A Starbucks-themed Birthday Party

A Starbucks-Themed Birthday Party: Teen-Friendly, Fun, and Full of Coffee Vibes

Our oldest, Elliott, just turned 13 this past month. And just like that, I became the mom of a teen! The past few years, we transformed our house into Hogwarts and celebrated with all the magic we could muster, but this year, he asked for something “fun, but also a little grown-up.” His request? A party inspired by his favorite place — Starbucks.

Our goal was simple: something fun, easy to host, and relatively budget-friendly. In this post, I’ll walk you through how we pulled it off — from decor and food to games, activities, and favors.

Invitation:

Since Elliott’s favorite Starbucks treats are breakfast items (and we weren’t eager to sugar-bomb kids with midday caffeine), we planned a morning party. I found a customizable Starbucks-themed invitation on Etsy and edited it using Corjl — a design editor I love because it lets you change both the text and design elements.

I copied the invitation design to create matching thank-you tags for the favor bags, which made for an easy way to keep the theme consistent across all the party elements.

Tip: If you’re using digital invitations for a specific theme, Corjl-based Etsy files are a great way to get that cohesive look.

Decorations:

Turns out, branded Starbucks party supplies are tough to find. So, I just went straight to the source! I visited our local Starbucks during a slower hour and explained our plan. The baristas were amazing and gifted us a few sleeves of cups (including adorable “pup cups”), napkins, cup sleeves, stickers, name tags, and shopping bags — all for free.

To supplement, I added a green and gold party pack, a gold fringe backdrop, and this balloon arch table kit. We used it as a backdrop for the food table and scattered cups and sleeves throughout the space for an authentic Starbucks vibe.

We set up:

• A food + drink station in the kitchen
• Games in the living room
• A craft and bingo area in the dining room

Each place setting included a custom cookie from The Sugary Cookie — too beautiful to hide in the favor bags! They made the perfect edible decor and were a hit with the guests..

Food & Drinks:

This was where we had to get a little creative to stay on budget. We splurged on letting each guest choose a drink (ready on arrival), and our espresso machine kept the adults happy. But for food, we made most of it ourselves:

• Copycat Starbucks Pumpkin Loaf by Big Bear’s Wife

• Homemade cake pops – made from leftover cake scraps and candy melts

• Mini yogurt parfaits in pup cups with granola and blueberries

• Mini bagels + cream cheese from the grocery store

• Starbucks egg bites from Costco (air fryer-friendly!)

• Bottled Starbucks Frappuccinos

The Cake:

I love that I get to make our kids’ cakes every year — it saves money and lets me really lean into the theme. Elliott asked for something inspired by his go-to order: a Strawberry Acai Refresher with Peach Juice and Lemonade.

So I made a strawberry cake with peach filling and vanilla buttercream, and styled it to look like a spilled Starbucks drink. I used one of the branded cups from the store, added freeze-dried strawberries down the side, and topped it with a clear cake topper from Hobby Lobby featuring a large Starbucks sticker.

Games & Activities:

With two hours to fill, we needed a few structured moments:

1. Ball-in-Cup Game (Run by Grandma!)
My mother-in-law dressed up as a barista and ran this simple but hilarious game. Six cups filled with coffee beans, ping pong balls, and a prize box — it was a hit. Even the tween crowd loved it!

2. DIY Tumblers
Each guest decorated a customizable travel tumbler using inspirational stickers, scrapbook paper, markers, and crayons. These doubled as party favors.

3. Coffee-Themed Bingo
We printed 20 cards from this Etsy coffee-themed bingo set. With prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place, it was one of the highlights of the party — they didn’t want to stop!

Favors:

Each guest went home with:

• A favor bag (one of the brown Starbucks shopping bags with a name + thank-you tag)

• Their decorated tumbler

• Starbucks hot chocolate packets (bought on sale at the grocery store)

• Stickers

• Cookies (if they weren’t already eaten!)

Final Thoughts & Budget Notes

This party wasn’t ultra-cheap — but compared to what it could have cost if we had bought everything branded, it was a smart, thoughtful, and joyful celebration. We saved a lot by baking most of the food, making the cake, and leaning on creative reuse and DIY touches.

Elliott had an absolute blast, and it was so sweet watching him share something he loves with his friends in a way that felt a little older, but still full of fun.

Party Supply List

• Starbucks-themed Invitation (customizable)
• Green & Gold Party Pack
• Gold Fringe Backdrop
• Balloon Arch Table Kit (balloons sold separately)
• Green & Gold Plates
• Customizable Tumblers
• Inspirational Sayings Stickers
• Starbucks Sous Vide Egg Bites
• Bottles of Frappuccinos
• Coffee Themed Bingo Set

Note: None of these links are currently affiliate-based — just sharing what we used and loved. I hope they’re helpful!