If you’re looking for an easy, inexpensive and speedy theme to lift your party to new levels of memorable, you can stop your search here!

The era of MJ, Madonna, Prince and Whitney is a fab throwback that everyone can get involved in with minimal effort.

So pop on a headband to keep that ’80s perm out of your eyes, and check out our simple guide to throwing your very own ’80s party.

… And if you’re not a fan of the ’80s, you can BEAT IT!

1980s Themed Party Ideas

Jump to:

• Outfits
• Hairstyles
• Décor
• Music
• Entertainment

If you’re planning a big birthday bash, be sure to check out these sublime experiences that will ensure your celebration is truly memorable.

Outfits

The ’80s was an explosion of bright popping colours as the fashion scene ventured into new areas of outrageous!

For your ’80s themed party you can have the dress code as simple as BRIGHT COLOURS!

But, more specifically, this was the era of loud legwarmers, vibrant tracksuits and fluorescent headbands!

For guys, jean jackets became big (but please, please avoid double denim!) as well as leather trousers and ray bans thanks to Top Gun!

If you want to go even louder (yes, it’s possible), Punk fashion was still going strong.

Yes, we’re talking Doc Martens, leather skirts and trousers, studded belts, flannel shirts, spiked hair, the lot!

Alternatively (even more alternatively than punk), the ’80s was the dawning of a load of pop culture themes we still love today, so why not throw out a few of these into the mix and see what people go for:

• Star Wars
• Top Gun
• Indiana Jones
• E.T.
• Pacman
• Donkey Kong
• Rubix Cubes

Ah yes, Ewoks and Aliens, we can see it now!

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Hairstyles

Whilst the fashion in the ’80s was fierce, the hair… less so!

Monumental perms were all the rage for the girls, whilst, for the guys…

… mullets.

Now, no matter how persuasive you are, you might be hard-pressed to get any of the guys to grow out a Joe Exotic style hairdo for your ’80s event.

So maybe suggest the slick back look or the George Michael quiff to be on the safe side!

Décor

Much like the outfits – big, bright neon colours are the order of the day!

From table decorations, to glow sticks, to Rubix Cubes, you can deck out your venue in the ’80s style in no time.

You could even put up a few posters of the best bands and artists of the time.

Music

You could make a playlist of your favourite artists from the ’80s, but why waste your time doing that when we’ve gone and sorted one for you!

Check out Party On’s moonwalk-provoking, mullet-banging, ’80s Party Playlist for the biggest bangers of the decade.

Entertainment

If you fancy throwing in some ’80s party games and entertainment into proceedings, there’s plenty you can do if you fancy getting creative.
Here are some of our favourites when we’re throwing our own ’80s night:

• ’80s Karaoke
• ’80s Quiz
• Moonwalking Contest
• Twister
• Best Dressed Competition
• Pacman, Donkey Kong or Tetris (if you have the technology!)

Why not celebrate somewhere new? Check out the incredible array of destinations we have on offer!

The post Your Ultimate Guide to an ’80s Theme Party! appeared first on Party On.

Whether it’s a birthday, a Saturday or whether your 130-year-old grandma wants to relive her twenties, it’s a fab theme that can elevate a party from mediocre to monumental!

Take a look at our cheap and simple guide to throwing your very own Great Gatsby party below!

1920s Themed Party Ideas

Jump to:

• Invites
• Outfits
• Décor
• Food & Drink
• Entertainment
• Lingo

Invites

Certainly not a necessity, but it is a great little addition to whet the appetites of the guests, plus it can be done cheaply and easily with the help of some online Gatsby templates.

Party On Top Tip: You could even include a password for them to use on arrival to add to the 1920s speakeasy vibe.

Outfits

Whether you’re going all out or keeping things simple, you can create the classic 20’s attire inexpensively and easily so there are no excuses for people not to make some sort of effort.

Men

A chance to get suited and booted! A classic suit and shoe combo will tick the box, but if you want to style it up a bit more, why not get a bow tie and fedora to complete look?

• White Shirt
• Black Suit (preferably, but any colour will suffice… maybe not bright yellow!)
• Shoes
• Fedora
• Bow Tie
• Suspenders
• Neckties

Women

Flapper women were all about the glitz and the glam! A classic slip dress is a great starting point, then you can add the accessories as you please. We’re talking feather scarves, a sparkling tiara, long leather gloves, silver jewellery, cigarette holders, the works!

