Eighties theme party decorations should be fun and outlandish – sort of like the 80s themselves. Depending on your event size and venue, you may choose to do a little or a lot, but the 80s party decoration ideas here should be a killer start – fur sure!
We have party stories with tons of ideas listed below. Be sure to send in your own party story with pictures so others can enjoy your ideas as well!
80s Party NEWS:
02.27.12: 80s Party Decorations – Story sent by site reader who created a Pac-Man cake for her son. See how it turned out!
01.18.12: 80s Party Decorations – Turning 80s Cassette Tapes and Vinyl Records into Totally Awesome Decor
09.06.11: 80s Party Decorations – Story sent to us by one of our site reader who threw an awesomely 80s themed birthday party for her boyfriend. See all the rad ideas she came up with for decorations, snacks, and party favors. See how it turned out!
03.09.10: 80s Party Decorations – Story sent by site reader who incorporated ideas from our web site. See how it turned out!
06.15.09: 80s Party Decorations – Story sent by site reader who incorporated ideas from our web site. See how it turned out!
09.10.08: Party Decorations – Story sent by site reader who incorporated ideas from our web site. See how it turned out!
08.25.08: 80s Party Decorations – Story sent by site reader with before and after pics of his 80s party decorations and loads of good ideas. See how it turned out!
Balloons
The easiest (and cheapest) was to take any venue from blah to bodacious is balloons. For eighties theme party decorations, you’ll want to choose some uniquely 80s color combinations. Here are a few:
- Red, yellow, turquoise
- Pink, yellow, turquoise
- Pink, white, lavender
- Lavender, peach, gray
Cassette Tape Centerpiece & Table Decor
Many of the 80s party favor ideas featured on that page are great starting points for fabulous 80s-inspired centerpieces. For example, you can put that box (or two) of old cassette tapes to a good use. Not only does it make a great a period-piece, but serves as a musical treat for the eyes. Accent with carnations and baby’s breath (just like those junior high school corsages) and your table will be magically transported back to 1980-whatever.
Other great ideas for table decorations include using vintage lunchboxes as bowls to hold candies and favors and vintage 80s toys. See the photo below for how one 80s party thrower used a Star Wars AT-AT Walker and lunchbox on his 80s table. The same could be done with any 80s toys!
We recently ran across the Break the Record store on etsy.com where Stacey Iden is making art out of old cassette tapes and vinyl records. Stacey wrote a how to for LT80s so that you can create these bodacious 80s party decorations for your next party.
For the perfect 80s party table (for food, drinks, favors), you’ll want a pastel colored table cloth or something bright that ties through with your balloon colors.
Wall Decor
Round out your 80s party decorations with music and movie posters and LP covers from the era. They can readily be had on eBay. In addition, you can cut out big colored geometric shapes to hang on the walls. We even know of one 80s party where the host cut out dots and Pacman and ghosts and set up a Pacman scene on the wall. Awesome!
Ambiance
To further set the mood, you can play classic 80s movies with the sound off on any TVs in the party area. Some great movies to use in this way include:
80s Party Music
For information on developing the perfect 80s party soundtrack, see 80s Party Music & Games.
