Looking for the best 4th of July party games to play while you’re waiting for the fireworks to go off?
You’re totally in luck because we’ve rounded up some of your favorites!
We promise, you and all your friends will have an amazing time at your patriotic party!
Plus, check out some of our favorite 4th of July party decorations and tips!
Let’s check them out!
Related: Fun Party Games that Even Your Parents Will Love
4th of July Party Games for Teens
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1. Red, white and blue scavenger hunt
Put a patriotic spin on an old classic! You can play this game with individuals or with teams.
- Give everyone a basket and a list of items to find.
- The list can have them 4 red things, 4 white things and 4 blue things.
- Or you can have more specific items like find a red ribbon, find a white flower and find a blue crayon.
- The first person or team to find their list of items first is the winner.
- Make the game harder by using your neighborhood as your hunting ground.
- If you live far from civilization, ask a parent or non-player to hide the items before the game begins.
Related: Spectacularly Fun Mystery Scavenger Hunt Ideas
2. Musical banner game
This game works on the similar concept as musical chairs.
- You want to hang flags
or other patriotic pictures around the party area, ensuring you hang one less than the number of guests playing. - Then, play songs like God Bless the USA and the Star Spangled Banner. When the music stops, guests must find a picture to stand under.
- The person that isn’t standing under a picture is out of the game and the last person standing is the winner.
or other patriotic pictures around the party area, ensuring you hang one less than the number of guests playing.3. Balloon game
This is one of my favorite 4th of July party games for teen because it really gets everyone laughing and having fun.
- Let each person choose a balloon (go with red, white and blue for a patriotic theme!).
- The object of the game is for everyone to blow up their balloon, tie it and sit on it so that it pops.
- The first person to successfully do this is the winner.
- Trust me, it’s a lot harder than it sounds!
Related: Party Games for Teens Stuck Indoors This Summer
4. Patriotic Water Games
- Party City has an awesome patriotic water games kit that I absolutely love. It comes with a water slide, a bucket, and plenty of water balloons.
- Set up the water slide and fill up the balloons before the party. Then fill up the bucket with the ammo and get ready to battle!
- Take turns throwing water balloons at the person racing down the slide, or just have an all out water balloon fight!
5. Patriotic Bingo
If your party gets rained out, patriotic bingo is one of the most fun indoor 4th of July party games to play!
- Make up some fun bingo cards ahead of time with patriotic and summer icons! You can laminate the cards and let guests use dry-erase markers, or use pennies as markers.
- Then, print and cut out all of the icons for your “bingo wheel.” You can just toss them all into a jar and pull them out randomly.
- First guest to get 5 in a row wins!
- Or you can make the games last longer by challenging guests to fill the entire card or make a pattern!
4th of July Party Decorations & Essentials
Party Decorations
You don’t have to go crazy with expensive 4th of July party decorations.
As long as you focus on a red, white, and blue theme, you can do as little or as much as you want.
I love the look of the table above, it’s simple yet colorful! To recreate it, you’ll need:
- Blue tablecloth
- Red, white, and blue balloons
- Red Gingham plates
- Star confetti
- A cute patriotic centerpiece.
Red, White, & Blue Party Plates & Cups
If you want to really bring home the patriotic theme, Party City has some amazing kits that have everything from party plates to party cups in one convenient package.
There are a few different options to choose from. My favorite is the Ultimate Red, White and Blue Stars pack one pictured above. I like it because it has a fun mix of patterns as well as some solid colored items to break it up a bit.
If you’re having a smaller party, they also have Deluxe American Classic party pack for 16 guests.
Of course, you could put a simpler DIY “party pack” together by buying some red plates,
blue utensils
, and white cups
(or any other combo of the three).
Another idea that I LOVE: instead of buying a ton of throw-away cups, use mason jars
for glasses, like above! Fill them with red & blue mocktails, or serve a clear drink like Sprite and add colorful ice cubes or fruit.
Awesome Party Lights
If you’re having your party outdoors at night, you’ll want some lights so guests can see! I love the star string lights above, aren’t they fun?
