There’s something incredibly classy and timeless about a ballerina-themed birthday party for a girl! From an early age, many girls naturally develop an interest and enthusiasm for ballet as they watch performances, begin dance lessons, and even take the stage themselves. Our family loves attending holiday performances of The Nutcracker and A Midsummer Night’s Dream Ballet. The principal dancers showcase years of dedication to mastering ballet, pointe, and achieving excellence in their craft. Yet, our favorite moments come from watching the youngest ballerinas—those who have just completed their first year of lessons. Their sheer excitement for ballet and the joy of performing on stage is simply contagious, and they look absolutely adorable in their costumes! Young girls admire these talented dancers and the skill they’ve cultivated to perform with such grace. Many start taking dance lessons early, developing coordination and committing themselves to learn all the positions. A ballerina birthday party is the opportunity to set the stage with loads of pink, tulle, floral, and beautiful ballerinas taking center stage with your daughter getting to take center stage! Here is our step-by-step guide to help you set up your ballerina party tablescape, dessert buffet, party decor, party gifts, party dress, and party favors. This ballerina party is inspired by beautiful ballerina costumes, fabrics, and French fashion. This article is all about a Ballerina Birthday Party!
French Inspired Inspiration for your Ballerina Party Decor
The look of our ballerina party was inspired by travel – a Spring trip to Paris! When you think about The Palace of Versailles and Marie Antoinette’s beautiful bedroom and the elaborate robe à la française dresses of that time period, the mix of pinks and florals is so beautiful and timeless. This is the inspiration for our french inspired Ballerina Birthday party decor. In addition to the beautiful florals and fabrics, macarons are quintessentially French. Everyone loves these soft patisserie with the perfect crunchy texture and delicious ganache filled cookies! So we wanted to include macarons in the decor and feature them on the dessert buffet. Here is the postcard from Paris that highlights this look for a French inspired ballerina birthday party.
Meri Meri Laduree Floral Paper Garland
These beautiful and delicate paper flower garlands are perfect for adding a french touch! These garlands were a bit of a splurge and will be reused for future parties. These garlands are made of delicate paper mache and pink ribbons. You will want to assemble these a day or two before your party so you’re not rushed for time. We found that laying them out face down on a table was the easiest way to construct these garlands. And we used a quarter inch gold ribbon we had purchased instead of the gold thread that comes with these kits which was not easy to use and the slightly thicker ribbons makes it easier for each of the floral segments to have something to catch onto and stay in place without taping the backside of these delicate paper garlands.
Stocking hangers
You might be surprised to find these in a Ballerina Party guide, but these stocking hangers are perfect for use year round to hang garlands on your mantel without having to add nails which look terrible and can damage your fireplace millwork and mantel. These very subtle hangers can hold weight garlands without falling off and are hardly noticeable.
Macaron Display Stand
We have used and enjoyed this clear plastic macaron stand for several occasions. This macaron stand is a beautiful and inexpensive addition to your french inspired Ballerina Birthday Party dessert bar. You can’t underestimate how much time party planning and decorating takes and you will want to purchase these macarons. Even if you love to bake – French patisserie and macarons can be time-consuming and finicky.
OOH LA LA Garland
The OOH LA LA garland is a playful and flirtatious French expression used to convey surprise, admiration, or excitement. This garland comes in gold and silver and can be strung up. For our ballerina party we displayed the Ooh la la garland on the mantel. In retrospect I think it would have looked even better strung up to hang at the top ⅓ of the mirror.
Ballerina Party Decor: Fabric Inspiration
As part of dance and ballet is the movement captured both by the dancer and the fabrics in motion. We wanted to incorporate the look of a ballerina’s tulle tutu in our party decor. The fabric effect is carried through the party decor in the cascading light blue backdrop, tulle pom pom chair backs, tulle pom poms added to the ballerina garlands, and an adorable party dress for the birthday girl!
Light Blue Table Linens
The cotton candy effect of light blue and pinks together is a beautiful color combination. The light blue offers a striking contrast that allows the pink and florals to shine. This light blue table cloth is very economical and has a great weight that can be reused for other occasions and parties in the future.
