We have been doing Theme Laps for 3 years now and everyone loves them.  Some we have done are:  Pajama Lap, Fiesta Lap, Nascar Lap, 50's Lap, Hillbilly Lap, Crazy Hat Lap, Patriotic Lap, Kick-in Cowboy Lap, Clowning Around Lap, Sports Lap, Mardi Gras Lap.

Last year we even worked our Midnight Snack Contest around theme of the Fiesta Lap.  Everyone prepared a mexican dish of somekind for the midnight snack.  We really had some great snacks!

Sorry, if I repeat someone's idea, have you done a Quitter's Lap?  For those people who have given up smoking!  I've also seen a Relay that has about a dozen rocking chairs at the edge of the track for those who want to participate in laps but may not be able to walk well.  So, they rock their laps that way they can still participate.

Here are some theme lap ideas:

• Themed Laps Each Hour with Great Music – Have music that goes all night (not too loud!) and theme each hour to give people who like different kinds of music something to look forward to! – give the team that embodies that theme an award at the end of the hour. You could also have a Live DJ… Make sure it is ok with your teams, your site, and your surrounding community… Consider turning the music down after 11pm till 7am based on your community/event, but at least between the hours of 2am and 5am to ensure that people have a little relaxing time - that will get them thru the morning. IF you have a DJ, you could have a Boombox for music from 1-4AM and let him/her take a break. Some example Theme Lap ideas are:
• Musical Hours
• Latin Hour
• Big Band Hour
• Swing Hour
• 70’s Hour
• 80’s Hour
• Oldies Hour
• Rock N Roll Hour
• The Love Hour (allow dedications for a donation!)
• Crazy Hours (Thanks to Zoomzoom for finding these and sharing!)
• Hawaiian Laps
• Crazy Hat Laps
• Pajama Laps
• Red, White & Blue Laps
• Cardboard Box Laps – Give each team a cardboard box to decorate, and have a race
• Limbo Contest Lap – Have everyone lap, and have limbo sticks at different points of the track that get progressively lower; see who makes it the farthest around the track!
• Best Formal Wear Lap (thanks to Damyers65)
• Line Dancing Lap (thanks to Damyers65)
• Limbo Contest Lap (thanks to Damyers65)
• Chicken Dance Lap (thanks to Damyers65)
• Bunny Hop Lap (thanks to Damyers65)
• Kazoo Lap (thanks to Damyers65)
• Best Patriotic Outfit (thanks to Damyers65)
• Pajama Party Lap (thanks to Damyers65)
• Neck Tie Relay (thanks to Damyers65)
• Team Spirit Lap (thanks to Damyers65)
• Ways to Mix and Mingle:
• Meet a Friend Laps - “At this year's relay we are having meet a friend laps. It's a neat way to get to know some of your fellow relayers. It's fun too! We are doing a reverse lap too.” (thanks to camskaos)
• Dance Laps – Have people dance around the track – give them dance cards – when they dance with someone, have that person ‘sign’ their dance card and write down one interesting fact about themselves – who ever has danced with the most people at the end of the hour (and reports to the MC with their dance card filled out) wins a prize – make it a really cool one (thanks to RM!)
• Find your sole-mate – “…People are given one shoe and they have to find the person that has the matching one. When they find on another, they run to the microphone. Inside each shoe is part of a cancer fact. (Each shoe of the pair has half the fact on it)The duo reads the fact, and they win” – Thanks to lonezodiac!

These are ideas that worked for the Relay For Life that I chaired for several years, and ideas from other volunteers, too. Hope this helps!

Hi!

We tried it last year, and it didn't go so well, but we're trying to do some in the middle of the nite....backwards lap, buddy lap, three legged lap and sweetheart lap....maybe you could try some of these??

Keep rockin and keep walkin'

Cindy