If you’re a super fan of Disney-Pixar Cars (or happen to be fond of a little one who is), we’ve got tons of fun Cars party ideas to share with you today… including easy menu & drink ideas inspired by the characters themselves! My personal favorites being Luigi’s Pizza Tires and Fillmore’s Organic Fruit Cups. ;)

We dreamed this Cars theme up in collaboration with the new Disney • Pixar Cars Party line from Hallmark. They make everything from Lightning McQueen plates & cups to Cars inspired party games, activities, favor packs & more… not to mention the cutest little Tow Mater Snack Caddy you ever did see.

So… we took some of these Dream Party products and incorporated them into the full-fledged Cars theme you see here! Some items were used just as they come, and some products were re-invented for use in a totally new & unexpected way. We can never resist the DIY over here, ya know! ;) So if you’re on the hunt for party inspiration, scroll on down and buckle up for the ride – because party images and details are coming up at LIGHTNING speed!

PARTY HIGHLIGHTS to look out for:

• “Tires” and “roads” created from black shelf liner material + yellow duct tape
• “Pit Crew Toolbox” eating utensil holder for plates, napkins, and embellished forks
• “Re-fuel” Drink Station featuring drink dispensers fitted with colorful funnels
• “Race Car” kids chair backs crafted from colored duct tape and paper LightYear wheels
• Tons of FREE CARS PRINTABLES from HWTM… party signs, “Radiator Springs” water labels, & more!

Grab all the Free Race Car Birthday Printables by HWTM right here! And find the matching custom items here!

The Theme & Inspiration

I have to admit I didn’t have a super clear-cut plan on this theme at first. Sometimes that happens – where you can kind of see in your head what you want a party to look like, but the exact details feel out of focus. So to get things more in focus, I wandered… straight down every single aisle in the automotive and tool sections at Walmart! I looked for anything in those sections that could possibly work as a party decoration AND was also inexpensive. I then proceeded to get way too excited over things like bright red/blue funnels, an $8 toolbox, and $2 car reflector packs. But the icing on the cake? A pack of 4 wheel covers for $19.99 that just seemed destined to become a cars themed food table backdrop. Ka-Chow! ;)

Also picked up some good stuff elsewhere in the store, including .92 pizza pans to work as “tire” serving trays, wrenches for the “pit crew”, and disposable cake pans with red lids that reminded me of giant reflectors.

Once I got all of this home and paired it with the Cars Dream Party supplies and a couple other key embellishments like colored duct tape and rolls of black shelf liner, things finally started to come together. Read on for the details…

“PIT CREW” Inspired Food Station

• Backdrop created from a blue sheet, wheel covers, Dream Party garlands (from the Dream Party ceiling decor kit) & hanging wrenches embellished with duct tape
• A Cars “PIT CREW” sign (actually the top part of the Dream Party Doorway Curtain) was glued to silver dowels. The dowels were inserted into silver boxes embellished with duct tape and filled with red glittered funnels and popcorn.
• Tire-inspired serving trays made from hat boxes covered in rubbery black shelf liner material + cheap silver pizza trays. A funnel was also used on the tiered server for added height.
• The “holder” for the plates, napkins, and forks was actually a Toolbox embellished with duct tape & a free printable sign

The Menu

The food & dessert items will be covered more extensively in another post, but here’s the quick list for now: Mater’s Taters, Luigi’s Pizza Tires, Guido’s Pizza Rolls, Fillmore’s Organic Fruit Cups, Sarge’s Sandwiches, and Doc’s Engine Dipsticks

Kid’s Table

• Table runner crafted from black shelf liner material + yellow duct tape
• Lightning McQueen inspired centerpiece featuring an ombre glittered “95”, paper lightning silhouettes, patterned paper and a mini Lightning McQueen himself!
• Dream Party “95” cups + free printable Lightning themed party flags
• Kids chairs embellished with duct tape “racing stripes” + paper wheels to create the illusion of race cars on the back! The seats were also covered with black shelf liner reminiscent of tire tread

Drink Station

• “Fillmore’s Organic Racing Fuel” (apple juice) + “Fast as Lightning Fruit Punch”
• Drink dispensers embellished with duct tape and custom labels, then fitted with plastic funnels to create a fun “pouring” experience for the kids!
• Kid sized water bottles with free printable “Radiator Springs” bottle labels
• “Re-fuel” free printable drink sign + Cars themed cups
• Drink Station Backdrop & extra character embellishments are from the Disney Dream Party line

Dessert Station (HUTCH)

• A DIY “Traffic Light” was created for the middle of the hutch. We used foam core covered with black shelf liner and glittered paper circles for the lights, plus the liner of a gift wrap roll spray painted silver for the traffic light “pole”
• Cozy Cone Cakes (recipe coming soon), Sheriff’s Stoplight Brownies, &  Piston Cup Popcorn embellished with Printable Party Circles
• The serving trays are $1 photo boxes from Michaels embellished with colored duct tape & lined with patterned paper

Favors Station

• Black shelf liner table cover + Cars themed “Grand Prix” flag, banner, & hubcap backdrop
• “Piston Cup Prizes” free printable favor sign in a blue glittered frame with lightning bolt silhouette & a duct tape riser
• Plastic M&M cups embellished with party circles on the lids

Temporary Tattoo Activity

• “Ramone’s House of Body Art” free printable sign + white frame decorated with yellow duct tape
• Cars themed temporary tattoos… easy-peasy!