What do you wear to a masquerade party?

Formal or cocktail wear with a mask: gowns or cocktail dresses, suits or tuxedos, in black or jewel tones. Say on the invitation whether it's black tie and whether masks are provided.

What kind of mask should guests wear?

A half mask that covers the eyes and leaves the mouth free, so guests can eat, drink and talk. A mask on a stick suits glasses wearers and anyone who finds a strap uncomfortable.

When do guests take off their masks at a masquerade?

At an unmasking you plan: midnight, after dinner or before the last dance. Until then, masks stay on except to eat.

How do you plan a masquerade sweet 16?

Keep the ball look (candles, black and gold, a grand entrance) and add a mask-making table, a photo backdrop and a playlist the guests choose. Mocktails in stemmed glasses make it feel grown-up.

Is a masquerade party invitation free?

Yes. The 3 designs on this page and every intro and page effect are free on every event. A free event takes up to 20 RSVPs; a one-time upgrade per event raises the limit.

Can guests RSVP to a masquerade party invitation without an app?

Yes. Guests open your link on any phone or computer, watch the invitation play, and reply on the same page with no app or account. Every reply lands on your dashboard.

Party theme

Masquerade Party Ideas & Invitations

A masquerade party asks every guest to arrive in a mask, borrowing from the carnival balls of Venice: candlelight, rich colors, music and a little mystery about who's who. It suits Mardi Gras, New Year's Eve, sweet 16s, costume parties, Purim and fundraising galas. Below are masquerade invitations that lift a mask as guests open them, and ideas for the decorations, food, games and favors.

Jump to the ideas See the invitations

Open this design as a guest

Pick a design

Then a page effect

Mardi Gras

A gilt mask under a plume of feathers, with beads swagged across the top.

Use this design

Masquerade party at a glance

Best for: Mardi Gras, New Year's Eve, sweet 16s, fundraising galas, costume parties and Purim
Colors: Black and gold, purple, green and gold for Mardi Gras, or burgundy and silver
What makes it: A mask on every face, candlelight, feathers and velvet, a grand entrance and a planned unmasking

Masquerade party invitation templates

These 3 designs draw the theme and play it as guests open the link. Press a design to watch it live, or Use to open it in the editor with your own details.

Mardi Gras

Seasonal

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Poster, Mardi Gras

Print & editorial

Use templateUse

Ticket, Purim Costume Party

Ticket & travel

Use templateUse

Masquerade party animations

Intros play once as the page opens; effects keep moving behind it while guests read and reply. Put any of them on any design.

Masquerade mask
A feathered mask on a gilt stick tilts and lifts away, beads swing, confetti falls and the title is unmasked behind it.
Use this intro
Velvet rope
Brass posts and a heavy rope outside a door; the hook lifts, the rope swings aside and warm light falls on the title.
Use this intro
Glitter
Shimmering glitter raining down
Use this effect
Streamers
Festive ribbon streamers drifting down
Use this effect
Sparkle
Tiny twinkling stars that appear and fade
Use this effect

Masquerade party decoration ideas

A mask table at the door. Keep a basket of plain masks, feathers, sequins and glue dots for guests who arrive without one; a few spares save the first photos.
Candlelight and candelabras. Tall candelabras and clusters of candles set the ballroom mood. Use LED candles anywhere near feathers, fabric or a crowd in costume.
Velvet and drapes. Drape dark fabric over doorways and chair backs, and hang a curtain at the entrance so guests step through it into the party.
Masks as decor. Hang masks on ribbon at different heights over the tables, or pin them to a wall in a grid as the photo backdrop.
Mardi Gras colors. For Fat Tuesday, go purple, green and gold, with bead strands swagged along the mantel, the bar and the backs of chairs.

