Unique Prom Theme Ideas and Inspiration Tips To Make the Night Special

So, your prom night is coming up! Some look forward to their prom night for years. For others, it springs up on them. Regardless, you want your prom to be a night you remember forever, a night where you get to dress up and feel your best dancing the night away with your closest friends.

A unique prom theme can make the night truly unforgettable. Whether it's a classic like a black and white ball or something never seen before, the theme of your prom sets the mood for the night ahead.

Prom is still such a special night to this day, but it is much older than you think. Prom comes from the word promenade, meaning the formal, introductory parading of guests at a party and began in the middle 1800s. So, get your best dress, most unique theme, and get ready to carry on a historical tradition.

Read on to discover tons of unique and not-so-basic prom themes to spark your inspiration and excitement, as well as learn some prom-prep tips that may just save your evening (you’ll thank us later).

Sure, Under The Sea can be a great prom theme (see our creative take on it below) but it's been done millions of times. We’re here to offer you a slew of new prom theme ideas to get you inspired and excited for our big night.

Feel free to make any of these themes your own, and allow your prom outfit to completely spin off the theme or go a completely different direction. Everything about your prom night should make you feel even more like you, from your theme to your dress.

See below for a list of our favorite and most original prom theme ideas, and how to achieve them.

Like the popular three-day music festival in California? Yes. Exactly like that. This never-before-seen prom theme could turn into the night you’ve always dreamed of. Think desert hues of pink and orange, fun carnival games and food stands, and the best playlist and DJ ever heard.

Put to use your most artistic friends to create backdrops to mimic orange sunsets over the desert, with silhouettes of the famous Coachella ferris wheel and cacti. Use sunset lamps, twinkle lights, and sandy-colored tablecloths to complete the look.

The vibe for your night will be almost as special as a three-day pass to this all-inclusive music festival. Bonus, your prom tickets can even be modeled after the famous park pass. Feel free to include cardboard cutouts of your favorite artists that just might be on the lineup this year!

Make the entrance feel like time square and line it with TV screens or brightly painted posters encouraging your guests to enjoy the night. The key here: make it a night too bright to forget! Try including simple cardboard rectangles painted black to mimic the skyline, poking holes in them from the back with string lights to look like tiny, sparkling windows.

Follow a black and silver theme here, making sure your guests feel like VIPs to a very important party. Get into the theme with street vendors selling candied nuts or hot dogs. This theme has, quite literally, endless opportunities. In a city that never sleeps, your prom theme can go in any direction.

If you’re looking to get a little more specific, make your dance floor central park, complete with a green theme and faux trees. Or, narrow your theme down even further to a “New York City New Year’s Eve” and provide confetti and a countdown. The world of New York is your oyster.

Plus, think of the absolutely fabulous gowns that would fit into this theme. This theme is truly hard to pass up.

Feel free to live out your cottage core fantasies at this prom theme. A fairy garden for high schoolers, this theme is sure to impress. Aim for an elegant cabin vibe, with wood accents, twinkle lights, and touches of moss.

If you want to go all out, bring in a gazebo to set back from the action, where people can go to take a break from the dancing or even sneak in a midnight kiss—hello, A Cinderella Story and our Hilary Duff dreams!

You can craft your centerpieces with faux flowers and sticks collected from outside for a cost and environmentally friendly decor idea.

Sure, these are supposed to be unique, but we had to include this iconic theme, and offer a modern take on this incredible classic.

Adding a mask to an outfit is yet another way to make it your own, and there are so many amazing and creative ways to make a homemade mask that matches your own.

Think dark and luxe for this prom theme, with black, red, and gold as your focus colors. Draped gold fabric and chandeliers will also help set the tone. Try using store-bought masks as wall decor and centerpieces for this unforgettable theme.

This might sound familiar to you, and it should, as this is a theme borrowed directly from the wizarding world of Harry Potter. However, feel free to make this theme as magical as you want. Use Harry-Potter-Inspired invites and wand decoration or tend toward a more ambiguous winter theme. Whatever you choose, you can’t go wrong.

The holidays are such a dreamy time, so why not spend your prom night in a winter wonderland? Think fluffy fake snow lining the entrance, white tulle wound around winkle lights, sparkly snowflakes everywhere, and even a starry night sky to mimic the one from the Great Hall at Hogwarts.

