90s Theme Party – 10 Essentials for the Flashiest Party of the Year

Unforgettable music and crazy parties: that’s what the 90s stand for! Britney Spears, bellybutton-free, fashion sins and tribal tattoos – 10 tips on how to rock your 90s theme party.

The 90s were an absolutely distinctive decade. Disco, parties, techno, flashy, funky outfits, screaming teens and garish neon colours everywhere. This decade stands for epic parties, incredible style and fashion sins and distinctive stars and starlets: so it’s perfect for a legendary theme party!

In some attics, 90s gems are still waiting for their moment of glory: brightly coloured bike shorts, pink leggings, disco balls, lava lamps and favourite posters of the Backstreet Boys and Take That that you somehow never threw away. And flea markets are also a veritable El Dorado for flashy deco bargains and accessories that create just the right hyper atmosphere – and nostalgia. Yes, back then – Brad Pitt was still hot enough to eat! 😀

Still unsure about your party theme? At Abenteuer Freundschaft you’ll find lots of inspiration on the theme parties list and detailed articles with tons of ideas for celebrating a theme party together!

90s Theme Party – Time Travel Into the Party Decade

1. Preparation and Checklist

No good theme party is complete without preparation. And it doesn’t have to be expensive or elaborate! As soon as your theme is set, you should think about where, how and when the party will take place. The time of year, the weather, the number of guests and, of course, the budget are all important factors in deciding what is feasible and what you really want to have.

Start by making a checklist and answer these questions:

1. Where is my 90s theme party? Indoors/outdoors or both?
2. Which location suits the party theme particularly well? Disco, gym with prom party feeling, rave party in the garden or on the street…
3. What kind of decoration suits the location? What do I have and what do I need?
4. What is there to eat and drink that fits the theme?
5. Is there live music, a DJ or should I prepare playlists?
6. What else do I have to buy / order, what can I simply borrow?

2. Invitation to the 90s Theme Party

You can make the invitation yourself or buy matching cards and send them out. With a manageable number of guests or a round birthday, I’m a big fan of individual invitations – they simply show that the host is making an effort and make me want to make a real effort with my outfit right from the start!

You can Google your favourite stars – the trashier the better – and print them out, work with neon and bright colours or make a Gameboy or Tamagotchi and write your invitation text on it. On amazon you can also find invitations in the form of a Gameboy, video cassette or cassette tape.
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But in the 90s, there was another great trashy and quick-to-implement invitation: send online cards with flashing gifs, kitschy puppies, corny teen stars or Didl on them! Then add a witty text with references to the 90s.

3. 90s Atmosphere

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Absolutely indispensable for the atmosphere are 90s songs – and it’s best to plan a dance floor. A disco feeling is a must for a 90s theme party – regardless of whether the atmosphere is that of a rave party, techno party, pop party or groupie party.

On the invitation, ask your guests to dress in line with the theme – because only with flashy clothes and fashion sins will you get into the right party mood. And only your guests can make sure of that!

A few decorative elements are usually enough to create that 90s feeling. Project the cult game of the 90s – the Moorhuhnjagd – onto the wall of your room with your laptop and beamer and shoot at the birds. You can also play an episode of your favourite 90s sitcom in the middle of it – be it Beverly Hills 90210, Friends or Full House!

Especially for milestone birthdays or special celebrations, this is your chance to bring your 90s to life! Hang posters of your favourite stars, your favourite clothes of the time, etc.
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4. 90s Deco – From the Zebra Look To the Dummy Chain

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Flashy colours, neon, a zebra look and typical 90s decorative items (e.g. lava lamp or rainbow spiral) are ideal. If you’re planning a raucous party that includes dancing, hang a disco ball and install a light machine, fairy lights or disco spotlights. Add a fog machine and you’re definitely the king or queen of the 90s. Neon glow stick lights are a must for every guest.

For whatever reason, plastic dummy necklaces and trolls were all the rage in the 90s and are great for table decorations with confetti shooters, old Gameboys, Tamagotchis, fat Baby G watches, old cassettes, Walkmans and fluffy Diddl mice.

Posters with the teen idols of the time belong on the wall: bloomers, boy bands, girl bands, film stars, Titanic. And if you place a few old Bravo magazines from the 90s on the toilet to browse through, I guarantee you’ll get appreciative attention.

5. Typical 90s Outfits for Women

Brightly coloured, short and tight-fitting: leggings and tight belly tops were absolutely in in the 90s. Glitter, neon and the whole zebra look set the style direction: exaggeration is exactly right! Add fake piercings, a tattoo on your hip and Wheelys – sneakers with integrated wheels.

• Britney Spears
• Madonna
• Singer of Tic Tac Toe
• Raver
• Grunge girl
• Nirvana fangirl
• Tight belly top and flared trousers
• Flashy neon outfit
• Fishnet dress
• Catsuit
• Chiemsee jumper
• Colourful highlights in the hair
• Spice Girl
• Gameboy
• Colourful gauntlets
• Colourful leggings

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6. Typical 90s Outfits for Men

A hot tip right up front: get together with some friends and come together as a boy band! Whether it’s Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Caught in the Act or Take That, it doesn’t matter – the girls will go wild.

