Host a Throwback Party: Your Guide to Planning a 50s or 80s Fête

The 1950s and 1980s hold a special sort of nostalgia in the hearts of Americans. These are iconic decades with plenty of instantly recognizable music, food, style, and film.

Both eras are featured in the movie-to-stage adaptation of Back to the Future: The Musical (which is in Denver at the Buell Theatre from January 22 to February 9). If you just can’t choose between a 50s or 80s party, blend the two together and call it a Back to the Future fête!

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Decor and Venues
Invitations
Fun and Games
Food and Drink
Music
Clothes

Places, Places

Nailing down the perfect venue is one of the first steps to hosting a seamless party.

If your gathering is intimate, or you have ample space at home, it’s fun to pull off a themed party in your own house.

Before purchasing decorations, narrow down which rooms will be used during your party. Perhaps just the living room or backyard. Or if you’re hosting a dinner party, you might need the dining room, kitchen, and living room. You need to know the scope of the party before purchasing any décor so you don’t end up with too much, or worse, too little.

If you want fun décor (that isn’t from Target), check out these options from The Party Darling online store:

If cleaning and decorating your house sounds overwhelming, there are plenty of event venues and restaurants in the Denver metro perfect for a throwback party.

1Up Arcade Bar has four metro Denver locations, but the Greenwood Village location accepts reservations for parties of 10+ and offers catering platters to serve alongside your night of vintage video gaming fun.

Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox is not strictly 80s themed but has a retro vibe that can’t be ignored. Plus, there are several event spaces that can be reserved depending on your party size.

Gunther Toody’s is a Colorado institution located in Northglenn, Littleton, and Colorado Springs. This diner also provides birthday party packages to help you create the perfect 1950s event.

Great Scotts Eatery in Denver contains 50s-80s décor (in line with Back to the Future), and serves food with a Mexican twist. They have a dedicated event space perfect for throwing a party.

Rosie’s Diner is a retro time capsule in Aurora (with another location down south in Monument), which means your décor and food are already covered. Rosie’s can accommodate large parties, just be sure to contact them in advance.

Say Yes to Invitations

For a proper throwback feeling, you don’t want to text or email your guests an invitation. That wasn’t done in decades past! Create your own printed invitations and mail them to your friends and family.

There are plenty of free online resources to help you design the perfect invite, like Canva, or you can visit Etsy to shop templates and custom designs.

If you want to go all out, local stationary designers like Idea Chíc or Wordshop Paperie can create full, custom suites with matching invitations, RSVP cards, and envelopes to suit your party theme.

For ideal party etiquette, mail your invitations a couple months in advance, especially if you are requesting RSVPs.

It’s All Fun & Games

For a larger gathering at home, you might want to set up a few games and activities to keep your guests entertained. Some options are:

Create a ‘Drive-in Movie’ experience in your backyard with a projector, movie theatre snacks, and lots of cozy blankets and pillows (or lawn chairs). Be sure to pick a movie that suits your theme, like Some Like It Hot (1959), Dial M for Murder (1954), Top Gun (1986), or The Breakfast Club (1985).

Everyone loves a photo booth. Dedicate a corner of your house to photos with a fun backdrop plus lots of props and costumes. You can either hire a photographer or company to manage the photos, or purchase a phone tripod so everyone can take their own selfies.

If you own a gaming console like a Nintendo Switch or Playstation, check out some retro offerings your guests might enjoy. You can find Atari, Pacman, plenty of Mario Party games, plus digital versions of your favorite arcade games.

If you’re leaning into a diner theme, create a milkshake bar for your guests. If you don’t have the space for guests to serve themselves, design milkshake flights with a few different flavors that can be prepared in advance and served to each guest. Mini milkshake glasses can be purchased in bulk online, plus cute paper straws to suit the theme.

Time to Eat

Whether you’re looking to feed a crowd or serve an intimate dinner, there are lots of ways to embody your theme with food and drinks.

A must have: fruit punch (spiked, if you like) served in a big glass bowl. This was a staple at parties in the 50s AND the 80s, so you’re covering your bases.

Other beverage options include Coca-Cola served in glass bottles with paper straws, root beer floats or milkshakes, or a simple mocktail like a Shirley Temple.

Cocktails that were big in both the 50s and 80s are martinis, daiquiris, and Old Fashioneds (which never go out of style).

Surprisingly, some food options for the 50s and 80s have lots of similarities. There was a strong diner and soda shop culture in the 1950s, but fast food was experiencing a big boom in the 1980s. You could serve simple classics like burgers and fries that would suit both eras.

If you’d like something more in depth, there are hundreds of vintage recipes available online from blogs like Vintage Recipe Blog or Crumb, or browse local thrift and vintage shops for old cookbooks.

Set the Mood

Music plays a huge part in creating the right environment for your get together. If you’re hosting a party at home, check out these Spotify playlists to get the spot-on retro vibes.

Dressing to Impress

Last but not least, for a theme party, you need to dress the part. There are lots of vintage and thrift stores in the Denver metro where you can find the perfect outfit. Some top examples are Garage Sale Vintage on Larimer Street or Goldmine Vintage on Broadway.

Another option is to shop online at a store like ModCloth or Unique Vintage. Or, you can curate an outfit with a more modern feel from Cherry Creek Mall, shopping in stores like Zara, Anthropologie, or H&M.

If you want to shop in your closet, get that classic 50s look with rolled up jeans, white socks, and black shows while popping the collar of your favorite polo shirt and teasing your hair for the best of the 80s.