Last Updated on December 20, 2022
What a time to have been alive! The 1990s were such a fun, innocent and downright crazy time to be alive, so having a party to celebrate that for any reason is always an awesome idea. Like how 90s fashion is making a comeback (we see you with your bucket hats and dungarees), the 90s themed party is becoming more popular, mainly because those born in the 1990s are not old enough and wise enough to appreciate just how good it was.
The decade brought us Britney Spears, FRIENDS, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Pokémon, and Michael Jordan so it would be rude not to honour it somehow. What this article looks to do is give you some of the best ideas for any 90s themed party, including some great theme ideas, essentials, and top tips. Trust me, you won’t want to host a 90s party until you have read through the helpful tips that this article provides.
Invitations: Get them Right
Once you have a theme, you can get ready to plan your invitations. There is a range of online party invitation templates, so you won’t have to worry about not being able to find one. You can let your guests know exactly what to expect by including funky neon colors and geometric shapes for good effect. You can customize the text to read any year, so if you’re celebrating a birthday party, you can change “1999” to the year the guest of honour was born. If you’re not celebrating a birthday party, customize the text to announce your bachelorette bash, summer block party, or baby shower.
Fun Activities
Any good party needs good entertainment, so be sure to include one or more of these fun ideas in your planning. Your guests will thank you for it.
- Have a Photo Booth at the ready: look for 90s photo booth props like a beachball, large glasses or funky hats, and buy or make a matching backdrop to transform one of your walls. Guests can take photos on their cell phones, or you can keep it authentic and take all your party photos on an old school Polaroid camera.
- Get your music on point: Music is an essential part of any throwback party. Make a playlist with Britney or J-Lo or maybe the Backstreet Boys, NSync, and all of your favorite boy bands. Perhaps you could put on some LL Cool J and Salt-N-Pepa for a hip hop party — bonus points if you put it on a cassette tape and blast it out of a boombox!
- Video Games!!:It’s time to break out the Donkey Kong and see who can still do a Spinning Kong (hint: hold up + B). You can turn your 90s theme party into a retro video game tournament or offer it as one of many activities at the party. Alternatively, you can get some retro style games and play them on your Xbox or PlayStation; the choice is yours.
- Board Games or classic 90s games: An awesome idea would be to set up a 90s game station complete with a Bop It, Skip It, Pogs, Velcro toss, and catch. Let guests get nostalgic with their favorite games from childhood. Alternatively, dust off a few classics like Don’t Wake Dad, Hungry Hippos, or Monopoly and relive your childhoods once again (no arguing, though)
The Food and Drink
Pivotal to any good party, good food and good drink are essentials, and it would help if they were 90s themed too! For one, serve your food on paper plates and red plastic cups for the drinks. Not only are they old school, which fits into the theme, but they are also super convenient when it comes to not having to do any washing up later on after everyone has left.
Get your hands on some Lunchables, pizza rolls, and hot pockets; this will remind everyone of the old days when school was over, and they got home for dinner. Don’t forget the treats, though! Pop-Tarts are a necessity, and Toaster Strudels, Fruit Wind-Ups and Cheese Puffs will certainly bring your guests down memory lane.
Top everything off with a refreshing juice box or Capri sun or some alcoholic punch, and you are on to a winner. Finish things off with Dunkaroos for dessert (serve them with milk if you want to keep things classic or with White Russians for a more grown-up version). If you’re hosting a 90s birthday party, top the birthday cake with some 90s-themed cupcake toppers. Having a themed cake would be super cool, but of course that may be up to the birthday boy/girl (If it is anyone’s birthday that is).
Getting the Decorations Right
There are plenty of ways to make life easy on yourself when getting 90s themed décor for your party. There are plenty of stores that sell 90s themes party decorations, and even websites like Etsy or Amazon are great for party packages that are inexpensive and will save you time. Similarly, don’t be afraid to do a little DIY work. You can always get some colored paper and make confetti, make long and colored streamers to hang from the ceiling, get some magic 8 balls to start a conversation or possibly an argument! And make or buy some 90s posters that will transform your space into a 90s den all over again.
Similarly, you can buy some canvas and spray paint to your heart’s content, locate some old technology, and leave it around the place (you can spray paint them too if you want a more retro look. Of course, no 90s birthday party would be complete without party favours. Send guests home with goodies like scrunchies, slap bracelets, butterfly clips and jelly roll pens, they will take them back to the good old days.
What should I Wear?
Typically when it comes to 90s fashion, the more ridiculous, the better. On your party invitation, ask guests to sport their favorite 90s fashion. You can include tips like bright colors, busy geometric patterns, bucket hats, and overalls (with one strap undone, of course). Thrift stores are an excellent place to find 90s fashion, that is of course, if you don’t have any old-fashioned clothes lying around. Another good idea is to make it a themed dress-up party. You can tell everyone to dress up as their favorite 90s movie or TV character, giving prizes out for the “best-dressed”. The possibilities are endless. Just be sure to include the theme or dress code on your invitation.
FAQs
Are there any 90s party essentials?
Yes, there are a couple, and as far as we are concerned, there are two absolutely key essentials: bright colours and bad music. No really, the cheesier, the better.
What should guests wear to a 90s themed party?
That depends on the theme, but if it is strictly “1990’s” instead of a certain movie or specific theme, then ask guests to sport their favorite 90s fashion. You can include tips like bright colors, busy geometric patterns, bucket hats, and overalls (with one strap undone, of course)
Should I have a photo booth?
We think that would be a pretty cool idea! But it all depends on those props. 90s inspired photo props like cassette tapes, boy band CDs, neon sunglasses, and plastic boom boxes are a must. With a photo booth, you can set up your own and create a splatter paint background—all you need is a white sheet and some paint.
What are some cool game ideas for my 90s themed party?
As well as having a dedicated games night being an awesome option, you can just as easily have a couple of games sprinkled across any evening to make it more enjoyable for everyone in attendance. Some of these include Hungry Hippos, Jumanji, Don’t Wake Dad, or Crocodile Dentist.
Can 90s parties be expensive?
Any party can be expensive or cheap. It depends on what you intend to buy and where you shop. A party does not need to be lavish to be fun, and just because it is cheap, doesn’t mean it is not a good party either. It is not about how much money you spend that matters but how much fun you have.