The 80s

80s party decoration ideas
The 80's were all about excess, so make your decorations dramatic and colorful. Look for paper cups and plates in neon colors, animal prints or black-and-white geometric patterns. Plaster the walls with posters of quintessential 80's pop stars like Culture Club, Thompson Twins, Cyndi Lauper, New Kids on the Block and the queen of the decade, Madonna. To really get in the spirit, pop in a DVD of a John Hughes movie or an 80's band's video collection and have it playing, on mute, during the event.

Looking for a unique 80's party tip? Make yourself and your guests part of the decor! Before the party, ask your guests to lend you a photo of themselves in their wildest 80's outfit. Make enlarged copies of these photos and hang them up around the party area. During the party, your guests can guess who's who and laugh at all the bi-level haircuts and pegged pants. If you aren't old enough to have been a teen back then, you can easily find retro photos online of stars like Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe and Molly Ringwald looking their 80's best.


80s party costume ideas
Thanks to the arrival of MTV, 80's fashion was defined by music. Inspired by pop stars like Duran Duran and Wham, guys wore frilly shirts, superskinny ties and huge op-art belts. 80's chicks emulated their musical idols with Bananarama-style overalls, Pat Benatar-esque headbands and Madonna’s layered mesh-and-lace ensembles.

And don’t forget the makeup, guys: From the new romantics to the punk rockers, all the gnarliest dudes sported eyeliner, lipstick, glittery eye shadow and way too much mousse in their hair, just like their girlfriends. Want more 80's party costumes? 80's ladies also sported leg warmers, rubber bracelets and sideways ponytails, while guys channeled Miami Vice-era Don Johnson with pastel-colored suits.

80s party games + activities
Get into the 80's groove with a lip-synch contest to your favorite 80's songs, or put on Michael Jackson's "Thriller" and have a contest to see who can do the best moonwalk. If you have a video game system, buy some of the classic 80's video games like PacMan, Frogger, Donkey Kong and Asteroids—you can also find versions of these games online and play them on your computer.

Plus, pay homage to the classic board game Trivial Pursuit, which launched in 1982, by splitting up your guests into teams to answer questions about random factoids and earn those little colored pie wedges.

80s party food ideas
Yuppies and Valley girls made sushi big in the 80's, as well as appetizers like artichoke dip served in a bread bowl. Kid-friendly treats like Rice Crispie treats and fluffernutter sandwiches make great snacks for an 80's party, and you can celebrate the frozen yogurt fad with a fro-yo cake. Finally, no 80's party guide is complete without mentioning classic candy like Nerds, Fun Dip, Pop Rocks, Ring Pops and Charleston Chews.


80s party music
1. Relax / Frankie Goes to Hollywood
2. Footloose / Kenny Loggins
3. Rock Me Amadeus / Falco
4. Whip It / Devo
5. Burning Down the House / Talking Heads
6. Rio / Duran Duran
7. Dancing with Myself / Billy Idol
8. Take On Me / A-ha
9. Living On a Prayer / Bon Jovi
10. Call Me / Blondie