80s-Themed Birthday Party

Ah the 80s! My favourite decade of music, the decade I was born in, and the inspiration for the theme of my latest birthday party!

The party area of our house was decorated with colourful balloon lanterns, posters of classic 80s movies and vinyls of 80s albums I made. I used unassembled ('flat') balloon lanterns, pasted vinyl printouts on it, and placed it between the colourful balloon lanterns. We also changed some light bulbs to red and blue to create the perfect atmosphere.

I put together a dress-up table for those who did not come in their 80s gear. There were some fun items such as moustaches, neon hairbands, party hats, bow ties, crotch straps, necklaces and head bands.

I also made thank you gifts for my guests. The children each received a small bag with a neon-coloured yoyo, a fruity flavoured Wilson's toffee and a Zoocookie. For the adults, I made homemade Rubik's cubes filled with Wilson's toffees, a Zoocookie and a neon-coloured slinky. It took longer than expected to make the Rubik's cube gift boxes, but it turned out great.

The welcome drinks, main meal and dessert were served in neon-coloured plasticware, alongside colourful forks and serviettes. The glasses were distinctly different for the adults and children, to distinguish between the alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

I tried to stick to 80s food, or something that could be linked to the decade. The welcome drinks for the adults were piña coladas, served wtih colourful straws. The kids drank pineapple juice mixed with Sprite. The snacks included Ghost Pops (for Ghost Busters!), bites with cheese, sausages and pickled onions or gherkins, chocolate eclair puffs filled with cream and caramel, and Camembert cut to look like Pacman, served with grapes, salt crackers and chopped nuts to represent the other characters in Pacman.

The main meal was penne alla vodka, a popular 80s meal in the US. The dish is originally served with pasta, creamy tomato-based sauce and Parmasan. Since I didn't want to be busy in the kitchen during my party, I changed the dish up a bit where everything was prepared beforehand and could be heated up when needed. I made the pasta and creamy sauce (with extra Parmesan), then added some bacon and chicken. After mixing all the prepared ingredients in an ovenproof dish, I grated Parmesan on top and baked in the oven. When it was time for dinner, I simply heated the dish in the oven, and served it with a simple tomato salad and toasted Ciabatta.

For dessert, I made the famous 80s pineapple upside-down cake, but instead of making a big cake, I made cupcakes, which made serving it quicker and easier. The pineapple rings I used were a bit too big for the cupcake tins, so it had to be cut slightly. The cupcakes were delicious and luckily, I made extra!

The Invitation