12 Awesome Western Theme Party Ideas (2024)

On the lookout for Western theme party ideas? Then giddy-up, you’ve come to the right place! Ahead, we at Peerspace share some unique party ideas that will give your get-together the Western panache it needs. As the largest online marketplace for hourly venue rentals, we also know how crucial the setting is to a theme party, so we’ll share some of our favorite party rental spaces that match your theme as well.

Saddle up and get ready to party! Ready the cows, put the beans on the fire, and prepare yourself for hours of endless fun. We’ve got 12 awesome western theme party ideas to make your party a cowboy’s heaven!

1. Dress up for ol’ timey photos

What’s a Western party without some good ol’ photos to memorialize it with?! Have your guests wear their best Western get-ups, find some fun Western props (like toy guns and empty whiskey bottles), and prep a fun Western scene as the backdrop! We also love the idea of a wanted poster cut-out or a backdrop with swinging saloon doors.

Consider hiring a professional photographer or even buying a few Polaroid cameras so your guests can head out after the party with a fun and unique party favor! When you book a photoshoot location through Peerspace for your gathering, you can find an on-theme venue that already has everything you need for the perfect Wild West photo op.

Check out our 11 creative cowgirl photoshoot ideas for more inspiration!

2. Rent a ranch on Peerspace to bring the West to you

Looking for the perfect space to host all your western theme party ideas and activities? Then find a western-style ranch or cabin for your event on Peerspace! You can book anything from an adorable cabin on acres of land to an entire old-timey western town. Look for amenities like swinging saloon doors, large wooden dance floors, jukeboxes, vintage western decor, cowboy tubs, and more!

So how do you nab your own Western-style ranch? All you have to do is go to Peerspace, type in the town you are looking to rent a space in, the type of event you’re planning, and if you want, a few western-themed keywords. You’ll find tons of fun options near you!

3. Enjoy western grub and challenge guests to eating contests!

Good parties always come with good grub! Make sure your party is stocked full of cowboy favorites, like baked beans, biscuits, an assortment of jerky, and coffee. For the more adventurous party-goers — why not include a pie or corn on the cob eating contest as one of your western theme party ideas? And while a cowboy would probably be busy chewin’ tobacco for dessert, you could keep it a bit healthier and modern with a sunflower seed spitting contest!

4. Sip on whiskey and moonshine during a tasting

The term “moonshine” comes from the fact that this unaged corn whiskey used to be made by the light of the moon. Learn more about moonshine and whiskey with a tasting event during your party! While whiskey tastings are available in the U.S., moonshine is only legal in parts of the south, including South Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama.

If you’re looking for a unique spot to host your tasting that still keeps you on-theme, then check out this beautiful rustic log cabin in Sevierville, TN. It’s the perfect setting for a Western party, and since it’s in Tennessee, why not host a Tennessee whiskey tasting? The fact that it’s on private property and within walking of an *abandoned moonshine cabin* is just further proof of its awesomeness!

5. Jam out to western music

Break out the harmonica, sit around the campfire, and indulge in a favorite western past-time — playing and listening to cowboy ballads! If you have some musically inclined friends, then this may be their time to shine at the party, or you can invite a band to come to play! Make sure you also ask them to play the classics. Our favorites include the classic “Streets of Laredo” and “Old Chisholm Trail.”

6. Try your hand at horseshoes, pardner

This town ain’t big enough for the two of us! While it may not be the best idea to settle an argument through a good, old-fashioned gunfight at your party, this doesn’t mean we don’t have some other fun western theme party ideas to settle scores! Challenge your foe to a game of horseshoes, the first to 21 points is crowned the winner … And the sheriff!

7. Enjoy the sunset on horseback

Add some adventure (or maybe even a little romance?) to your party with a sunset horseback ride! This is a fun way to wind down from an evening in true western style. And if you are looking for something a bit more comfortable than an evening in the saddle, then maybe a carriage ride instead?!

Discover our 12 bucolic farm photoshoot ideas to enhance your day on horseback!

8. Make your party truly unique with cow pie bingo

If you’re looking for hilarious and unique western theme party ideas, oh boy — do we have the game for you! It’s time for cow pie bingo! This game consists of making friends with a cattle rancher, swindling them into letting you borrow a cow, and then … let the games begin!

Rope off an area and draw a grid of 64 boxes, each labeled with a number. Then, have everyone at the party takes bets on which number the cow will “drop a cow pie” on first. Let the cow loose in your bingo area and see who wins the bet!

9. Show off your skills on a mechanical bull

Ready for the ride of your life? In professional bull riding, bull riders try to stay atop a bull for eight seconds, one hand holding on and one high up in the air! Try your hand at this sport by renting a mechanical bull for your party to see if you and your friends can stay on for the full eight seconds.

10. Recreate the Oregon Trail

Not everyone can survive a western themed party! Combine your western theme party ideas into an Oregon Trail adventure. The Oregon Trail was an old computer game classic that would be perfect to theme your party around.

Lose at horseshoes? Well, that translates to losing a gunfight! Fell off the mechanical bull? When you fell, you got bitten by a rattlesnake! Left the party early? Then it looks like you succumbed to dysentery! See how many other fun ideas you can come up with to recreate the Oregon Trail game during your western themed party! Don’t forget to also have a fun prize for the winner of the game at the end of the party!

Make your Oregon Trail games more realistic by booking this Topanga Valley gypsy wagon outdoor set. It is set on tons of land and is sure to transport you to the Old West of your imagination in no time.

11. Have a country western dance-off!

Book a spacious and on-theme Peerspace dance studio and challenge your guests to bust out their best country-western dance steps! Not sure what dances to try? While these dances live on in the South, they’re not typically what you encounter at most dance classes or night clubs, so it’s understandable you may not be well-versed in them … yet!

Check out this Wikipedia page to discover all about the polka, western prominades, and more. Send your guests the information in advance or help them learn the steps on site. Either way, it should be an interesting touch on an already spectacular themed party night!

12. Have fun with Wild West tropes in an authentic setting

If you’re looking for Western theme party ideas that celebrate the lawlessness of the Wild West, then hang your hat and stay a while, slick. While we associate men of the Wild West as gunslingers and cowboys, we often forget about the role women played in those days. Women were just as radical as the men, carving out an existence for themselves as prostitutes, brothel owners, and gunslingers.

So why not celebrate these radical ladies and host your own Radical Women of the Wild West party and pretend to be a brothel madam or a sharpshooter like Annie Oakley? The possibilities are endless. But as to the setting, we must recommend this historic Italianate mansion in the Wild West in Trinidad, CO. It’s picture-perfect, and the hosts are open to parties, so talk to them about your theme and see what they suggest!

Peerspace makes western theme party ideas possible

We hope these western theme party ideas have dazzled the eye, pardner! Now all you have to do is book a unique Peerspace western venue, wrangle up your guests, and get to partying.

It’s easy to locate and book the perfect space on Peerspace, and your venue’s dedicated local host is always at hand to secure any extras you may need. Now, saddle up and ride off into the sunset!

Find unique party venues on Peerspace