Planning an escape room party? 

Whether you’re scheduling a birthday party, team social, or evening out on the town with your friends, escape room-themed games promise a thrilling and interactive experience. 

So, just how does one host the perfect escape-themed party? 

From DIY hosting at home to outdoor escape room fun with StreetHunt Games, the following are practical ideas to make your party one to remember.

1. Choose the Right Escape Room Format

Before we go any further, you need to decide on whether you want to have a DIY approach towards the entire event or you want to get rid of any hassle and book an escape room that will deal with all the struggles in your place.

Option 1:  Book an Outdoor Escape Room Adventure

Skip the setup and book an outdoor escape game experience with StreetHunt Games. 

There is no need to be locked in a room; players absorb clues and decode mysteries as they explore hidden pockets of London. It’s great for groups, birthday parties, and corporate social events. 

This way, you don’t need to worry about organising extensive parties and finding the right room: StreetHunt will do it for you! Not to mention how this means everyone can enjoy the surprising scenario, as someone will create it instead of you.

Book a StreetHunt Game and bring your party to the next level.

Option 2:  Create a DIY Escape Room at Home

You can transform your home into an escape room for a more personalised experience that, however, might take more time to organise. 

Here’s how: 

• Select one of the following themes: mystery, spy mission, haunted house, or time-travel adventure.
• Create a background story that describes why the players must escape.
• Create challenges involving lock-and-key challenges, cryptic messages, or treasure hunts.
• Keep the adrenaline going with a time constraint and use a countdown timer.
• Use items like low light, police tape, or themed-specific decor to set the mood and decorate the scene.
• For bigger groups, assign different teams to different rooms for a race to escape.
• Appoint someone to become a Game Master to oversee the event and give clues if the players need them.

Keep in mind that keeping everything inside a house might mean you need to limit the number of participants. If you stick to outdoor escape rooms, the number of participants is unlimited., making it a better choice for large groups

• Detective Mystery: Visitors unravel a fictional crime through clues and evidence.
• Secret Spy Game: Players perform missions as spies to stop an evil person.
• Prison Break: Escaping a secure institution by solving puzzles and finding keys.
• Heist Challenge: Burglaries and robberies of “loot” before police arrive.
• Zombie Apocalypse: Solve all the puzzles to find the cure before zombies infect everyone.
• Fantasy Quest: an escape room on a medieval theme, with magical items and mysteries.
• Superhero Escape: Participants take on the roles of superhero characters and battle a villain by completing challenges.
• Haunted House Escape: Players have to crack spooky mysteries to remove the curse.
• Jungle Adventure: An adventure game where visitors decipher nature clues.

You could complement the theme with the interactive external stories by StreetHunt Games, such as Colombia’s Finest or The Will Breaker.

3. Set Up Escape Room Party Challenges

In a DIY escape room, make sure to include a range of activities and challenges to keep players engaged and stimulated.

Place clues behind objects, inside books, or under objects so that players have to thoroughly scour the area. 

An escape room party cannot be complete without deciphering, so make sure to include it as a challenge.

Cipher challenges, such as a simple Caesar shift cipher, can be used to encode messages that players have to solve. Other options are certain math challenges which involve the solving of equations to unlock a code and add an extra problem-solving level. 

You can also incorporate locked boxes with concealed keys or combinations somewhere in the home for that feeling of adventure. 

Physical barriers, such as mini obstacle courses or interactive barriers, will keep players busy when not working on mental challenges. 

Placing UV messages in hidden ink and providing UV flashlights to locate them will provide an air of secrecy and suspense. Audio challenges with Morse code decryption or listening to sound-embedded clues will be an added bonus. 

It’s also fun to add a combination of challenges that will require teamwork. This means that groups of players get to crack different parts to proceed. 

Having different escape paths where player choice brings you to the next clue will also provide a dynamic and interactive experience.

StreetHunt Games accomplishes all the above on your behalf with a narrative, interactive challenges, and an online platform where you experience the game, making it a pain-free yet thrilling choice when it comes to an escape room party.

You can also create an escape cake, which is an inside-out cake with a secret message.

If you’re making cookies, make sure to incorporate the game’s key symbols on them. 

All of this will spice things up and make the entire theme much more cohesive.

5. Make It Competitive

Add excitement by having a leaderboard or prizes for the best contestants. You can award prizes for:.

• Fastest Escape – Award the prize to the winning team.
• Best Detective – Award the player who uncovers the most clues.
• Most Creative Solver – Encourage innovative problem-solving.
• Best Costume – Award prizes to the best dressed in the event of a themed party.
• Most Valuable Player – Identify the team’s ace.
• Grand Escape Artist – Award for the most active participant.

With StreetHunt Games, your group will be able to compete with others throughout London, introducing an entirely new level of competition. This is perfect for those with a competitive spirit, always looking to break someone’s record.

• Play enigmatically haunting music in the background.
• Use sound effects apps that have creepy, detective, or action sound effects.
• Use dim lights, LED strips, or dancing candles to create a mood.
• Create a spooky atmosphere in haunted or sci-fi-themed parties.

Many escape rooms incorporate actors to make everything feel even more authentic. However, if you’re organising the entire thing on your own, getting a professional actor can be tricky – not to mention expensive.

7. Capture the Fun

Don’t forget to document the experience so you can keep it as a memory forever.

Design a backdrop filled with detective hats, magnifying glasses, and gadgets, and make your own photo booth! Don’t forget a group photo at the end of the challenge.

Also, record memorable moments and share them on social media. Maybe even share blockbuster puzzle moments with friends who missed it.

If you have visited an escape room, such as StreetHunt Games, instead of DIYing your own, make sure to tag the organiser on the social media photos so they could share you on their channels.

From an escape room board game and a theme puzzle box to an escape room subscription box or even just a drink of choice, find a way to reward the best players in the team.

Make sure all of the team members also get a participation award to further increase the team spirit. 

If you’re a true escape room fan, you can gift the winner a StreetHunt Games Gift Voucher, which will let them book their own outdoor adventure.

Ready to Plan Your Escape Room Party?

Whether you’re having a party at home or going out on the London streets, an escape room party is the perfect combination of puzzles, thrills, and teamwork. 

However, organising an escape room adventure is a daunting task which could destroy all the joy of actually participating in one. This is why most people opt for hiring professionals who will make their experience memorable.

For a hassle-free event filled with mysteries and heart-thumping plotlines, book an outdoor escape room game with StreetHunt Games and provide your team with a party to remember.