Get ready to throw the ultimate 90s retro theme party with tips on decorations, music, activities, and fashion. Let’s bring back the best of the decade and create lasting memories!
A party in the style of the 90s is a great opportunity to feel nostalgic for the times that many remember with bright leggings, provocative makeup and fiery music. Organizing such a retro event will not be difficult if you choose the right attributes of this era and think through the design. These could be posters of artists and musicians whose fame came at the end of the 20th century, a carpet on the wall, mirror balls under the ceiling and cassette recorders.
Hosting the Ultimate 90s Retro Theme Party.
Ah, the 90s! A time when pop culture was as colorful as it was varied, featuring everything from grunge rock and hip-hop to sitcoms like “Friends” and “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” If you’re feeling nostalgic or just curious about the era, why not throw a 90s retro theme party? It’s a fantastic way to relive or discover the unique vibe of the 90s. Here’s a complete guide on how to host an unforgettable 90s-themed bash.
Decorations
When it comes to decorating for a 90s retro theme party, think bright colors, bold patterns, and plenty of neon. Consider using iconic 90s props such as lava lamps, inflatable furniture, and glow sticks to set the scene. You can also display posters of popular bands and movies from the 90s to add to the nostalgia factor.
A properly designed ’90s themed party can be a time machine that allows guests to go back in time and have fun. It will be of interest to adult guests who were present at this time, and to the younger generation. When decorating an event, emphasis should be placed on individual elements that will overall create the appropriate atmosphere. All of them should be a kind of reference to a bygone era.
Attributes of the 90s
Events in the style of the 90s are held on open dance floors, in parks, in cafes, in clubs decorated in retro, country houses, old Soviet apartments (the so-called “Khrushchev buildings”). You should start preparing with the design of invitations. They should inform guests about the location, contain advice on the dress code and other details. The chosen card option should be bright and memorable. It could be:
- album cover of a popular group;
- cassette box with a note inside;
- a postcard depicting the stars of that time;
- a flyer designed in bright colors (bright yellow, fuchsia, pink, blue and others);
- imitation of a music group poster.
The interior can be decorated with inflatable balloons, a disco ball, posters of the group “Hands Up!”, “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”, “Hi-Fi”, “Strelki”, “Brilliant” and others. If there is a free wall, you can place a carpet on it, against which guests will take a photo as a souvenir. As additional design elements, the space may include a cassette recorder. If it is a worker and the party is held in a small room, for example, in an apartment, then it can be used as a source of music.
Light music, magazines placed everywhere (“All Stars”, “COOL”, “Art Mosaic” and others), a Rubik’s cube, Tamagotchi, Tetris, and a VCR with cassettes would also be appropriate. Watching action movies from the last century can be made part of the script. For musical accompaniment, you should choose popular hits of the 90s. These are the Spice Girls, “Hands Up!”, Backstreet Boys, Oasis, Nirvana and others. You can “dilute” them with modern remixes of songs that were popular in those years.
How to decorate a table In 90s Retro Theme Party Style
In the 90s, it was customary to put more delicacies and various treats on the table, especially for birthdays or New Years. Therefore, many people associate this era with generous treats. You can prepare the following treats for the table:
- Snacks. Sandwiches with sprats or Salami sausage, Olivier salad and Herring under a fur coat, sausage and cheese slices, sandwiches with red caviar, olives, croutons, chips.
- Main dishes. Mashed potatoes with cutlets, baked chicken in the oven, French fries or “village-style”, “royal-style” chops.
- Dessert. Assorted sweets (taffy, grilled bread, “Romashka”, “Korovka”, “bird’s milk”), homemade Snickers, “Mars”, “Napoleon” chocolate bars, muffins, strudel, Love is chewing gum…
- Beverages. Homemade cocktails, liqueurs, cranberry or chokeberry liqueurs, vodka and red wine, beer (Budweiser, Coors, Heineken, etc. Non-alcoholic juices, Coca-Cola in glass bottles and small cans, Citro, Tarragon lemonade .
- Homemade pickles and preserves. These can be pickled cucumbers or tomatoes.
At a corporate event, you can organize a buffet-style meal; for a small company, it is better to set a table that you have known since childhood. It is appropriate to use crystal wine glasses, paper napkins and other accessories in the style of the 90s.
What to Wear to a 90s Party as Female
An important part of the party is the thoughtful image of the guests and the organizers themselves. The fashion of those years is remembered for high-waisted flared jeans, bright tracksuits, colorful blouses, and knitted sweaters. For many, suitable items can be found on the mezzanines or top shelves of the wardrobe. For the rest, it won’t be difficult to find a suitable outfit in the store, because trends are coming back. Many designers draw ideas on how to dress stylishly from this era.
Girls in the 90s tried to look bright and feminine, so they paid a lot of attention to details and combined contrasting shades. When creating an image you should use:
- Jackets and vests. These can be things made of leather, thick denim, with stripes in the form of cassette tapes, band names and others.
- T-shirts with inscriptions and logos, brands that were popular at that time, can be cropped at the bottom, blouses of any style with shoulder pads, decorated with embroidery and lace, voluminous knitted sweaters.
- Mini skirts or dresses. Any girl looks beautiful and attractive in them. It is better to give preference to bright shades, for example, lemon, raspberry, acid orange. An alternative solution could be floor-length dresses made of material with a metallic sheen.
- Leggings are plain or with an expressive print. Even fat girls and pregnant women wore them at that time.
- Accessories. Hoop earrings, chokers, colorful hair clips, crabs, plastic jewelry, round badges, plastic sunglasses, bracelets, necklaces, banana bags or clutches.
- Platform shoes, thick-soled boots, clogs.