Blue Iridescent Fabric Inspired Backdrop
You’ll love how easy this is to use as a backdrop and the price. This is an iridescent tablecloth from Walmart for under $3 each when I purchased them and includes two pieces: the color paper and iridescent sheet. We used two of these tablecloths, repurposed from previous parties, as the backdrop for our dessert buffet. The tablecloth itself will come with many wrinkles from folding creases in the packaging which is not a problem since you will use the iridescent sheet to drape over the colored sheet. This tablecloth comes in two options: blue or pink. Whichever option you choose would look great for the background. The iridescent layer helps to create folds and movement like the fabrics of the beautiful ballerina costumes. For this look we used two sets of tablecloth and for the backdrop.
Portable T Backdrop Stand
This is a great option for your backdrop and can be reused for all your kids’ parties if you don’t have a way to attach your background above the dessert or serving bar. From a photographer’s perspective a T backdrop stand is easy to assemble and can offer lots of versatility to setting up your party decor which can even be used outdoors. And the T backdrop stand is easy to store breaking down to less than one yard long and has its own storage bag for easy storage.
Tulle Fabric on a 6 Inch Roll
We used three of these to create the tulle pom poms used in the ballerina garlands, to make the bespoke tulle pom pom chairbacks, and add tulle to the Mercari floral garlands behind the bows.
Ballerina Garland
These beautiful ballerinas which come with tulle skirts coupled with the tulle pom poms are the perfect party decor for a Ballerina Birthday fete! This one package of ballerinas with the added pom poms is enough to have three garlands hanging over the doorways in our dining room. These gorgeous paper ballerinas have a classic paper doll appeal to them and would be great as a Christmas Tree ornament for a little girl’s room. We look for ways during the holidays to incorporate things that were important to our kids throughout the year and bringing in these ballerinas would be the perfect reminder of a special ballerina birthday party. As Christmas ornaments these would be really special paired with pink velvet ribbon, pink and silver baubles, and ballerina slipper ornaments.
Pink Striped Napkins
The pink and white stripes add lots of pattern to your party tablescape and dessert bar. We used the bar size pink and white stripe napkins on the dessert bar and layered with a dinner size pink napkin on each table setting just to add more variety and pops of pink.
Pink Plate Sets
As a family, we love using affordable paper plates and napkins for two main reasons: first, cleanup is a breeze, letting parents focus on their child and enjoy time with guests; and second, these paper party sets bring vibrant color to the decor. For our Ballerina Birthday Party these pink sets look fantastic against light blue table linens!
Ballerina Birthday Party - Party Food
Rose Delight Cake
We selected the Rose Delight cake because it perfectly matched our color scheme and aesthetic of adding florals for a Ballerina Birthday Party. This cake is very affordable and has loads of customization options. To place this custom order we went in person to the store to place the order and were able to set down with the catering coordinator to specify the codes for the colors of icing and the type of cake. You can customize the icing colors for this cake to any color scheme that would match your party decor. The Rose Delight Cake typically comes in vanilla, but you can also choose confetti cake or chocolate cake. We would recommend that you place your order for the day of your party as close as possible for your pick up option to your party time as this icing requires refrigeration. After the party, we asked our daughter what her favorite part of her Ballerina Birthday Party was and she said, “my cake!” For both the price and presentation this cake is a showstopper and looks stunning topped with a ballerina cake topper.
Macaron Display Stand
Who can resist a french macaron displayed beautifully on this charming macaron display? For your dessert bar, this stand looks equally good with stripes of color of macaron flavors on each level, alternating flavors on each level, or with fresh strawberries tucked between each macaron if you have a limited number of macarons to display. This macaron display is made of clear plastic and is easy to assemble, store away, and has six layers that you can customize to the number needed for your party.
Acrylic Lollipop Stand
This stand is a perfect addition to a party dessert bar. For our Ballerina themed birthday party our daughter chose pink and white swirl lollipops. The stand could also display whatever type of lollipop is your favorite: chocolate suckers from candy molds, homemade cake pops, or store bought suckers with flair!
