The below is a reproduction of the 2017 Party Trends we predicted back in February last year. Have a read and let us know how accurate you think this is!

It’s a question foremost in the minds of event planners, parents and purveyors of party supplies – what will be the new hot trends in entertaining?

In the era where Instagram and Pinterest still prevail for inspiration, there’s no lag time between a trend hitting Europe or the US and reaching our shores Down Under.

This is both thrilling and challenging. On the one hand, it’s great to know that a trend can start as a tiny seed from just about anywhere – a tiny account with just a few hundred followers can publish an idea that could end up breaking the internet once it’s been picked up by a major influencer.

But the relentless influx of inspiration can sometimes be overwhelming. When you’re planning a special event, it’s easy to feel dragged in a bunch of different stylistic directions. Unicorns! Pom-poms! Hand-lettering! Floral crowns!

It’s all lots of fun to browse, but sometimes what’s required is a little editing. That’s where Confetti Fair comes in! We’ve scoured a host of our go-to sites (some major, many more obscure) and come up with our hit-list of top trends for 2017 and beyond.

GET IN MY BELLY

Whether you call them funfetti or unicorn food, sprinkles have exploded this year, hot off the heels of our Stateside friends first discovering the delights of fairy bread (an Australian institution since as early as the 1920s!). Sprinkles come in all sorts of shapes, flavours and colours, and they’ll continue to pop up in all kinds of food – even savoury!

When it comes to cakes, the rustic edges of the naked cake and contrived ooze of the drip cake are set to be replaced by a return to glamour and luxe. The mirror cake (a firm favourite of Moscow bakeries) and the lace cake will definitely be winners in grown-up girly gatherings. Traditional round cakes will start to give way to square shapes (which are easier to serve and actually yield more portions, yay!), along with layered, offset cakes.

In the wake of cupcakes and cakepops, macarons and doughnuts will continue to preside – but is there room for a newcomer? Our baking insiders suggest that the eclair maybe the next dessert du jour for Australian parties. Certainly, specialist patisseries such as La Maison de L’éclair, Ninou and Textbook in Sydney prove there’s a blossoming interest in the delights of all things choux.

DECORATE YOUR DO

Balloons, the perennial party staple, will always be around, even if they’re now rounder and clearer and fancier than ever before. But still to reach their peak are garlands and swags, especially adorning that other key décor trend: arches and canopies. Think garlands abundant with faux or fresh florals and foliage, paper honeycomb decor and ribbons. Speaking of honeycomb paper, we haven’t seen the last of this trend n party decorating yet – it’s even available uncut to create your own on-theme party shapes!

Colourwise, there are two clear trends taking shape. The first is dominated by earthy tones (with hints of mauve and indigo), natural textures (stones such as onyx are set to replace last year’s marble) and ethnic and tribal references. The second is colour pops, jewel tones, and bright, cutsey illustration. We are already seeing this in some beautifully illustrated invitations which are directing our attention away from last year’s focus on type and lettering. Expect to see eighties-inspired fonts and neon signage popping up at events.

The announcement of Greenery as Pantone’s colour of 2017 means that succulents, foliage and rustic wreaths will be hotter than ever. Tropical style will remain strong too, although with a slightly more luxe angle; think palm fronds and banana leaves mixed with gold and even black for grown-up glamour. Oversized paper flowers will also be huge this year (pun intended!) – they are photogenic too, making them great assets at photobooths and as backdrops.

DREAM A LITTLE THEME

Party themes are a little trickier to track than one-off trends, but there are a few places to look for clues on what’s likely to strike a broad chord.

Cinema is a big one – especially for kids. For example, The Little Mermaid is likely to be bigger than ever, especially with news there’s a new live-action movie in production. A new film adaptation of Beauty and the Beast set for release this year is also sure to inspire.

Retail is another big influencer – the gift and home trade fairs are great places to track party trends for the season ahead. Watercolour florals have been one of the prettier trends to develop, and they will continue to be popular, although interest is also growing in smaller, Liberty-style floral prints too.

The fascination for crystals and semi-precious stones will only get stronger this year, a natural extension of the geode and agate trend we’re currently seeing all over Instagram (those cakes!).

Location-wise, the trend we’re tracking with great interest is the tipi as full-scale party tent, instead of a regular marquee. Yep, just like the kids’ toy version, but on a super-sized scale!

Another hit prediction for party themes in 2017 is mini mania. We’ve already started to see a huge craze in all things mini occurring worldwide – whether it’s on-trend dollhouses, crafting workshops or tiny food parties. This is one theme everyone has the space for!

Of course, there’s always going to be that one, unpredictable trend that will sweep in and take us all by surprise. That’s the joy of a creative community driven by the fast-moving, highly democratic machine of social media.

We can’t wait to see what’s to come!

Written by Maria Kay for Confetti Fair.