Totally Baller: Vintage Basketball Theme for Sports-Loving Bar Mitzvah Boy

If there’s one thing Bo knows, it’s basketball. As a basketball player and fan, he knows players and stats from before he was born! When it came time to plan his Bar Mitzvah celebration, his family knew that basketball would play a major role, and they brought in Melisa Imberman from The Event of a Lifetime, Inc. to help bring his vision to life.

Imberman turned a sports facility, Fenom Fitness in Harrison, NY, into a vintage basketball lounge. In collaboration with Hi Tech Events, the space was completely transformed into a sports enthusiasts dream. The tagline “Bo Knows” was repeated throughout many elements at the event – including decor, food presentations, favors and more. Custom graphics and logos played a major role in the decor and branding for this event. All wall hangings at the venue were replaced with custom graphics and photos from the pre Mitzvah shoot and were turned into vintage magazine covers and ads. Signage pointed the kids to the boys’ and girls’ locker rooms where they found their names on the lockers with logo rally towels.

The biggest moment of the night was definitely Bo’s (surprise!) grand entrance… on the shoulders of the world famous Harlem Wizards, who also performed a brief show, took selfies and more!

Above photo: Bo is joined by his mom, dad and little sister on the court. The photographer for this event was Hi Tech Events.

Read on to see more photos from this Bat Mitzvah Baller:

Custom Graphics

Basketball Bonanza

The main court at Fenom Fitness was totally transformed with custom LED screens, graphics, decor and games

A custom Jumbotron created a major WOW moment when guests entered the court

Bo's logo was printed across the entire dance floor

A photo of Bo playing basketball was superimposed on a custom graffiti mural which was designed to mimic the existing graffiti on one of the gym's walls

Vintage pennants were hung from the ceiling, and a variety of games, including customized cornhole, were available to play on the court

A VIP lounge for the kids featured benches with logo stadium seat cushions and a Players Club for the adults was set up with distressed leather couches and logo pillows

Custom throw pillows for the kids lounge...

... featured various Bo Knows logos

The sign in board was made from a basketball hoop/backboard of course!

The gift box was cleverly disguised as a customize mail box

Imberman covered up the venue's vending machines with branded graphics

Bo's image and party swag greeted guests as they entered the venue

Bo's entrance was pretty grand… his parents and younger sister were introduced, guests were given giant foam fingers to greet the Bar Mitzvah boy: Bo surprised everyone by coming out on the shoulders of the World Famous Harlem Wizards!

A Horah to remember!

After the Horah, the entire team came out to celebrate with Bo and his guests

After the Wizards short show, dancers kept the action on the dance floor

Dancers wore Bo Knows jerseys; guests put on their giveaway t-shirts, custom hats, socks and more

Imberman brought in a brand new interactive game, Boomerang Array, for Bo and his guests. This was the game's Bar Mitzvah debut!

Adults and kids all had a blast taking photos in the Boomerang Array which creates GIfs for guests to share on social media

The Nike Fit Plus challenge was a big hit with guests

Here Bo gets in on the fun!

Everyone wanted to be on the leader board for the BBX pop-a-shot

Cornhole and The Elite Feet Sock Shop kept everyone busy

The Selfie Photo Booth had, of course, a basketball court backdrop!

Food & Favors

During the cocktail hour, waitstaff dressed in basketball jerseys walked around serving food -- think mini pizzas in a logo pizza box!

Dinner was served from concession stands representing some of Bo's favorite foods including...

Food was served in custom logo concession stand containers and trays

Branded napkin dispensers and cocktail napkins with basketball stats

Bo's Burgers & Beyond...

Mexican...

... and Asian

For dessert there was a yummy chipwich bar

Waiters also walked around with bite sized desserts

Bo Knows... that his guests looked great! These cute decals decorated restroom mirrors

Bo's friends picked up their classic basketball swag from this Souvenir Shop; each child took home a vintage sweatshirt, backpack, and other branded items (tshirts, seat cushions, autographed photo of the Harlem Wizards etc...)

Kids took home these cozy, vintage hoodies

Dance floor giveaways included basketball jerseys, t-shirts, hats and customized message fans

Another view of Bo's souvenier (aka party favor!) stand

At the end of the night, guests visited one last concession stand where they were given a to-go tray to load up with drinks and treats

Logo water bottles for everyone to take home

Total Transformation

Watch how The Event of a Lifetime transformed this space in a time-lapse video here

We thank Melisa Imberman and The Event of a Lifetime, Inc. for sharing this totally unique and creative Bar Mitzvah with us. For more information about The Event of a Lifetime, Inc. check out their extended profile page.