Plan a Most Excellent 80s Theme Party

Choosing where to throw your 80s do is totally dependent on your budget and party style. If you’re looking to keep costs down it’s easy to create your own Club Tropicana at home with the right decorations – or, if you need some more space, a local village hall is usually a good-value option.

If you’re planning a larger 80s style celebration, there are lots of cool venues and bars with 80s styling (some even come with retro arcade machines), meaning you don’t have to do much work when it comes to decorating or theming the space.

Alternatively, why not consider hiring a roller-skating rink for your own 80s-tastic roller disco? Wherever you choose, just make sure there’s enough room for you and your guests to throw some 80s shapes on the dancefloor. Party on, dudes.

Even if you’re working with the blankest or most un-80s of spaces, there are so many fun ways to bring your retro party theme to life. The best bit? It doesn’t need to cost a fortune to transform your venue into a suitably rad homage to the 1980s.

• Neon everything. We’re talking Day-Glo balloons, tassel bunting, foil fringe curtain decorations – whatever you can get your hands on.
• 80s slogan balloons. Think ‘Choose Life’, ‘Frankie Says Relax’ and ‘I *heart* 80s’.
• Cardboard cut-outs. Fill your party space with iconic 80s film characters and celebrities – then recycle them afterwards!
• Quirky 80s bunting. Everything from Rubiks cube bunting to Pacman or cassette tape bunting works a treat.
• Awesome inflatables. Blow-up boomboxes, microphones and giant 80s mobile phones are all winners.
• A wall backdrop. Cover a plain wall in your house or venue with an 80s style backdrop. It makes a statement, with minimal effort.

What a decade the 1980s was. With a style all of its own, music that is still loved today and arguably some of the best classic films ever, the 80s is a treasure trove of inspiration for a party to remember. However, if you want to narrow your 80s party theme down a bit, here’s some inspiration for you and your guests.

80s films

Where do we start? The 1980s was the decade of blockbuster films that are still beloved today. You could either theme the whole of your party around a particular film or celebrate 80s films in general. From E.T and The Goonies to Back to the Future and Labyrinth, you’re spoilt for choice.

80s music

Get your guests to pick their 1980s music tribe. Punks, New Romantics, Mods, Pop – there’s a lot to choose from. And they all offer some awesome fancy dress inspiration.

80s icons

From cult TV shows like Knight Rider and Dallas, to pop-culture legends like WWF Hulk Hogan and must-have toys like the Cabbage Patch Kids, the 80s is packed with iconic figures. This 1980s party theme gives your guests plenty to go on.

Roller disco

A roller disco makes such a cool 80s party theme. Go all out by hiring a roller-skating rink. Or just honour the theme with some spot-on fancy dress. It’s time to dig out those skates…

‘My favourite thing about the 80s’

Encourage your guests to come as their favourite thing about the decade. It could be a person, toy, cartoon character or even a food – anything! This quirky theme leaves it wide-open for guests to really let their imagination run riot.

Now this is where it really gets fun. The 80s are often cheekily referred to as the decade style forget, but whether you’re a fan or not, it’s definitely fun to revisit in fancy dress. Here are some ideas for bodacious 80s party outfits.

80s icons

The 1980s served up some absolutely legendary figures in music, the big screen and TV. Here’s just a selection to inspire you.

• Mr. T
• Cyndi Lauper
• George Michael, in his ‘shades, white t, ripped jeans and leather jacket’ era
• Madonna
• Prince
• Kate Bush
• MC Hammer
• David Bowie
• Grace Jones
• Boy George
• Joan Collins
• Del Boy
• Adam Ant
• Olivia Newton John in the Let’s Get Physical video

1980s power couples

If you’re heading to the party as a two-some, give one of these rad 80s pairings a whirl.

• Marty McFly and Doc Brown
• He-Man and She-Ra
• Kylie and Jason, aka Scott and Charlene. Extra bonus point for channelling their unforgettable wedding day style
• The Blues Brothers
• Jerry Hall and Mick Jagger
• Bill and Ted
• Johnny Castle and Baby, from Dirty Dancing. Watermelon optional.
• Bruce Willis and Demi Moore
• Roger Rabbit and Jessica Rabbit
• Marge and Homer Simpson
• JR and Sue Ellen Ewing, from Dallas
• Cagney and Lacey

Classic 80s style

• Neon clothing
• Tights with contrasting legwarmers
• Tutus
• Lots of plastic jewellery and hoop earrings
• Bright sunglasses
• Off the shoulder tops, kids from Fame style
• Jazzy prints
• Shellsuits
• Leotards
• Head and wrist sweatbands
• White or pastel suits and pastel coloured t-shirt, with sleeves pushed up à la Miami Vice
• Smart suits and office wear, complete with giant inflatable 80s mobile phone for those Wall Street/yuppie vibes

80s film characters

So many 1980s film characters are instantly recognisable today. Here are some of our favourites to dress up as.

