Not many graduation parties offer the chance to indulge in lots of valued nostalgia for the parents and also give the graduates a spectacular party. The ideas are just so plentiful in terms of how you might set up the party that it will take a decision as to what to include. One way to decide is if there are any songs from a particular area doing well in the billboard top 100, either re-released or covered by someone new. Also it is very important to get the graduates’ opinions. Once you have decided on the best way to go it needs everyone to be totally behind it. It is fairly easy to decorate, prepare music and costumes for 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s parties. You may of course decide to cater for every era and let guests decide what they want to dress for. Possibly that is harder to do for Home party but not impossible. I like the idea of choosing an era and sticking to it. Now, just running through each era, you can take out the bits you want to.

For 1950s have lots of decorations and costumes in the style of the fifties. They can be like Grease with slick back hair, leather jackets, jeans, pink ladies, poodle skirts, t-shirts. Have posters of diners, people, 1950s movies, cars, houses, theatre billboards, iconic photos of the time, newspaper reports, Elvis, Martin Luther King, James Dean, Marilyn Munro, Presidents and nightclubs.

Moving up to the 1960s, that too has Elvis, President Kennedy and Marilyn Munro. Also the newspaper reports of Kruschev, Bay of Pigs, The Beatles, geometric shapes, mini cars, Mods, and again posters and photos of the time. Posters can also be of big movies, movie stars, theatres and music of the time. The photos can capture the cars, people, dress style, events, buildings, and give a feel for what ordinary life was like. The 60s were also a time of peace, love and ban the bomb. Hippies were in fashion as was San Francisco. It may have been about freedom and a new life.

The 1970s move on to big hair, Shaft, New York dolls, punk rockers, spikey hair, and also John Travolta, the Bee gees, Saturday Night Fever, disco dancing and another new wave of stars.  Again posters, newspapers, movies, music, articles, music magazines, billboard 100, biggest stars, and biggest stories can give you inspiration. The disco music scene changed many town’s entertainments venues for good.

The 1980s again saw the usual changes. Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson were fabulous, new bands like Duran Duran brought a new romantic wave. New looks, new suits, make up and hair.

The 1990s brought a sharper mage with prosperity kicking in. Property was set to boom, America was starting a new era.

It does not take too much research for each era to get all the style you need for the party. Filling the venue with everything you need is a good idea. Park cars outside the venue, have newspaper articles, fashion magazines, music magazines, Time magazine and local newspapers. Get to work with posters, photos and lots of stars and ordinary people. Show the positive, fun side of the era. You may be able to source Tvs, cars, fashion items, tables, chairs, settees, and illustrate the colors of the era. Your guests will respond to your big effort.

Another thing you may find are the big selling toys of the time. Toys like Rubiks Cube and Slinky.