40 palettes

Party Color Palettes

One party palette at a time: the paper, the lettering and three bright colors, with hex codes.

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Balloon trio: red and sky blueWhite card, navy lettering, red first balloon, yellow second balloon, sky blue third balloon.#FDFDFB · #132453 · #E9202E · #FCD92C · #6FC7F6

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All 40 palettes

Balloons 10

Balloon ceiling: violet and aqua Pale lilac invitation, purple lettering, violet ceiling balloons, aqua ribbon tails, coral floor balloons.
Balloon garland: coral and aqua Pale pink invitation, plum lettering, coral large balloons, aqua small balloons, lime tiny balloons.
Balloon poodle: hot pink and lime Cream invitation, purple lettering, hot pink balloon poodle, lime balloon sword, orange balloon flower.
Balloon trio: red and sky blue White card, navy lettering, red first balloon, yellow second balloon, sky blue third balloon.
Chair-back balloons: pink and violet Mint place card, navy lettering, pink first balloon, violet second balloon, yellow third balloon.
Doorway bunch: turquoise and coral White poster, black lettering, turquoise top balloons, coral middle balloons, violet low balloons.
Long balloons: lime and orange White banner, magenta lettering, lime twisted hat, sky blue twisted sword, orange twisted crown.
Mailbox balloons: green and hot pink Kraft sign, navy lettering, green tall balloon, hot pink round balloon, yellow long balloon.
Number balloon: orange and turquoise Pale blue banner, navy lettering, orange number balloon, hot pink round balloon, turquoise star balloon.
Water balloons: blue and orange Pale yellow card, cobalt lettering, blue full balloons, green knotted balloons, orange bucket balloons.

Show all 40 palettes (30 more)

Confetti 10

Confetti toss: gold and magenta Pale yellow banner, purple lettering, gold foil flakes, magenta paper flakes, turquoise paper curls.
Envelope shake: silver and lime Pale blue envelope, cobalt lettering, silver foil circles, lime paper circles, hot pink paper hearts.
Foil stars: silver and coral White banner, purple lettering, silver foil stars, coral paper stars, sky blue dots.
Glitter trail: silver and lilac White invitation, magenta lettering, silver glitter, lilac sequins, orange paper stars.
Hole-punch dots: silver and yellow White card, charcoal lettering, silver foil dots, yellow punched dots, blue punched stars.
Paper dots: gold and hot pink White card, navy lettering, gold foil dots, hot pink large dots, turquoise small dots.
Party popper: gold and red Cream invitation, black lettering, gold popper cone, red streamers, blue paper shreds.
Streamer tangle: gold and green Cream poster, navy lettering, gold foil streamer, green crepe streamer, pink curled ribbon.
Table scatter: gold and violet Pale pink place card, plum lettering, gold foil flecks, violet paper squares, aqua paper rings.
Tissue circles: gold and lime White gift tag, teal lettering, gold foil circles, coral large circles, lime small circles.

Cake 10

Birthday sponge: pink and red Pale pink card, brown lettering, butter yellow sponge, pink piped swirls, red cherry.
Cake pops: lavender and peach Pale pink gift tag, purple lettering, lavender first pop, peach second pop, turquoise third pop.
Candle row: sky blue and orange Cream card, navy lettering, sky blue striped candles, pink frosting, orange flames.
Cupcake tower: pink and caramel Mint invitation, brown lettering, pink frosting, butter yellow paper cases, caramel sponge.
Ice cream cake: aqua and peach Pale yellow card, teal lettering, aqua mint layer, peach fruit layer, brown chocolate crumb.
Jelly and ice cream: pink and red Pale lilac invitation, navy lettering, pink strawberry scoop, butter yellow vanilla scoop, red jelly.
Layer slice: lilac and magenta Cream invitation, plum lettering, lilac berry frosting, butter yellow sponge layers, magenta jam line.
Piped roses: pink and green Mint card, plum lettering, pink roses, peach rosebuds, green piped leaves.
Sheet cake: aqua and lilac Pale blue banner, navy lettering, aqua piped border, lilac sugar flowers, gold candle holders.
Sprinkle donut: pink and violet Pale blue banner, cobalt lettering, pink glaze, butter yellow dough ring, violet sprinkles.

