Throwing A Totally Rad 80s Party

If you’re throwing a totally rad 80s party you must first realize that the 80s were an awesome time.  If you missed out on this era, you should do a little background research.  Just think: The president of the United States was a genuine Hollywood movie star, the nation was at peace, and the economy was booming. The 1980s even gave birth to MTV (which actually played music videos in the 80s).  The 80s were totally awesome, and worthy of a totally rad party.

Invitations
To be true to the theme you cannot email your invitations, because in the 80s no one had internet except for Matthew Broderick in the movie “War Games,” and his external modem was the size of an AMC Pacer. In the 80s texting hadn’t been invented. In the 80’s the only person in America who owned a cell phone was Hollywood super-agent Michael Ovitz, and the phone was larger than his entire head. So to invite your friends to your totally rad 80s party call them on a landline. If they don’t have a landline, call them on their parents’ landline. It's all about presentation. 

Costumes
Totally rad 80s attire is required to attend a totally rad 80s party. Guys should wear acid washed jeans, Day-Glo T-shirts and Members Only jackets, and the girls can opt for Jordache jeans and tube tops. Don’t forget the leg warmers and lace gloves, people. Guests may also choose to dress as their favorite member of “The Breakfast Club.”  Have a competition for the best costumes. Care Bears and Cabbage Patch Dolls can be the prizes.

Music
Take care of music and decor in one shot by looping early MTV videos on your television. Enjoy the musical stylings of Boy George and Culture Club, Madonna, Duran Duran, Men at Work, Prince, Cyndi Lauper, and the immortal Kajagoogo. Encourage your guests to dance: Try the moonwalk, follow along with the choreography in “Thriller,” or put on a “Flashdance.”

Games
Rubik’s Cube is a necessity for any totally rad 80s party. A really totally awesome totally rad 80s party would have old-school Nintendo, Atari, and a Pac Man arcade game. If you lack the vintage software and hardware, make up your own 80s trivia game, or have a contest to see who can make their hair the biggest.

Food and Drink
To take care of the food, just order pizza for delivery as an homage to Sean Penn in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.”  As for drink, a truly gnarly 80’s party would serve Everclear and Kool-Aid, but if Everclear is illegal in your state you can opt for vodka-fueled JELLO Shots. Like Bill and Ted, you’re sure to have an excellent adventure.