Tea parties are always a fun way to get together, but a Mad Hatter tea party is a different kind of fun. What a memorable way to create end-of-summer fun for the kids.
Nonsense and nonsense are the objectives of this party. All the rules of tea etiquette and the sophistication of a traditional tea party go out the window, or should I say they go through the mirror?
If you remember, in Alice in Wonderland, the March Rabbit meets Alice when she is late for a tea party. At the beginning of Chapter 7 of the story, Alice finds herself at a very long table, set for tea for many. They are all huddled at one end of this table. This, of course, is the Mad Hatter’s tea party.
The Mad Hatter has been condemned by the Queen of Hearts for “killing time” with his singing. As the story goes, all clocks and watches tell teatime, all the time. Alicia is treated rudely with riddles that have no answers and are silly nonsense poems.
This has all the makings of a really fun event and a way to get kids to explore their creative side.
Let’s start with the invitations. Do you want hats to be the theme? Or maybe the theme is Wonderland and all the characters? Take the time to make handmade invitations. Create your own silly rhymes to match the theme. If you want others to dress up, let them know that in the invitation. Ask them to wear a fancy hat. Or better yet, tell them you have a Mad Hatter hat-making session planned.
To create excitement and anticipation for the event, hand out the invitations in costume!
Once you have the theme and invitations, it’s time to plan your tea party decorations. The Mad Hatter Tea Party is all about nonconformity, so enjoy and mix and match your plates, glasses, and silverware. Use different chairs too! Pastel tablecloths and flower teapots are a great setting for this event. Some paper or playing card lanterns are great decorating ideas to consider as well.
Consider creating a mirror that everyone passes through to enter the party in Wonderland. Find a place for the Cheshire cat to appear or at least its smile. And don’t forget about Dormouse, I’d be happy if they put it in a kettle on the table.
More we have Mad Hatters Tea Party
Now is the time to plan the menu. It is a party for games and fun. The sandwiches are perfect for this event. You can serve the same foods that you would serve at any tea party, but have fun and get creative with the food names. Remember, the dumber the better for Wonderland. What do Tweedledee and Tweedledum cakes sound like? Courisier and Courisier tea cocktails? The Mad Hatter offered Alice wine! So serve your iced tea drinks in plastic wine glasses to the kids. Take a ribbon and a name tag and tie it to the base of each glass. Write “Drink Me” on them. Make “Eat Me” cookies.
For a fun activity, allow your guests to become Mad Hatters and create their own hats. It is a simple and fun activity for children. It takes newspaper, duct tape, scissors, flowers, and a little creativity to make them as tea party favors. It’s a great way to occupy the kids and allow them to do something memorable to take home.
This is a party for playing croquet, card games, and silly rhyming games. Depending on the age of the children, you can create games suitable for their age level. Some love to play “opposites.” Everything in Wonderland is not what it seems. Set rules for everyone to call each other by name backwards, and when answering a question, you must answer the opposite of what they really mean. You can create laughter as children become inventive with their questions.
A Mad Hatters tea party is a great and fun way to create a fun end of summer for the kids! It allows them to be creative and goofy. This is a party that will be talked about for years to come.