An important part of the image is bright manicure and makeup. They may not match each other in color at all. For this themed party, this will only be an advantage. Preference should be given to such palettes as purple, pink, green, orange. Be sure to apply eye shadow on your eyelids and blush on your cheeks. Mascara in several layers will look appropriate, as will eyeliner.
Women in the 90s spent a lot of time on their hair. These were bangs with a high backcomb, curls made with a curling iron, a ponytail gathered at the top of the head and decorated with a thick elastic band and a large number of multi-colored hairpins. All accessories should be bright and noticeable. To maintain maximum volume, it is better to use a large amount of varnish. This retainer looked beautiful with glitter.
90 style men’s Image
Men’s fashion in the 90s was similar to women’s fashion in many ways. Representatives of the stronger sex tried to stand out in the crowd with multi-colored tracksuits and sweaters with bright prints. They were worn with both jeans and classic trousers. And one of the popular wardrobe items was a crimson jacket. For some, it was not just a thing, but a way to show their status. When going to a 90s party, a man can wear:
- Tracksuit with bright stripes. You can complement the look with sneakers, sneakers with thick soles, several chains around the neck and a cap.
- Leather jacket with a T-shirt decorated with the famous 90s logo and jeans.
- A classic suit with a jacket and wide pants.
- Checked trousers, knitted sweater or turtleneck.
- Boys High Waist Jeans and Sweater. In the 90s it was a real hit, worn by both young people and men over 50 years old. Despite the fact that they were unpleasant and prickly.
- A crimson jacket, a bright shirt, sunglasses, black pants and a purse. As additional accessories: a thick gold chain and a push-button mobile phone.
Shoes are matched to the chosen look. Sneakers and sneakers with thick soles look good with a tracksuit, and regular shoes with classic trousers. You can choose your favorite artist or movie hero of that time and simply repeat his image.
Shoes are matched to the chosen look. Sneakers and sneakers with thick soles look good with a tracksuit, and regular shoes with classic trousers. You can choose your favorite artist or movie hero of that time and simply repeat his image.
Entertainment
To ensure that guests have fun during the party, it is recommended to think through a scenario. It can include competitions that will appeal to adults and children. Here are some interesting options:
- “Bubble”. Offer guests Love is… chewing gum as a treat and challenge them to inflate the largest balloon at speed. In the 90s, many set “records” in this activity and will probably want to repeat them.
- “Guess the melody”. An excellent solution for guests whose youth was in this era and who are familiar with the hits of those years. You will need to play the backing track of a suitable composition for a few minutes and ask them to guess the name and artist. Whoever gives the most correct answers will be the winner.
- “Like they don’t do anymore.” This is a table game format that invites those present to remember what traditions of that time have become a thing of the past.
- “At speed.” Participants are given the task of rewinding the tapes using pencils or fingers. Whoever completed the task faster won.
- “Rubber bands.” This game was played in almost every yard in the 90s. Guests are invited to remember long-forgotten entertainment and test their skills. The winner is the one who remembers the most combinations.
For participation in competitions, it is also worth considering what to give to guests as an incentive or main prize. These can be purely symbolic gifts relevant to that era. For example, “Yuppie” or “Invite” bags, lollipops, Tetris, cassette tapes.
Dancing
For many, the era of the 90s is associated precisely with the disco, where world and domestic hits thundered. The dance floor can be decorated with a disco ball or just inflatable balloons, and be sure to include the following music in the playlist:
- “London, goodbye!” — “Kar-Man”;
- “Accountant” – “Combination”;
- “Girl-Girl” – Zhenya Belousov;
- “Look into your eyes” – Natalya Vetlitskaya;
- “A stewardess named Zhanna” – Vladimir Presnyakov;
- “Faina” – “Na-Na”;
- “My Boy” – Svetlana Vladimirskaya;
- “Tramp Boy” – Andrey Gubin;
- “Granite pebble” – “Ladybug”;
- “Pink Flamingo” – Alena Sviridova.
If there will be more young guests at the event who did not live in the era of the 90s, then it is better to use remixes of compositions that were popular in those years. Today, more and more performers offer them in their treatments.
Games
In addition to competitions and dances, the program can also include active and table games. All of them must also correspond to the theme of the event. Here are some options:
- Lottery. All guests should be given a small note with a serial number at the beginning of the evening. His main task is not to lose him until the end of the event. The presenter at the right moment pulls out a ball on which the winner’s number is indicated.
- Fanta. One personal item for each guest is placed in one bag, and notes with tasks in the second. The presenter pulls an object out of one container, shows it to those present and voices what he needs to do.
- Associations. The host invites the guests to continue the phrase to understand what memories they have of the 90s. For example, “Thank you to this time for…”, “In those years I was fond of…”, “The best/worst thing then was…”, “I was lucky then…”, “In winter we usually…”, “My favorite song was…”, etc.
- Changelings. Inserts for chewing gum (“Turbo” or other popular ones at that time) are placed on the table; the main task of the guests is to hit them with the palm of their hand and try to turn over as many as possible at one time.
- Disco dancer. Guests are invited to perform dance techniques that were popular at that time to the hits of that time. The more participants there are, the better. The audience votes for everyone with applause.
For games, you should find suitable props, or decorate the table with things that are associated with the 90s. For example, Rubik’s cube, cassette tapes, yo-yo, Spring toy, Tamagotchi, name badges, etc. They will create the right atmosphere and lift the spirits of the guests.
Conclusion: Get Ready to Party Like It’s 1999!
In conclusion, throwing a 90s retro theme party is a fantastic way to celebrate the iconic decade and create lasting memories with your friends and family. By planning ahead, choosing the right decorations, music, and activities, and encouraging your guests to dress the part, you can host a party that will transport everyone back to the days.