Rubberduck Extravangaza!
How to Organise a Rubber Duck Awareness Event
Get ready to splash into National Rubber Duck Day on the 13th Jan…These iconic yellow bath buddies are not just for splish-splashing, they’re symbols of fun and childhood nostalgia! Whether you’re looking for a reason to celebrate with afterwork drinks, an office lunch party or a full blown event or you just love a good time, this is your sign to plan your own DIY rubber duck extravaganza!
This guide With creative ideas and practical tips, you’ll be turning this day into a quacking good time.
Are you ready to Duck and roll?
Why plan a Rubberduck event?
This guide is designed for those who enjoy celebrating unconventional themes and are looking to unleash their creativity!
If you’re searching for an innovative way to make your next event unforgettable (not just because of its quirky theme) You’ve found the perfect resource. Rubber ducks are classic, quirky, and a fan favourite. So, why not celebrate them in all their glory with your friends!
Fun fact about the Rubberduck, they first appeared in the late 1800’s and weren’t initially intended to be the beloved floaties that we love today. Can you imagine a bathtime without one? Us either, that would be crazy!
Let's get Quacking with some plans...
Now that you’re on board with celebrating National Rubber Duck Day, let’s brainstorm a few ideas that you can recreate:
- Throwback Party
Rubber Ducks are iconic for sure and super nostalgic, so why not put together a throwback party for you and your friends with some classic games with a quacking twist! Rubber ducks as decor, cheesy party games like duck duck goose, pin the tail on the duck, hot potato with you guessed it – a rubber duck! You could even make your own paper mache a duck shaped piñata filled with yellow sweets. - Rubber Duck Races
Organise a race in a bath, pool, or even a large container of water will do the trick. Have guests pick their rubber duck and watch it race to the finish line. You can make it more fun by adding little DIY obstacles and even a small fan to “boost” the ducks forward as if they were in a real water current. Add an extra element to your ‘poolside’ activity and have a Rubber Duck Toss too. This is a real popular game and trust me it’s done around the UK, take a look at this public Duck race event. - DIY Rubber Duck Craft Station
Ok these ducks are iconic but we all love a limited edition right? Set up a crafting station where guests can customise their own rubber ducks. Provide glitter pens, paint, googly eyes, gems, and stickers to let people unleash their creativity! Unsure where to start when it comes to craft supplies? Here’s some inspiration for essential supplies. - Rubber Duck-Themed Photobooth
Set up a quirky photobooth with rubber duck props like duck hats, oversized yellow glasses, and inflatable duck floats! This can be done with a DIY printed polaroid frame with your own caption and event name, or you can keep it simple and create some gifs using an app on your phone. Check out how to make your own photobooth frame here using cardboard or even paper, in need of a backdrop too? Create your own using craft supplies! - Rubber Duck Treasure Hunt
Get creative and make your own treasure map, sending your guests on an adventure to find some sneaky hidden rubber ducks around your house/ office/ wherever you are! You could have different themed rubber ducks (with hats on, sunglasses etc even wigs!) and give them each their own themed riddle on your map for some added spice! - Bake Off – Duck Edition
Bake a duck-shaped cake or cupcakes with rubber duck toppers. It’s a fun way to incorporate the theme into the party’s food and make things extra cute. Take it a step further and try this marzipan recipe – but add some food colouring to match our theme! - Quiz Night: Create a totally bespoke quiz featured on our hot topic – Rubber Ducks! Test your guests’ knowledge about rubber ducks, bath time history, or famous rubber duck appearances.
- Comedy Night
This may be a bit of a stretch and will require your guests to do a bit of homework but picture this; your own comedy club night where everyone gets a 5 minute ‘stand up’ slot to tell their best Rubber Duck themed jokes! Whoever comes up with the best lines will win a prize. The jokes may be a little poor but you can put on a decent spread and all have a laugh! I’ll give you a head start with some real side splitters to use for inspiration.
Bring your ideas to life!
Ready to turn these ideas into reality? Here’s a guide to help you plan your National Rubber Duck Day celebration.
- Choose Your Date and Location: Obviously, National Rubber Duck Day is on January 13th, but you can celebrate on any nearby date that works for you and keep the party going. Decide if you’re hosting it indoors or outdoors and what time you would like your guests to waddle in!
- Guest List: Who are you extending your invite to? If you’re planning to celebrate in an office, are you keeping it as a small team event or inviting the whole department including cranky Karen upstairs? Get your guest list written down and make sure you include everyone you think will want to celebrate our quirky holiday!
- Accessories
- Rubber Ducks: You can’t have a Rubber Duck Day without a Rubber Duck! Make sure you have enough for all of your guests depending on the activities you choose to do. Things can be expensive so look around on different sites to see if you can get these in bulk or event second hand from places like Duck World and Just Ducks . (Or get them to bring their bathtub toy from home)
- Craft Supplies: If you’re opting for a craft DIY station, ensure you have all of your supplies like glitter, pens, paints, brushes, googly eyes and stickers and whatever else takes your fancy! Top tip – this could get messy so make sure you have some cleaning supplies at the ready.
- Decorations: You’ve got the main event (Rubber Ducks) now what about any other relevant decor? Yellow/Duck themed bunting, Duck inflatables, Rubber Duck string lights (They exist!), table cloths and napkins and any other items you can think of to bring the theme to life.
- Food: Rubber Duck themed biscuits or cupcakes are a winner, you could consider having a yellow themed pick n mix station for people to feel nostalgic! Take it a step further and make your own themed cocktail or mocktail for people to enjoy too!
- Set Up Your Activities
- Rubber Duck Races: Prepare your Ducks water area, whether it’s a sink, bathtub, or even a bucket. Add your DIY obstacles and fan if you are using one and make sure you put some towel down nearby incase things get a little heated!
- Other Games: Arrange your duck-themed games. For example, make sure the rubber duck toss has targets set up for participants to aim at, and that the “Duck, Duck, Goose” circle is large enough for everyone to play comfortably. If you’re opting for the quiz, get your location set up for teams to sit together to play and a main seat or TV for the quizmaster to present from.
- Craft Station: Set up a crafting table with all of your supplies, including your cleaning supplies nearby for emergencies. Make sure the station has enough room for a few people to use it at a time, otherwise you’ll have queues of people waiting to personalise their Rubber Ducks.
- What Else?
- Music & Background: Make sure you create the right atmosphere with some quirky background music and setting to get your guests in the mood.
- Prizes: If you want to add some prizes into your games then consider some themed prizes that match Rubber Duck Day! These can be Duck related or may be colour themed
Lets get this show on the road!
Now all your Ducks are in a row, it’s time to get this plan into action and get ready for your celebrations.
As the experts in planning events, we know these things don’t happen overnight and may require a bit of admin to get them off the ground. So if you need any extra resource or help then give one of our specialists a shout for some more tips.
Just think, if you don’t act now you’ll have to wait another 364 days and that’s far too long!
The countdown to Rubberduck day is on!…