Pink and White Swirl Lollipops
Our little ballerina requested lollipops for her Ballerina birthday party. Kids of all ages enjoy swirl lollipops because they were a fan favorite on the dessert bar! And I will say compared to other brands I was really impressed by the taste and how well these lollipops were packaged for shipping. This brand of swirl lollipops comes in a box with each sucker wrapped with bubble wrap to prevent suckers from breaking during shipping.
French Bonbons Barnier Fruit Lollipops
In keeping with the French Ballerina Birthday Party these bon bon lollipops are made in France. This assorted fruit pack comes in lime, orange, lemon, cherry, and strawberry flavors. If you don’t choose this for your dessert buffet, this variety pack could also be a great gift option.
Ballerina Cake Topper
We used this ballerina cake topper on the rose delight birthday cake for our Ballerina Birthday Party. This ballerina cake topper is beautiful with the sheer fabric skirt. We would recommend assembling this cake topper a day or two prior to your birthday party with hot glue. The assembly requires you to hot glue the leg and skirt into place.
Ballerina Cupcake Picks
We adore these ballerina cupcake toppers in pink and blue and because of our color scheme we used both colors alternating the ballerinas in a can-can display on the tired storage for our dessert bar. We used these Ballerina cupcakes toppers on confetti cake cupcakes topped with delicious buttercream icing.
French Strawberry Meringues
We bet you won’t be able to eat just one – these strawberry meringue cookies are delicious and have a beautiful pink color for your dessert buffet. These French meringue strawberry flavored cookies are low calorie, gluten free, kosher, and a perfect store bought option to round out your dessert bar.
White Tiered Stand
One way to make your dessert bar visually appealing is to add variation in the height of your desserts. The cake stand, this tiered stand, and pedestal container for the meringue cookies help to make the dessert bar for our Ballerina Birthday Party more interesting and appealing. This white tiered storage is easy to store and can be used for a savory or sweet sideboard.
Decorative Macaron Trees
We crafted our own macaron trees for our birthday party, but totally get it that not everyone has the time or inclination to make their own. These beautiful pedestal macaron trees can be reused for other festive occasions like a Paris themed party, Christmas Decor for a gingerbread theme, Valentines Day, or Easter parties.
Ballerina Birthday Party: DIY Crafts
Roll of Pink Tulle
We used three of these pink tulle rolls to create the pom poms for the ballerina garlands, add more texture to the floral garlands, and to create bespoke tulle pom pom chairbacks.
Pom Poms for Ballerina Garlands
For this DIY, we created these pom poms for the ballerina garland you will also need pipecleaners in the color of your choice, we used silver ones, fabric scissors, and a ruler. The garland pom poms were made by folding the tulle 7 times at 4.5 inches long and then using the ruler to cut the edges to exactly 2.25 inches on each side.
Chairback Pom Poms
The chairback pom poms were created in a similar manner as the pom poms for the ballerina garland by folding the tulle at 10.5 inches, 10 times, and then using a ruler to cut each side at exactly 5.25 inches. or you can cut directly though the side seams for zero waste.
Macaron Tree Decor
For this craft you will need four colors of paint, foam stand, plaster of paris, and silicone macaron molds. We suggest making all of the macaroons you will need – the smaller size 40 of macarons for the 13.5 inch tree and 60 of macarons for the larger, 15.7 inch tree. To assemble your macaron tree, paint each of the macarons and foam stand the base color of your choice. For this DIY select coordinating colors you desire for your tablescape and allow them to completely dry. Use a low temperature hot glue gun to assemble your macarons to your foam tree. You may have to cut the top portion of your foam tree so that the macaron tree ends with your last row of macarons evenly.
Ballerina Birthday Party - Gift Ideas
Here are 12 Ballerina inspired gift ideas that we have purchased and will be sure to delight your little ballerina!
Ballerina Party Dress
We purchased this beautiful ballerina dress for our daughter to wear for her birthday portraits this year and to wear to her Ballerina Birthday party. This beautiful ballerina dress looks great with white tights and ballet style white dress slippers. If your daughter has just finished a year of dance lessons or a recent recital, this could be the perfect excuse for a little girl to wear her favorite ballerina dance costume! This is the option we chose for our little ballerina to enjoy the party in style – dressed in pink!