• E.T.
• Anyone from Ghostbusters – also a great group fancy dress idea
• Ariel from The Little Mermaid (just sneaking into the 80s with a 1989 release)
• Teenwolf
• The Terminator
• One of the gremlins – or, for the ‘ahhh’ factor, Gizmo
• Rambo
• Freddy Krueger
• Indiana Jones
• Susan (aka Madonna) from Desperately Seeking Susan
• Jareth from Labyrinth
• Beetlejuice and Lydia Deetz
• Princess Leia
• Alexandra Owens from Flashdance
• The Lost Boys
• Maverick from Top Gun

80s cartoon characters

80s cartoons ruled. The 1980s was a golden age for children’s shows, so take your 80s fancy dress costume inspo from this incredible list of nostalgia-inducing cartoons.

• Rainbow Brite
• ThunderCats. Lion-O and Cheetara forever!
• Count Duckula
• Inspector Gadget
• Jem
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and April O’Neil. Cowabunga indeed.
• Transformers. Take your pick from legends like Optimus Prime and Bumblebee
• SuperTed
• Care Bears

Now this is where it gets really fun. Music is key to any great party, but for an 80s theme party we’d say it’s downright essential. There are a few options to choose from, depending on how much space you have, how much you want to spend and what kind of atmosphere you want to create.

An 80s band

A slick, 80s covers band is the ultimate party starter. Playing hit after hit, you can guarantee that dancefloor will be buzzing all night long.

We love the upbeat vibes of Guilty Pleasures, and the high-energy of Totally Rad. Vice City 80s Band look the part and sound incredible.

Let's Hear It For The 80s offer a great value 80s option if you don't want to fork out for a full band. Non-stop bangers this way…

Hire a pro DJ

Put the music in the hands of a professional DJ who knows what they are doing. Function Central has a huge list of experienced DJs, playing a massive variety of music genres, including 80s megahits.

Make your own mixtape

Hark back to those nostalgic days of carefully crafting the perfect mixtape, by putting together your ultimate 80s playlist for your theme party. Dig into the archives to rediscover your top 80s tunes and don’t forget to ask your guests to suggest their favourite songs when they RSVP too. Just make sure you’ve got some decent speakers or sound system available to blast it out. And, if you’re looking for some 80s classics to add to the list, you can’t go wrong with these floor-fillers:

1. Take On Me – A-ha
2. Eye Of t
3. The Tiger – Survivor
4. Livin’ On A Prayer – Bon Jovi
5. Tainted Love – Soft Cell
6. All Night Long (All Night) – Lionel Richie
7. Walk This Way – Run-D.M.C.
8. Push It! – Salt-N-Pepa
9. How Will I Know – Whitney Houston
10. Don’t You Want Me – The Human League
11. Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood

An 80s theme party is the perfect opportunity to go all out kitsch with your catering. Celebrate the food of your childhood with retro dishes and sweet treats that your guests will go crazy for.

• Classic cheese and pineapple on sticks. No self-respecting 80s party is complete without a foil hedgehog, adorned with cocktail sticks of cubed cheese and pineapple.
• Vol-au-vents
• Mini cocktail sausages
• All the crips – go for 80s favourites like Twiglets, Mini Cheddars, Monster Munch (pickled onion flavour, natch) and Space Raiders
• Retro sweets. Create a ‘help yourself’ pick n mix station with childhood 80s favourites like Fruit Salads, Black Jacks, Dip Dabs and Wham bars
• Sherry trifle. Hundreds and thousands and glace cherries are non-negotiable.
• Viennetta. Remember guys, one slice is never enough…
• Black Forest gateau
• For drinks, serve up mini bottles of Babycham. An 80s icon
• Go fancy with retro with Piña coladas

So, now you’ve got all in the insider info on how to throw your own era-defining 80s style party, you just need to get planning. We’d always recommend starting with the venue, then building the rest of your party from there. When it’s time to sort the music for your 80s theme party, make sure you check out Function Central for the coolest theme bands and pro DJs around.