In winter, throw a soup party and assign half to bring soups and the other half to bring accompaniments, like bread and desserts.
Book club: Bring people together around a certain cookbook, or if you're reading fiction, ask guests to make recipes inspired by the book.Your grandmother's favorite recipe, your way: Ask people to bring the original recipe to display alongside their updates.Global street food: You can ask people to bring a dish that is inspired by one they discovered on their travels or from a place they want to go.
If you do want to go the theme route, here are some ideas. But it's also unnecessary and perhaps even unadvisable for those larger potlucks with lots of unknown guests. If you host potlucks regularly, choosing a theme can be a fun way of mixing it up.
