Party favors sit at the intersection of party supplies, food, décor, gifting, and personal touches. Recent figures show a growing global party supplies market, birthday celebrations that range from simple to elaborate, and strong interest in customized details such as invitations, banners, cards, and favors.
Contents
- Party supplies market size
- Regional market snapshot
- How families celebrate birthdays
- Birthday food and guest treats
- What birthday parties cost
- Personalization and shopping trends
Party supplies market size
The global party supplies market was valued at USD 18.41 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 41.52 billion by 2034, according to Fortune Business Insights. The same source gives a 9.51% compound annual growth rate for the forecast period. Its shorter-range forecast places the market at USD 20.07 billion in 2026 before reaching the longer-term projection of USD 41.52 billion in 2034.
Fortune Business Insights divides party supplies into four product groups: food and beverages, decoration, tableware, and others. It also organizes the market by party type—birthdays, corporate parties, holiday parties, and others—and by application, separating residential from commercial use. Distribution channels include supermarkets and hypermarkets, party stores, online and e-commerce sellers, and other channels.
The channel data is relevant to party favors because small personalized items can be purchased alongside decorations, tableware, and treats. Supermarkets and hypermarkets held a 42.50% market share in 2026, while the online and e-commerce segment is projected to grow at a 10.55% CAGR from 2025 to 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights.
Regional market snapshot
North America held 33.35% of the global party supplies market in 2025, with a market size of USD 6.14 billion, according to Fortune Business Insights. The source projects North America to reach USD 6.71 billion in 2026. The U.S. party supplies market size reached USD 4.30 billion in 2026.
Europe recorded USD 5.21 billion in 2025 and captured 28.32% of the worldwide market, according to Fortune Business Insights. Its projected 2026 market size is USD 5.68 billion. Within Europe, the UK market is projected to reach USD 0.92 billion by 2026, while Germany’s is projected to reach USD 1.06 billion.
Asia Pacific represented USD 3.94 billion in 2025, equal to 21.42% of the worldwide party supplies market, according to Fortune Business Insights. The region is projected to grow to USD 4.33 billion in 2026. Country-level projections for 2026 include USD 0.62 billion for Japan, USD 1.25 billion for China, and USD 0.93 billion for India.
| Market or region | Reported or projected figure | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| Global party supplies market | USD 18.41 billion | 2025 valuation |
| North America | USD 6.14 billion | 2025 market size |
| Europe | USD 5.21 billion | 2025 market size |
| Asia Pacific | USD 3.94 billion | 2025 market size |
| Global party supplies market | USD 41.52 billion | 2034 projection |
Fortune Business Insights also reported that leisure and outdoor events in the UK generated about USD 37.35 billion in October 2024, citing the U.K. Meeting Industries Association. That figure concerns leisure and outdoor events broadly, not party favors specifically, so it should not be treated as a favor-market estimate.
How families celebrate birthdays
The Chuck E. Cheese Birthday Research Center describes itself as the largest kids’ birthday party operator in North America and says it hosts hundreds of thousands of birthday parties each year. Its research typically uses samples ranging from several hundred to several thousand respondents.
In one study, 4,909 parents across more than 25 countries were surveyed in March 2026. A child’s birthday was primarily seen as a celebration of the child’s life by 53% of parents. Family tradition was the primary framing for 18%, another 18% described a mix of motivations, 6% described the birthday primarily as a social event, and 4% described it primarily as a community gathering. These results suggest that party details can serve both a personal milestone and a family tradition.
Another Chuck E. Cheese study surveyed 4,985 parents across more than 20 countries about their family’s typical birthday style. Somewhat simple celebrations were reported by 35% of parents, while 17% said their style was very simple and stayed with immediate family at home. In contrast, 34% described their celebrations as somewhat elaborate, and 14% planned truly large-scale celebrations with many guests, entertainment, and decorations.
In a March 2026 Chuck E. Cheese study, 23% of parents said a special theme or decorations would help make a child’s birthday party better. More games and activities were the number-one answer for improving a child’s birthday party. This places favors within a larger experience: a small take-home item may work best when it reinforces the theme or extends an activity beyond the party itself.
Birthday food and guest treats
The Chuck E. Cheese Birthday Research Center surveyed 4,995 parents about foods served at kids’ birthdays worldwide. Cake was served by 79% of families, ice cream by 55%, and candy, chocolates, or sweets for guests by 50%. Cupcakes appeared in 38% of families, while smash cake appeared in 13%.