• Member of a boy band
• David Hasselhoff
• German hip-hoppers – Fantastische 4, Blumentopf, Fettes Brot
• Baywatch lifeguard
• Gameboy players in jogging suits with snap fasteners
• Bandanas were the daring trademark
• Prince of Bel Air
• Yoyo-playing cool kid
• Steve Urkle
• Stripper of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers
• Colourful batik T-shirt
• Kurt Cobain
• Baggy pants with wide too big t-shirts and cap
• Wrestler
• Hip-Hoper
• Rapper
• Rocker
• Pop star
• Retro computer game food monster

7. Accessories and Style Sins

Tattoos and piercings were suddenly hip in the 90s. And one tattoo in particular: the so-called tramp stamp – a tribal that flashed out when you bent over. In addition, people confidently wore a fanny pack, a prince-iron-heart hairstyle as a man and dyed their hair hydrogen blonde as a woman.

With these style sins you will definitely get noticed:

• Skateboard
• Fanny pack
• tinted eyebrows
• white lipstick
• piercings
• tribal tattoos
• Hydrogen blonde hair
• Brightly coloured cycling shorts
• Buffalo platform shoes
• Fishnet shirts
• Aerobics suit
• Punk mohawk
• Baby girl wig with pigtails

8. 90s Theme Party Games

One game caused quick breaths, pounding hearts and horrified gasps like no other: Twist the Bottle or Truth or Dare! Many teens experienced their first kiss while spinning the bottle in the 90s and no matter what age – Truth or Dare is still fun today with the right questions and definitely provides for some surprising insights!

And then there’s a whole range of drinking games that are typically 90s for parties big and small. From the dice game Mäxchen – still one of the most popular party drinking games today – to the provocative drinking game Ich hab noch nie.

Or you can organise a real Beer Pong tournament – the number one semester drinking game in the USA in the 90s. Here’s everything you need for the party drinking game Beer Pong, with rules and all the accessories.

9. 90s Snacks and Drinks

No one should be in the kitchen at the party – so prepare all the food beforehand or let the guests contribute to the buffet. Finger food with typical snacks from the 90s or a stew are best – but they were quite heavy and nothing for vegan calorie counters!

• meat balls or rolls
• All kinds of skewers: cheese skewers, grape skewers, shish kebabs, etc.
• Bifis
• Mc Donalds food (oh yes, the junior bag, for example, was an absolute hit)
• Fire pot
• Hunter’s pot
• Boom-boom ice cream
• Twix or preferably Raiders bars
• Nic Nacs
• Chupa Chups lollipops
• Mamba’s
• Hubba Bubba chewing gum metre
• Sour cords and apple rings
• Knoppers, KitKat
• Mentos lozenges

When it came to drinks in the 90s, the main thing was to get a good kick out of it! The following drinks were the most popular:

• Vodka Red Bull
• Cola with any alcohol
• Sangria buckets with long straws
• Jell-O with vodka
• Milkshakes
• Colourful energy drinks
• Capri Sun in a bag for the kids
• Thirst quencher iced tea
• Cola

10. 90s Cult Music

Do you still have mix tapes from the 90s? Put on an old boombox and play them – you can’t get more retro than that!

Ah yes, the 90s! Like every decade, the 90s were musically colourful and there is something for every taste. Typical music genres that had their heyday in the 90s are:

• Hip-Hop
• Techno
• Trance
• Rave
• R&B
• Eurodance
• Grunge

At a 90s theme party, classics like Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirwana are actually obligatory. These are some titles that are simply 90s:

• Nirvana – Smells like Teen Spirit
• Die Ärzte – Asshole
• Die Toten Hosen – All for Love
• Tic Tac Toe – Mr. Important
• Fantastic Four – Die Da and MFG
• Freundeskreis – A-n-a
• Absolute Beginner – Hammerhart
• Fettes Brot – Champagne or Seltzer
• Bandits – Catch me
• Oasis – Wonderwall
• Rage Against the Machine – Killing in the name
• Guns ‘n Roses – November rain
• K2 – The mountain calls
• Salt’n’Pepa – Let’s talk about sex
• Oli P. – Planes in the belly
• Aqua – Barbie Girl
• Vangelis – Conquest of paradise
• Vanilla Ice – Ice Ice Baby
• Right said Fred – I’m too sexy
• Alban – It’s my Life
• Cultur Beat – Mr. Vain
• Coronoa – The Rhythm of the Night
• The Outthere Brothers – Boom Boom Boom
• Haddyway – What is Love
• Rembrants – Just the way it is baby
• Snap! – Rhythm is a dancer
• Meat Loaf – Anything for love
• Scooter – Hyper Hyper

… the list could go on forever! 🙂

Have fun with your 90s theme party!

On Abenteuer Freundschaft you’ll find lots of inspiration for gifts and leisure ideas for activities with friends, kids and your sweatheart. Check it out!

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Image source Cover image: Tomorrowworld2013 by MIXTRIBE under CC BY 2.0.

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