Check your attic for vintage, decorative items for your '80s party.
The '80s was a fun and extravagant time period, during which many people spent extravagantly and behaved outlandishly. This period, known as "The Me Decade," can make for a playful party theme. When decorating for an '80s party, emulate the bright colors, varied textures and sharp contrasts of '80s popular culture. Search your attic and the Internet for a mixture of lights, furnishings, posters and props to use creatively.
Lighting
Seek a variety of different colors of crazy lights to use for your party. Try to have some lasers or wall projections and a mirror disco ball. Consider renting lights from a DJ or borrowing them from a theater. Otherwise, project a classic '80s movie onto a wall as a form of lighting. Try "Footloose," "Sixteen Candles," "The Breakfast Club" or "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."
Furnishings
Cover the chairs and tables in the room with turquoise, hot pink or lavender cloth to create an eighties color scheme. You could also incorporate black and white checkers, sparkling gold or neon colors. Attach some streamers and balloons to the walls in these same kinds of colors. Don't worry if your furnishings don't match, the '80s look is mismatched, uneven and extravagant.
Posters
Find some posters to hang on your walls of either old eighties movies or of '80s record album covers. Look for ones of movies and albums that you enjoyed so that you can use them as conversation starters at your party. Check online to purchase stand-up cutouts of classic figures or characters from the '80s, such as Michael Jackson, Hulk Hogan, Cyndi Lauper, Darth Vader or Ronald Reagan. Keep a camera handy so that your guests can pose for silly pictures with the cut-outs.
Props
Have some fun objects from the '80s set around the room for your guests to enjoy. These might include a Rubik's Cube, Smurf or Star Wars figures, old cassette tapes, jelly bracelets or Wayfarer sunglasses. Purchase candy that was popular in the '80s for your guests to snack on, like Pixy Stix, Pop Rocks or Fun Dip.