• Slip Dress
• Feather Scarves
• Tiara
• Long Gloves
• Silver Jewellery
• Cigarette Holders

OR…

Why not get the guys to dress up as the flappers and the women as the bootleggers?!

Décor

Golds, blacks and silvers are the order of service.

You decide how elaborate you want to go depending on budget and energy levels, but you can get the Gatsby look effortlessly with these three core colours.

Low Key

If you’re keeping things modest, you can set up a drinks table and deck it out in the tri-colour scheme. If you have champagne and accompanying coupes, great! If not, prosecco and flutes will suffice!

Extravagant

Champagne, coupes, large white feathers, Ferrero Rocher towers (the pinnacle of elaborate), pearls, cakes, low lighting… you get the idea!

Food

The classic 20s Gatsby party style will dictate a smorgasbord of appetisers and nibbles ranging from olives and salmon to grilled oysters and deviled eggs, but it depends what you’re going for!

If it’s partying that’s the focus, canapés are ideal, but if you’re thinking sit-down meal, you’ll need something with a bit more substance.

Why not go for a timeless American Mac and Cheese or an Italian-influenced pasta dish which will have just about made its way over to the other side of the Atlantic by this time.

Drinks

Whilst we’re all after a bit of authenticity, we should still steer clear of moonshine made in the bathtub! However, there are plenty of sublime cocktails to get your flappers around!

• Old Fashioned
• Mint Julep
• Champagne (Prosecco)
• Bees Knees
• Mary Pickford
• Negroni
• Grasshopper

Music & Entertainment

Also known as the Jazz Age, the ’20s saw a new hedonistic lifestyle come to prominence. Check out our Party On 1920s Party Playlist on Spotify – the perfect music starting off as a refined affair and moving towards a more upbeat gala!

Lingo

• Cat’s Pyjamas (or Bee’s Knees) – The Greatest
• Giggle Water (or Hooch) – Liquor
• Oliver Twist – Good Dancer
• Dip the Bill – Have a Drink
• Moll – Girlfriend
• Whangdoodle – Jazz

The post Your Quickstep Guide to a Roaring 1920s Themed Party! appeared first on Party On.

Just because you’ve crossed the threshold into adulthood, it doesn’t mean you have to stop having funny, creative and elaborate birthday parties! If anything they should be bigger, bolder and a thousand times more monumental than those of your childhood!

So whoever you’re planning for, whether it’s their 18^th or 88^th, make it memorable with one of our sublime party ideas for adults!

Adult Birthday Party Ideas

Jump to:

• TV, Film & Musicals
• Tasting Evenings
• Decade Parties
• Outdoors
• Sports
• Kidults
• International
• Creative
• Cute
• Freshers’

TV, Film & Musicals

Pick any film or TV show which the birthday boy or girl totally adores, but here are our Top 5 to get the creative juices flowing!

1. Harry Potter
   ‘You’re a wizard, Harry!’ Cloaks, wands, scars, Voldemort-style bald caps!
2. Disney
   Prince Charmings and damsels, Pixar characters, movie night!
3. Rocky Horror
   Raunchy Rocky Horror gear for fans of the Picture House!
4. Grease
   Go Grease Lightning… Pink Ladies and T Birds
5. Peaky Blinders
   Blinders’ haircuts, smart suits and glitzy dresses! ‘You’re a Shelby now!’

Tasting Evenings

Get your indulgent on with a sophisticated (or not-so-sophisticated) tasting evening!

6. Wine
   Get a variety of reds, whites, rosés, even some champagne if you’re feeling extra fancy!
7. Gin
   Get everyone to bring a bottle they’ve never tried and mix and match! Check out our blog on How to Host a Gin Tasting at Home.
8. Beer
   IPAs, EPAs, Stouts, Pilsners, Craft, Saisons, the works!
9. Cocktail
   Tasting, yes! But the fun of cocktails is the making! Select a few and get crafting!
10. Cheese
    Everyone loves cheese (surely?!), pair it with wine for the ultimate tasting session!

Decade Parties

Party like it’s 1999… or 1929, or 1954, or… oh, you get the idea!

