - What is the name of the talking dog?
Show answer
Dug - What does Russell name the big colorful bird?
Show answer
Kevin - Where does Carl want to take his house?
Show answer
Paradise Falls - What lifts Carl's house into the sky?
Show answer
Thousands of balloons - What is the name of Carl's wife?
Show answer
Ellie - Which famous explorer turns out to be the villain?
Show answer
Charles Muntz - Which badge does Russell need to earn?
Show answer
The Assisting the Elderly badge - What group is Russell part of?
Show answer
The Wilderness Explorers - What lets Dug talk?
Show answer
His special collar - What year did Up come out?
Show answer
2009
- Carl Fredricksen
- Russell
- Dug
- Kevin
- Paradise Falls
- Thousands of balloons
- Ellie
- Charles Muntz
- The Assisting the Elderly badge
- The Wilderness Explorers
- His special collar
- 2009
Tinkerbell Blossom
Finding Nemo
The Sandlot
Up
Inside Out
Classic Sonic the Hedgehog
Fantastic 4
Dedapool & Wolverine
Monsters Inc
Monster Jam
Ghostbusters
Golden Girls
Care Bears
Chucky
Halloween
Yellowstone
The Office
Star Trek
NASCAR
Beverly Hills 90210
Bob Ross
Mandalorian
Congrats Grad!
Star Wars
Rainbow Unicorn
Barbie
Cars 3
Despicable Me
Encanto
Llama Llama
Super Mario Brothers
Paw Patrol
Scooby Doo
Sonic the Hedgehog
Spider-Man
Sponge Bob Square Pants
Strawberry Shortcake
Tinkerbell
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Toy Story
It's a Boy