Masquerade party food ideas

Food you can eat in a mask. Bite-size, drip-free food: skewers, crostini, stuffed mushrooms and mini desserts. Soup and saucy wings are hard work behind a mask.
King cake for Mardi Gras. Whoever finds the small figurine hidden inside hosts next year. Tell guests it's there, and leave it out or set it on top when young children are eating.
Hamantaschen for Purim. Triangle cookies filled with poppy seed, jam or chocolate; bake one batch nut-free and label any with nuts.
Jewel-tone dessert table. Black and gold macarons, chocolate-dipped strawberries and a cake with a mask topper under candlelight.
A signature drink with a straw. One deep red or purple cocktail and a mocktail in the same color for teens and drivers; straws mean masks stay on.

Masquerade party games and activities

Guess who. Give each guest a number on arrival and a card to guess who's behind which mask; check the answers at the unmasking.
The unmasking. Pick a moment for everyone to take masks off at once: midnight on New Year's Eve, after dinner at a gala or before the last dance.
Mask-making station. For a sweet 16 or a kids' Purim party, plain masks, feathers, sequins and glue dots fill the first half hour; skip hot glue for young children.
Best mask awards. Prizes for most elaborate, most mysterious and best homemade mask, voted by paper ballot.
Costume parade. For Purim or a costume party, line everyone up for a parade before food, and give every child a small prize so no one loses.

Masquerade party favor ideas

The masks themselves. If you supply masks, choose ones good enough to keep; guests leave wearing them.
Beads and doubloons. For Mardi Gras, a strand of beads and a gold coin in a small velvet bag.
Chocolate masks. Mask-shaped cookies or molded chocolate masks in a cellophane bag tied with gold ribbon.
Purim food gifts. At a Purim party, small bags holding two kinds of ready-to-eat food, such as hamantaschen and fruit, follow the custom of mishloach manot.

Masquerade party invitation wording

Copy one and change the names, or get more wording ideas.

Sweet 16
Behind the mask: Sofia turns 16. A masquerade ball, Saturday, April 17 at 7 PM. Masks required, mystery encouraged. Please RSVP by April 3.
Mardi Gras
Laissez les bons temps rouler. Our Fat Tuesday masquerade, Tuesday, February 9 at 7 PM. King cake, music and beads. Come masked.
Fundraising gala
The Riverside Masquerade Gala. An evening of dinner, music and a silent auction for the youth orchestra. Saturday, November 6, 6:30 PM. Black tie and masks.

Occasions for a masquerade party

Each page has RSVP wording, timing and the questions to ask for that occasion.

How to make a masquerade party invitation

1Press Use this design on one of the masquerade party invitations above. It opens in the editor with its own intro and page effect already on.
2Type your title, date, time and place over the sample, and put your own photos where the design has them.
3To change the motion, tap Intro and try Masquerade mask or Velvet rope, or tap Effect and pick Glitter, Streamers or Sparkle. Every one is free.
4Create the event and share the link by text, email or QR code. Guests watch it play and RSVP on the same page, and you see every reply as it comes in.

Masquerade party questions

What do you wear to a masquerade party?: Formal or cocktail wear with a mask: gowns or cocktail dresses, suits or tuxedos, in black or jewel tones. Say on the invitation whether it's black tie and whether masks are provided.
What kind of mask should guests wear?: A half mask that covers the eyes and leaves the mouth free, so guests can eat, drink and talk. A mask on a stick suits glasses wearers and anyone who finds a strap uncomfortable.
When do guests take off their masks at a masquerade?: At an unmasking you plan: midnight, after dinner or before the last dance. Until then, masks stay on except to eat.
How do you plan a masquerade sweet 16?: Keep the ball look (candles, black and gold, a grand entrance) and add a mask-making table, a photo backdrop and a playlist the guests choose. Mocktails in stemmed glasses make it feel grown-up.
Is a masquerade party invitation free?: Yes. The 3 designs on this page and every intro and page effect are free on every event. A free event takes up to 20 RSVPs; a one-time upgrade per event raises the limit.
Can guests RSVP to a masquerade party invitation without an app?: Yes. Guests open your link on any phone or computer, watch the invitation play, and reply on the same page with no app or account. Every reply lands on your dashboard.

More party themes

Send your masquerade party invitation

Start from the Mardi Gras design, change the words and share one link. Guests reply on the page, with no app.

Create Free Event All party themes