The popular How to Train Your Dragon movies have captured the hearts of children and adults alike. With lovable dragon characters, exciting adventures, and themes of friendship and bravery, it’s no wonder these films make for a perfect kids’ birthday party theme.
Planning How to Train Your Dragon birthday decor takes a bit of creativity, but the results are a magical, fun celebration that makes the birthday kid and their friends feel like they stepped right into the world of Berk and its cool dragons. From fiery decor to dragon eggs to Viking hats, read on for ideas on how to throw an epic HTTYD party.
Pick Your Favorite Dragon Breed as the Theme
The various dragon species in the How to Train Your Dragon series each have unique looks, abilities, and personalities. Choose one or a few of your child’s favorite dragons to focus the decorations around.
Toothless Decor
As Hiccup’s trusted dragon, the powerful Night Fury named Toothless is popular for many kids. Decorate with black and green colors and bat or dragon silhouettes. Make a large Toothless figure out of cardboard or fabric as the centerpiece.
Light Fury Decor
The Light Fury, introduced in the third film, has an elegant white color scheme. White and light blue or purple decorations with butterfly, bird, or dragon shapes carry out the theme. Add some glitter for an ethereal effect.
Multiple Dragon Decor
For kids who love all the dragons, decorate with a mix of colors and shapes. Make signs or drawings of different dragon species like the Deadly Nadder, Monstrous Nightmare, and Gronckle. Accent with dragon footprints.
Incorporate Viking Themes
Since the Vikings and dragons work together in the How to Train Your Dragon world, add some Viking elements alongside the dragon decor. Use faux fur throws, wooden signs, metal buckets or lanterns, and rope.
Viking Hats
Make or buy fun Viking hats for kids to wear, complete with horns or braids. Take a photo of the birthday kid and friends wearing the hats for a memorable party picture.
Viking Ship Decor
Turn the party space into a Viking ship and ocean. Use blue tablecloths as the water and make a small Viking ship out of a cardboard box. Fill with fake coins, jewels, weapons, and helmets for kids to play with.
Dragon Egg Hunt
A fun party activity is to have a dragon egg hunt rather than a traditional egg hunt. Hide small plastic Easter eggs filled with treats around the house or yard. Spray paint them in various dragon egg colors and patterns for more realism.
Dragon Nest Decor
Make a large dragon nest out of twigs, branches, leaves, and grass to hold all the filled dragon eggs. Let kids take home several eggs as party favors too.
Hot Dragon Eggs
For an edible take, decorate cupcakes to look like colorful dragon eggs. Top with flames piped from orange and red icing for a hot, fiery look.
Berk Village Decorations
Since most of the How to Train Your Dragon action takes place on the isle of Berk, bring the village setting to life through decorations.
Hiccup’s House
Make a model of Hiccup’s home on Berk, with a slanted roof, wood plank walls, and a dragon weathervane on top. Surround with painted wooden sheep, yak, and chicken figures.
Viking Longhouse
Construct a miniature Viking longhouse from cardboard or wood. Decorate with faux furs, wooden buckets, burlap sacks, and candles or battery-powered fairy lights.
Dragon Stables Signs
Make little wooden stable signs for each dragon breed, like “Stormfly’s Stable” or “Hookfang’s Hangout.” Hang them around the party space for fun decorative signs kids can pose with.
Dragon Training Academy
Let party guests experience their own dragon training by setting up some themed games and activities.
Dragon Obstacle Course
Set up a fun obstacle course outside or in a large room. Include physical challenges like crawling through hula hoops “on fire,” hopping between “islands” of newspaper, or tossing rings onto cones to “feed the dragons.”
Pin the Tail on the Dragon
Play a round of pin the tail on the dragon using a large poster or drawing of Toothless, Hookfang, Stormfly or another dragon breed. Use sticker tails or make fabric tails to pin on.
Dragon Trivia Game
Test guests’ dragon knowledge with trivia cards and prizes. Some sample questions could include: Which breed of dragon has two heads? What is a baby dragon called? What food do dragons love most?
Fiery Dragon Decorations
Dragons and fire go hand-in-hand. Incorporate flaming decorations to really bring the heat to your How to Train Your Dragon party.
Fire Banners
Make triangular pennant banners from red, orange, and yellow fabric or cardstock. They can hang outdoors or above a food table for a fiery look.
Dragon Fireplace
Turn a cardboard box into a mock fireplace or cavern where cutout dragons breathe streams of orange and red crepe paper flames.
Candle Centerpieces
Group glass jar candles onto mirrors, trays, or table runners to create instant dragon fire centerpieces. Surround with pebbles or dragon figurines.
Cake and Treats
Finish off the party with How to Train Your Dragon cake and treats that look worthy of Vikings and dragons alike.
Toothless Cake
Bake a round all-black cake and decorate it to look like Toothless’ head and back with green frosting eyes and scales. Add wings made from icing or fruit roll-ups.
Viking Ship Cake
Sail into birthday fun with a Viking ship cake. Frost a sheet cake brown and add a green rectangle as the grass. Use graham crackers, frosting, and fondant to construct the 3D ship on top.
Dragon Tail Snacks
Make whimsical dragon tail snacks by dipping bananas or pineapple slices into red or green icing. Roll in sprinkles or coconut flakes for the dragon scales.
However you choose to train your own friendly dragons, following these decorating ideas will let kids revel in the adventurous world of Hiccup, Toothless, Astrid, and Berk’s amazing creatures. With a little creativity, you can design a birthday celebration that looks like it came straight from the big screen.