You can also use colorful candles if you don’t have a way to plug in the lights. Here are some we love:
Party Tents
If you’re planning on having your party in your backyard or at a park, a party tent is a must. July is one of the wettest months in many states!
I know in my area, storms roll through pretty much every day. It rains for five or ten minutes, then it’s gone.
If you have the budget for it, I recommend getting a nice big tent
that all your guests- and your food and decor- can fit under! It’s on the pricey side, but a great investment if you’re planning on hosting a lot of parties!
Can’t really afford a $400+ tent? There are cheaper options under $200-ish if you want to go with a full-size tent with sides, or even cheaper tarp canopy tents without sides. Check out a few of my favorite options in all price ranges:
Patriotic Party Favors
Want to send your guests home with some fun reminders of your bash? You’ll need some patriotic party favors!
Here are a few of my favorites:
- 4th of July Cookies! Either bake and decorate them yourself, or order them from a local bakery. Send each guest home with one or two!
- Patriotic colored candy in a fun treat bag.
- Red, white and blue beach balls for loads of summer fun!
- Patriotic glow stick necklaces: these are fun for guests to wear during the party.
- Patriotic reusable tumblers: If you want a more eco-friendly party, give them out when your guests arrive and skip the plastic cups!
These are just a few fun 4th of July party games and ideas to help get your party started and keep the fun going until the sun sets.
We all know that’s when the magic really happens! Kick back with your friends on the lawn and watch those fireworks. You just never get too old for that!
Do you have any favorite 4th of July party games for teens?
Share in the comments!
Those are all really fun ideas. I am sure my kids will love these.
That is such an awesome picture!! I think we might get sparklers this year my son just turned 3. It is one of my favorite holidays! Awesome game ideas.
These are awesome ideas. I am actually looking for fun games to do on the 4th. Thanks for the suggestions.
I used to LOVE those kinds of scavenger hunts. They were so, so fun. This makes me want to put one together again!
Great ideas!
This is just awesome & full of fun & such a beautiful picture as well. The Musical Banner game & Balloon game looks interesting & the Dollar game is something which is going to be full of fun & thrills.
All of these games sound like a lot of fun! I like balloon and dollar game the best!
great games! We usually just have a water ballon fight!
A lot of great ideas for teens to play for the 4th of July. One of my favorite games was Kick the Can. I am not sure if you have heard of that one but it was one of my favorite. I also loved playing capture the flag. You could use American Flags!!
Great list of games for teens! I know sometimes it’s easy to forget they like to do things as well since they are so much older than the younger kids. I think my favorite would be the scavenger hunt, those are always fun.
These sound like great games, but I’m not sure if kids would be able to pull themselves away from their electronic devices to even play them. That sparkler picture is great though. I would love to create a picture like that with my friends.
Those are fun games! I like the dollar game. It is great to play an icebreaker game before we start anything, especially if the guests don’t know each other yet. I don’t really have any other ideas, but yours games are all fun!
I am loving the picture, I love how you guys celebrate your independence day so very patriotic, a time definitely not to be missed and a time to have as much fun as possible with family and friends.
We don’t celebrate the 4th of July here in Ireland and I’m kind of jealous because it seems like such a fun celebration. I love these ideas, teens and adults can enjoy games too and it’s great to have some game suggestions which we can all enjoy. That picture on the top of the post is so fun too, love how July 4th was spelt out 🙂
These are great ideas especially since they encourage interaction amongst guests! I’d love to watch the balloon game, I bet it is hilarious to see the kids running around trying to pop them. Have a great 4th!
I don’t have any teenagers, nor will I for about another 12 years but I love that photo! My son is already obsessed with the poppers for fireworks, at least they are somewhat safe. I would love if more parents would encourage their teens to do fun activities like these around the holiday instead of just “blowing stuff up” .
I love playing games even as an adult but as a teen scavenger games were definitively my jam. This even inspires me with ideas for my kids who are a much younger.
I love that photo! I don’t have a teenager( still a looooong way off) but I can see how these would be fun! It would keep them busy the whole time
These are games for F***ing Kids!!! Being a teenager myself, these games sound like a load of ass.