16 Ideas for Election Night Parties

Incoming election results lend themselves well to the use of projection mapping. In 2008, NBC superimposed an interactive map on the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center and projected the number of electoral college votes on one of the surrounding buildings.

Invitations on hats and buttons can double as accessories for guests to wear at the event. The washingtonpost.com and Slate used straw hats as save-the-dates for their bash in 2008.

Rather than supporting a particular candidate, viewing events can go nonpartisan with cups, plates, and napkins decorated with the emblems of both the Republicans and the Democrats.

Flags don't have to be red, white, and blue. At a Tommy Hilfiger event at the Metropolitan Opera House, designer Raúl Àvila created a 10- by 24-foot topiary in the shape of the stars and stripes.

A past President can serve as inspiration. An election party in 2008 hosted by the Washingtonpost.com and Slate featured a candy bar with Ronald Reagan's favorite snack—jelly beans. In another nod to the late president, the organizers placed a cardboard cutout of Reagan near the bar.

Nods to the election don't have to be obvious. At this year's Republican National Convention Governors Association party, each governor in attendance walked away with a bottle of Maker's Mark custom decorated with the image of an elephant.

Election night is exciting, but watching the numbers roll in can also be stressful, so stress-relievers designed to look like patriotic hats are a fun touch for viewing parties. Facebook thought so too, as these tiny, squeezable hats were given out at the social media site's workspace at the Tampa Convention Center during the Republican National Convention.

All politicians are familiar with political cartoons, and guests can also get in on the action by scoring a take-home caricature of themselves.

Food can be patriotic too, like the parfait with sorbets, strawberries, and an American flag that Ciao Bella created for the 2001 Citymeals-on-Wheels Power Lunch for Women.

At the R.N.C., Facebook set up a photo booth with American-flag inspired gear where attendees could take and upload photos directly to their Facebook timelines. Facebook-related or not, photo booths with red, white, and blue props make for a good election night addition.

Actors dressed as donkeys, elephants, or even Uncle Sam can provide tongue-in-cheek entertainment, as they did for the crowd gathered at Rockefeller Center when NBC hosted its "Election Plaza" in 2008.

Mini flags give guests at viewing parties something to wave as well as take home.

Over the summer, Tide created a park-sized American flag that contained personal anecdotes from consumers about what red, white and blue means to them. A smaller-scale idea for election night can include guests writing similar responses on hand-held American flags.

In 2003, Restaurant Associates created rather patriotic cocktails, with red cosmopolitans and blue martinis for an event hosted by the greater New York chapter of M.P.I.

Kid-friendly affairs can offer patriotic face painting, like Tide did earlier this year to drum up support for the U.S. Olympic team.

To kick off the one-year countdown to the 2012 election last year, Yahoo hosted a party that projected red and blue hues as well as stars onto the ceiling of a tent.