The same research recorded a wide range of less common birthday foods and traditions. Fruit or sweet offerings at temples appeared in 11% of families. Coins hidden in cakes appeared in 6%. Fairy bread, longevity noodles, special porridge or soups, and rice yogurt on the forehead each appeared in 5%. Seaweed soup and rice cakes appeared in 4%, red eggs in 3%, and brigadeiros in 2%.
These figures describe family practices rather than a ranking of the best favors. They do show that guest treats and edible traditions are already part of many birthday celebrations. A favor can therefore be a packaged sweet, a culturally meaningful food, or a non-food keepsake, depending on the family and occasion.
What birthday parties cost
The average child’s birthday party cost nearly USD 314 in 2024, excluding gifts, according to The Bump, part of Everyday Health Group. Millennial parents spent about USD 50 more than Gen Z moms in that survey.
Age was associated with different average costs. First- and second-year parties cost an average of USD 279, while parties for six- to ten-year-olds averaged USD 344. The survey also found that 14% of parents spent less than USD 100 on a child’s birthday party, and 20% spent more than USD 500 per child birthday celebration.
| Birthday-party spending measure | Figure | Period or group |
|---|---|---|
| Average child’s birthday party | Nearly USD 314 | 2024, gifts excluded |
| First- and second-year parties | USD 279 average | Surveyed parties |
| Parties for six- to ten-year-olds | USD 344 average | Surveyed parties |
| Spent less than USD 100 | 14% of parents | 2024 survey |
| Spent more than USD 500 | 20% of parents | Per child celebration |
Broader celebration data from VistaPrint found that 59% of all generations agreed in 2024 that creating memories with loved ones is the most important aspect of a celebration. The figures point to a practical role for favors: they can add a memorable detail while remaining one component of a budget that also includes food, activities, décor, and venue costs.
VistaPrint reported that Gen Z was the generation most likely to say buying a gift for someone they care about was the most important part of a celebration, at 27%. It also found that 51% of Gen Z, 49% of Millennials, 40% of Gen X, and 32% of Baby Boomers considered it a good idea to set aside a yearly budget for celebrating.
Personalization and shopping trends
Etsy Marketplace Insights reported a 117% year-over-year increase in searches for invitations from April through June. Searches for Art Deco invitations rose 105%, custom stamps rose 39%, custom stamp logos rose 33%, and wax seal kits rose 18% during the same comparison period. Etsy also reported a 937% year-over-year increase in searches for handmade greeting cards.
Other Etsy search increases show how party planning overlaps with themes and gifting. Searches for dog birthday party items rose 57% year over year from April through June, while searches for sage green items rose 271%. Etsy identified “family reunion favor” among popular recent searches as people stocked up for reunions. It also said modest welcome bags were being replaced by wedding boxes packed with custom favors and treats.
VistaPrint’s celebration data also points toward personalized paper goods. Millennials were the most likely group to have bought a custom banner for a recent celebration, at 38%. They were also the most likely to have bought a personal invite, at 35%, and a personal thank-you card, at 31%.
Pet celebrations add another favor-related signal. VistaPrint reported that pet birthdays cost an average of USD 229 across all generations, while Gen Z spent an average of USD 338 on pet birthdays. Seventeen percent of Americans would recognize a pet’s birthday with a photo gift, and 16% had purchased a pet-themed gift for a celebration.
VistaPrint reported that Millennials spend an average of USD 496 a year organizing and hosting celebrations, compared with USD 353 for Baby Boomers. For gender reveal parties, Millennials spent an average of USD 621, while Baby Boomers spent an average of USD 700.
Social media was the second biggest reason celebrations changed since the 2000s, after expenses, according to VistaPrint. Engagement parties were cited by 53% as among the celebrations most affected by social media and changing behavior, followed by baby showers at 51%, bachelor and bachelorette parties at 45%, and anniversaries at 43%.
The retail landscape has also shifted. Party City Holdco reported that its retail operations included 748 specialty retail party supply stores across North America as of August 31, 2024. Party City announced plans in December 2024 to wind down its retail and wholesale operations after nearly 40 years of service and said it had approximately 700 stores nationwide at the start of the wind down. Dollar Tree’s 2024 annual report said it had acquired designation rights for approximately 138 Party City stores.
Target’s 2024 annual report classifies greeting cards, party supplies, furniture, lighting, home improvement, and seasonal merchandise inside its home furnishings and décor category. The report recorded Target net sales of USD 106.566 billion in 2024. These corporate figures describe broad retail operations, not party-favor sales specifically, but they provide context for the many places shoppers encounter party products.