Decorating Ideas for an '80s-Themed New Year's Eve Party

Theme parties are so much fun to plan and even more fun to attend. An '80s-theme party offers so many possibilities for costumes, decorating, food and music, that even a novice party planner will have success in hosting a 1980s-themed party. Here are several suggestions for making your '80s-theme party one to be remembered by all who attend.

The invitations are the first thing you should consider when putting your party together. You can always just purchase some standard invitations, but if you put some time and effort into creating your own, the guests you invite will take notice. The key to your invitation is to make the party sound fun and not to be missed. Making your own invitations using pictures from the Internet can be a great way to "get the party started"!

Many people cannot decide for themselves what they want to dress like or who they want to be for an eighties party or any theme party. I have had great success in just assigning guests a character. One fun way to do this is to think of a famous person from the era and change the name a little, and assign the character to a particular guest. Some examples would be: Madonna - Gawdonna, M.C Hammer - B A Sledge, Molly Ringwald - Holly Ringworm, Don Johnson - John Donson, etc.... The more outrageous the name, the better it is. Your guests will look forward to being that character and they do not have to make the decision of who to be. It also eliminates everyone dressing as the same character and offers more variety to the party. Insert the assigned character into their invitation before sending.

Decorating for a 1980s theme party can go in any direction you want to take it. One way to do it is to go pastel and punk. You could hang pink streamers at the door, along with a picture of Molly Ringwald, lots of pinks and lavenders in the plates and cups. Then add black leather (or faux leather) in the table coverings and black, fabric napkins with holes cut into them. A disco ball light of some sort gives a nice ambiance, too. Using your imagination on the decorations for a 1980s theme party is part of the fun. Remember, anything goes!

Food for an '80s theme party could be wild. For a party that includes just finger foods and a "House" drink, there are several things you could serve. Appetizers could include: mini ears of corn with a vegetable dip, mini quiche cups, water chestnuts wrapped in bacon with a sprinkle of brown sugar or the all time party favorite, little weenies on toothpicks soaked in a mix of ketchup and grape jelly.

For a house drink, anything with Kool-Aid would be great. For non-alcoholic, serve just plain over ice. If alcohol is being served, add a shot of vodka or gin to the Kool-Aid. For a spiked punch, mix flavors of Kool-Aid and create a "spiked" punch.

The easiest way to add spice to a theme party is to have music from the era playing in the background. Music of the 1980's was so varied. Record stores sell many, many cd's of popular music from the era with a variety of artists on each one. Keep the music flowing throughout the party, maybe letting people turn up the volume on an all time favorite and everyone dance to the beat.

If you are thinking of 1980s-themed games for your party, several come to mind. You could have a Rubik's cube challenge; guess my character costume contest, or a karaoke sing-a-long with a chosen guests' favorite tune. Any of these would provide entertainment for all of the guests.

Prizes and party favors for your guests are also something to include. Everyone likes to receive a little memento from a great party. The first things that come to mind would be inexpensive black plastic sunglasses, miniature Rubik's cube key chains, a pretty pink magnet and a printed out certificate of party participation.

No matter what you decide to do, by following the tips presented, your 1980's theme party should be a success. Planning theme parties are a lot of fun. By adding your own special touches your guests will be transported back to the future and have fond memories of the special event.