How to Train your Dragon Party

Here’s a little inspiration for a dragon themed party.

Take inspiration from this massive dragon by Ai WeiWei. Click the picture to see our video and read more about this work of art!

Our dragon decoration for watching How To Train Your Dragon 2, from our friends at Dreamworks.

Whether you are planning to watch How To Train Your Dragon 2 and have a little watching party or you’re getting ready to celebrate Chinese New Year this is a great idea inspired by our trip to the Ai Wei Wei exhibit at Alcatraz Island. You could use construction paper and create a dragon using this idea or you could get those flat fans that they have at Asian markets, or use paper plates like we did here.

Dragons Defenders of Berk tattoos for design ideas.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy designing their own panels like Ai WeiWei did in the construction of the massive dragon currently on display in his four part exhibit. Once the panels are completed, string them together to assemble your own dragon. Hang from the ceiling as decoration for your movie night!. If you use fans you can even let everyone take theirs home after the movie as a party favor.

Here are a couple of tips to make sure your dragon looks fantastic: limit the colors available to your guests. We recommend 3 to 5 colors. That will help each panel relate to the others and keep your dragon looking pulled together. You might try black, white and red like these cool temporary tattoos from How To Train Your Dragon 2, or you could use all the colors for your guests, but insert a solid colored panel in red between each of your guest’s creations, so the piece hangs together.

Make the head first. Don’t be afraid to get creative and make plumes of fire and or smoke coming out of the mouth of the dragon. The head of the dragon will inspire your guests and help them get into the spirit of the whole project.

Don’t obsess over the hanging part (it will ruin your party and your own good mood). Hanging a dragon like the one in the Ai WeiWei exhibit is no small undertaking. It is carefully calibrated, balanced and meticulously hung. Don’t even try. You are in it for the fun and the whole thing is coming down before the night is over, so give yourself a break. It wasn’t easy to get our plates hanging in the same direction with extra effort for the camera.

Serve popcorn after the project is complete and play music while you work. We let people design whatever they wanted. We had tea for the adults (see my How To Train Your Dragon Mug? Thanks FHEI!) After the movie, we’re breaking out fortune cookies.

Gather supplies. Notice the limited palette.

Tissue paper, paper plates, crayons, glue, hole punch, feathers, pompoms and pipe cleaners.

This is your chance to be creative. Use buttons, ribbon, colored pencils or markers.

We built the head first.

When all the pieces were complete, we worked out their order on the floor, before stringing them together.

Hang at intervals of about 1 foot or less.

#HTTYD2 HDragonsInsiders

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How to Train Your Dragon 2

DreamWorks Dragons Flipeez Hat