When putting together an Independence Day party take the time to sit down and plan out the dcor, invitations, food and activities. This way your party will be well-coordinated and you'll have a lot more time to devote to guests and having fun yourself.

The predominate color theme for the Independence Day party is easy to pick out, red, white and blue. If you like you can also mix in other colors. Think about the colors of many fireworks that are used, purples, yellows, and greens along with the traditional colors. Try using glitter and sparkles for their similarity to the flash of fireworks. Hanging streamers from the ceiling in a darkened room with lights pointed up at them will cause them to glitter and shine during the party.

For food think about setting up a buffet of edibles. If you are concerned about the food staying fresh you can place the platters over a frozen cold pack or containers of ice to keep it chilled and periodically change the ice packs. Also containers with clear lids go a long way to help keep insects and what not off while still allowing the guests to see what's inside the containers.

Good Independence Day games can help guests to stay entertained and active. Among the more popular games are those that can help guests to stay cool in the heat of the summer. Fill up some Red, White and Blue balloons with water and have guests toss them back and forth while trying to keep them from popping. The teams that can keep the balloons going the longest are the winners.

For party favors try making up little packets of sparklers and snaps for the guests. You can also include candies and Independence Day cookies, or basically cookies with red, white and blue frosting in various designs on them. How about making a red fireworks design on a white frosting background.