Pink Swan Gift Wrap
This pink swan gift wrap is reminiscent of Swan Lake ballet. This beautiful pink gift wrap features beautiful crowned swans and is in keeping with the ballerina theme and will give your gifts a beautiful presentation.
Ella Bella Ballerina: Cinderella by James Mayhew
“Ella Bella Ballerina: Cinderella” is a charming and beautifully illustrated book that brings the classic fairy tale of Cinderella to life through ballet. This enchanting tale makes a perfect gift for any young ballerina celebrating a birthday. It not only inspires a love for dance but also encourages imagination and creativity. Young readers are introduced in this story to Ella Bella, a budding ballerina who dreams of dancing at the royal ball and the story unfolds as she is preparing for the big moment of attending the ball.
The book combines the beloved elements of the Cinderella story—such as the fairy godmother and the sparkling glass slipper—with themes of friendship and the joy of dance, making it a delightful addition to any child’s library.
Tallulah's Tutu By Marilyn Singer
“Tallulah’s Tutu” is a perfect story for young ballerinas. The story follows Tallulah, a little girl with big dreams of becoming a ballerina. For many girls following Tallulah as she prepares for her first dance class captures excitement and challenges of pursuing a passion for dance and ballet. The story is all about sticktoitiveness and perseverance, making it a wonderful gift for a young dancer celebrating a birthday. This book not only entertains but also encourages young girls to follow their dreams, making it a thoughtful addition to any ballerina’s collection!
Swan Lake by New York City Ballet and Valeria Docampo
You’ll love the story and stunning illustrations of “Swan Lake” by the New York City Ballet, which encourages a child’s imagination and deeper appreciation for the art of ballet. Follow along on the classic tale of Odette, a graceful princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer. The beautiful illustrations show the magical world of the ballet and the stunning beauty of the swan.
B Is for Ballet: A Dance Alphabet by the American Ballet Theatre
This book published by the American Ballet Theatre is a visual celebration of the world of ballet! The book is a delightful read for both children and adults. You will love the beautiful illustrations that showcase a concept of ballet through each letter of the alphabet. And if your daughter is taking ballet lessons this book will both entertain and reinforce concepts that your child is learning throughout their dance introduction to ballet. “B is for Ballet” is a perfect gift for aspiring dancers and anyone who loves the performing arts!
Ballerina Necklace
This ballerina necklace makes a thoughtful gift that will delight any little dancer! Your daughter will love this silver colored necklace and ballerina charm. This necklace is a sweet little reminder of a fun ballet birthday party theme and dance lessons.
Ballerina Gift Box
It’s no secret that little girls love jewelry and have a vast collection of necklaces, bracelets, and rings. And a ballerina music box is the perfect gift in keeping with the ballerina themed birthday party and is perfect for helping your daughter to organize and take care of their jewelry collection. This ballerina music box will be a gift your daughter will love for years to come with the little dancing ballerina is so charming, spinning to a classical instrumental.
Lenox Ballerina Gift Box
After much time searching for the perfect ballerina jewelry box this one is by far the best one on the market! And It’s no secret that little girls love jewelry and have a vast collection of necklaces, bracelets, and rings. And a ballerina music box is the perfect gift in keeping with the ballerina themed birthday party and is perfect for helping your daughter to organize and take care of their jewelry collection. This ballerina music box will be a gift your daughter will love for years to come with the little dancing ballerina is so charming, spinning to a classical instrumental.
Ballet House Slippers
These ballet house slippers will be a thoughtful and delightful gift, perfect for inspiring your little ballerina’s dreams! Ballet house slippers make a fantastic gift for a little girl’s ballerina-themed birthday party!
Ballerina Cloth Dolls
Cloth ballerina dolls make a delightful and whimsical birthday party gift for a little girl who loves ballet. These charming dolls are typically made from soft, high-quality fabric, making them safe and cuddly for young children. Each doll is beautifully designed, dressed in a colorful tutu, complete with delicate ballet shoes and little tiara.
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We would love to hear your comments! And what ideas you will incorporate for your own Ballerina Birthday Party!