If you want to go all out, bring in some ice sculptures and fake Christmas trees complete with white snow. Think of the fairytale gowns and incredible pictures you’ll walk away with!

This theme is a whimsical take on your favorite childhood board game. Everything can be candy-themed, can you think of anything sweeter than that? Have tons of candy to hand out and sprinkle on the tables.

The goal here is color, and candy land gives you the perfect opportunity to create the rainbow prom of your dreams. Create life-sized painted lollipops and gumdrops to pose with as a photo wall, and use fluff and tulle to create cloud-like lighting that makes your guests feel like they’re in another, sweeter, world.

Decorate the ceiling with colorful streamers and bright lights. You can even have the actual board game on some tables for those who prefer sitting to dancing. Bonus, any color dress goes with this theme, so your outfit options are endless!

Who hasn’t wanted to feel like a Greek goddess? This prom theme will keep it classy while allowing for a glittering golden night. Just think of the pictures from this night, full clad with green vines, gold leaves, and drapey white fabric.

Use fabric and vines to decorate and frame the walls of your prom venue. Hint: gold spray paint is your new best friend. White tulle and candle-lit tables will also help cultivate the feeling that you’re in an ancient city.

The best part of this theme? The fashion. Try adding a gold arm band to your prom look or sporting gladiator-style high heels, you’ll feel transported back in time. This theme is the perfect historic take on a basic glitz and glam prom theme.

The beauty of this theme is that it can be taken in so many different directions. You can create the illusion of the northern lights (aurora borealis if you’re a science fair champ) by draping strips of green, blue, and purple fabric from the ceiling. Intersperse these with string lights and you’ve created your very own northern lights on the ceiling of your gym.

This theme can be such a beautiful backdrop for a sparkling night. You can even combine it with a starry night theme, and decorate the space with stars, moons, and other celestial objects.

And here’s a hack for you: the color of any light source can be changed in seconds with transparent plastic of your desired color. Just find some purple, blue, and green and cover the lights you already have to create that northern glow.

There are so many tips and tricks out there for how to do prom right. But how do you really make the night special?

We think the key is being prepared and being present. Make sure you’re not left stranded on the dance floor with no hair tie and a broken zipper. And maybe consider leaving your phone at home, or at the table while you dance, to get some quality time with your best friends.

Try bringing a digital or Polaroid camera to the dance; you might just get some of the best one-of-a-kind photos of the night and be able to put your phone down for a bit.

We also think planning is key. The last thing you want on your big day is tons of stress and no time. See the next section on tips and hacks to keep your stress levels low and your prom-pouch stocked.

Planning for prom is key. Whether you have a three-month plan complete with a limo and makeup artist or are just going to go to your favorite sustainable online boutique to find a dress, Whether you have a generous budget complete with a limo and makeup artist or are trying to spend as little as possible by shopping sustainable online boutique, some planning always goes a long way.

What we recommend across the board is to limit surprises on the day of. Our biggest tip we can recommend is to order your dress as early as possible. Remember a corsage or bouquet if that’s something you’ll need, and practice your hair and makeup if you’d like some extra security on how it will turn out on the day of.

Whether you’re getting nails and a spray tan or just swiping on some mascara and lipgloss, make sure all of the details are ironed out about a week before.

Also, make sure to get a good night's sleep and drink tons of water so you wake up feeling rested and glowing.

It could be a clutch, tote bag, or lunch box, for all we care, but make sure you’re rolling into the dance prepared for anything prom might throw at you.

What we recommend: a few key goodies that will save you and your friends from some emergency code-reds. First, lip gloss or chapstick are always key. Try a lip tint that doubles as a blush for bonus use.

Throw some gum or mints in your bag and bid bad breath adieu. Give them company with safety pins; you’ll never know when you’ll need them!

Bobby pins and hair ties are also essential. Try spraying your bobby pins with hairspray for extra strong hold. Also, a mini perfume or deodorant can keep you feeling fresh all night long. Try free perfume samples from your local beauty store for a great, compact option.

Prom may not be the best night of your life, but it should be a great night full of memories you can look back on fondly. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to have the perfect makeup and perfect date, just try and focus on being yourself and dancing the night away with some of your besties. You’ve got this!