Lights 10

Candles in the dark: orange on midnight blue Midnight blue card, butter yellow lettering, orange flames, pink tall candles, sky blue short candles.
Garden bulbs: yellow on charcoal Charcoal invitation, white lettering, yellow near bulbs, lime lit leaves, coral far bulbs.
Garden tent: peach on plum Plum card, cream lettering, peach tent wall, gold lantern, lavender bunting.
Glow bangles: lime on plum Plum invitation, white lettering, lime first bangle, aqua second bangle, hot pink third bangle.
Jar of fairy lights: gold on dark teal Dark teal gift tag, cream lettering, butter yellow tiny bulbs, gold wire glow, aqua glass shine.
Light-up dance mat: hot pink on black Black poster, white lettering, hot pink first square, lime second square, sky blue third square.
Marquee letters: gold on black Black poster, white lettering, gold bulb rims, red letter faces, yellow bulbs.
Paper lantern row: orange on midnight blue Midnight blue card, cream lettering, orange first lantern, hot pink second lantern, yellow third lantern.
Rink beams: hot pink on midnight blue Midnight blue banner, white lettering, hot pink first beam, turquoise second beam, lilac third beam.
String lights: butter yellow on navy Navy invitation, white lettering, butter yellow warm bulbs, coral rosy bulbs, aqua cool bulbs.

How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-14: palettes of five colors for a party invitation, card, banner or poster, in four kinds (balloons, confetti, cake, lights). Every palette, name, color word, hex code and part is our own choice; nothing is sampled from a photograph or a product, no brand, shop, character or show is named, and the page states no outside fact. How a strip is ordered: the paper first, the lettering second, then three party colors, each named for its part of one small scene; the name gives two of the three, and in the Lights group one light and the dark paper. Our own tests, not a standard: the lettering contrasts with its paper by 4.5 to 1 or more, and by 7 to 1 or more in the Lights group (WCAG contrast ratio, the formula at https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html; the figures are used as our own thresholds). Balloons: a light paper and three strong balloon colors (an HSL saturation of 60 percent or more at a lightness from 40 to 81), each pair 40 degrees or more apart in hue. Confetti: a white or pale paper (a lightness of 86 or more), gold or silver, and two strong colors 60 degrees or more apart in hue. Cake: the paper is a pale frosting tint (a lightness of 84 or more at a saturation of 30 or more), followed after the lettering by two pastels (a lightness of 70 or more) and one deeper color. Lights: a dark paper (a lightness of 25 or less) and three lights, each at 3 to 1 or more on it. Color names are plain English words with no paint maker, pencil brand or color-matching system, and one word is one code everywhere on this list. Checked on 2026-10-14: every code is #RRGGBB, each color word fits the hue and lightness of its code, no palette, name or line repeats, no two palettes share four codes, no two colors of a palette are closer than 8 in CIE Lab, and no palette is on another palette list of this site or of its sister sites. The hex codes are for a screen; with paint, pencils or markers, take the nearest color. Licence: own work

How it works

A party color palette here is five colors for an invitation, a card or a banner: the paper first, the lettering second, then three party colors from balloons, confetti, cake or lights.

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Paper, lettering, then three party colors

The first color is the paper and the second is the lettering, which contrasts with it by 4.5 to 1 or more so the words can be read. In Balloon trio the card is white, the lettering navy #132453, and the balloons red #E9202E, yellow #FCD92C and sky blue #6FC7F6.

Balloons, confetti, cake or lights

Balloons are three strong colors far apart on the color wheel. Confetti adds gold #F0BA19 or silver to two brights. Cake starts with a pale frosting tint and holds two pastels and one deeper color. Lights start with a dark paper, such as navy or plum, with pale lettering.

Questions and answers

What are good party color schemes?

A light paper, dark lettering and three brights far apart, such as red, yellow and sky blue, or hot pink, lime and orange. For an evening party, start from a dark paper: orange, hot pink and yellow on midnight blue #101137.

What are party color schemes for adults?

For a grown-up look, start from a dark paper or add a metallic. Marquee letters is gold #F0BA19, red and yellow on a black poster with white lettering; Foil stars is a Confetti strip with silver.

What colors go with gold for a party?

On the Confetti strips gold sits with hot pink and turquoise, red and blue, coral and lime, green and pink, violet and aqua, or magenta and turquoise, on white, cream, pale pink or pale yellow paper.

How do I use a party palette on an invitation?

In a drawing or design app, set the first color as the background and the second for the words, then use the other three for balloons, confetti or a border. With paper and markers, take the nearest colors.