11. The 1920s
    Gatsby-themed 1920 party! Check out our Quickstep Guide to a Roaring 1920s Themed Party.
12. The 1950s
    The decade of Elvis, Monroe, Teddy Boys and Greasers!
13. The 1960s
    Peace and love! The dawn of the hippy! ‘Groovy, baby!’
14. The 1990s
    Fresh Prince, Blur, Spice Girls, Oasis, Cool Brittania, Brit Pop!
15. The Noughties
    Think Gwen Stefani, Avril Lavigne, Busted and Black Eyed Peas!

Outdoors

Sunshine = Party Time! Get outside and soak up some summer rays with these alfresco party ideas!

16. Festival
    Check out our at-home festival party ideas guide!
17. Glamping
    Camping elevated to new (and comfortable) heights!
18. Picnic
    Wicker baskets, chequered blankets and an array of tasty treats!
19. Hawaiian Luau
    Throw a paradise-themed Hawaiian BBQ with our helpful guide!
20. Summer Fete
    Tombolas, hook the duck, apple bobbing, bowls and bunting!

Sports

Throw an Olympic-sized soiree or dial it back to the glory school sports days for a hilarious, all-action competition!

21. Retro School Sports Day
    100m Dash, Relay, Egg and Spoon, Wheelbarrow, Sack Race. So on and so forth!
22. Football
    Full kits (yes, shin pads too), referees, penalty shootouts, you could even have a match!
23. Olympics
    Pick your countries, dress up in the colours – merge it with a retro sports day for the best results!
24. Golf
    Full golfing attire, pub golf cards, or even go for a round! ‘Foooooore!’
25. Wimbledon
    Tennis gear, strawberries and cream, and ‘champagne, darling!’

Kidults

A throwback to those good old care-free days!

26. Cowboys & Cowgirls
    Jeans, leather belts, massive buckles, cowboy hat – Woody from Toy Story!
27. Circus
    Face paints, clown costumes, juggling!
28. School Disco
    Uniforms – OK, we know only losers wore uniforms to the disco, but it’s not an actual school disco!
29. Pirate Party
    Ahoy, landlubbers! Eye patches, hooks and pirate hats!
30. Where’s Wally?
    Round spectacles, matching red and white striped hats and t-shirts.

International

Go global with and celebrate like our international brothers and sisters!

31. Day of the Dead
    Skull face paint, skeletons, sombreros!
32. Bollywood
    Belly dance-style, colourful garments!
33. Mardi Gras
    Carnival attire – colours, beads, masks!
34. Around the World Party
    Everyone chooses their own country and dresses up in the national clobber!
35. Oktoberfest
    Lederhosen, Bavarian Dresses and lots of German beer!

Creative

If the person is one of those enviously talented, creative types (or even if they’re the exact opposite), let them show off their skills with one of our imaginative party ideas.

36. Bob Ross Paint Party
    Channel your inner Bob Ross and paint along to a classic show!
37. Bake Off Party
    Get everyone to bring a bake and do a blind judge of each!
38. Anything But Clothes
    Make an outfit out of anything but clothes!
39. Jewellery Making
    Make a bespoke bracelet or glitzy earrings with an at-home jewellery making kit!
40. Pottery Painting
    Get some plain ceramic mugs/plates/bowls and get painting!

Cute

Rather than big and extravagant, go soft and subtle with one of our cute party ideas.

41. Slumber Party
    Pyjamas, films, wine, truth or dare!
42. Afternoon Tea
    Cake, finger sandwiches, tea – or prosecco if you’re feeling fancy!
43. Makeover
    Get glammed up with the girls with an at-home makeover party!
44. Dance
    Put on a dancing clinic as you learn the moves to your favourite tune!
45. Pamper
    And relaaaaax! Host a pamper party to soothe your souls!

Freshers’ Week

Classic Freshers’ themes to hark back to those uni days or an opportunity to experience them if you didn’t go the first time around!

46. Togas
    Toga, Toga, Toga! No further explanation needed!
47. Librarians & Barbarians
    Geeks and cavepeople!
48. Smurfs
    Blue bodypaint and white hats!
49. Baywatch
    Beach attire!
50. Charity Shop Finds
    You can only wear items purchased from a Charity Shop!

The post The Ultimate List of the 50 Best Party Ideas for Adults appeared first on Party On.